High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The 1979–80 UAB Blazers men`s basketball team represented the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) in the 1979–80 college basketball season. This was head coach Gene Bartow`s second season at UAB. The Blazers competed in the Sun Belt Conference and played their home games at the BJCC Arena. They finished the season 18–12, 10–4 in Sun Belt play and lost in the finals of the conference tournament to VCU. They were invited to the 1980 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) only to fall in the first round to Southwestern Louisiana.