Alabama Basketball: In Tide and UCLA five-game history, the first was special

Alabama Basketball: The Crimson Tide and the UCLA Bruins have played just five times. The first game in 1983 was special.

Going into the 1982-83 season, Alabama Basketball had a modest five-game NCAA Tournament resume. In January of 1983, just two days after the staggering death of Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant, the Crimson Tide played UCLA in Los Angeles’ Pauley Pavilion. The Alabama basketball players wore black patches to honor the Alabama Crimson Tide legend.

Bryant was a big fan of the Crimson Tide basketball program. As the Athletic Director, he hired C.M. Newton, knowing his new basketball coach would integrate Alabama Athletics. Bryant was such an enthusiastic fan, he postponed some spring practice sessions one year to travel with the team to New York for an NIT game.

It took time and Bryant’s patience, but Newton eventually delivered, taking the Crimson Tide to its first NCAA Tournament in 1975.

In 1983 Alabama Basketball and UCLA were a world apart. Unlike the Tide’s short NCAA resume, the Bruins were the blue-est of college basketball blue bloods. Under John Wooden, UCLA won the NCAA Tournament in 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1975. The Bruins’ post-Wooden years were difficult. While being a threat to contend for a National Championship in four of the seasons prior to 1983, the Bruins always came up short. In January 1983, UCLA, ranked No. 1, appeared to be on track for another National Championship run.

Outside of the state of Alabama, no one gave Wimp Sanderon’s Crimson Tide any chance of upsetting UCLA. The Crimson Tide started strong in 1982, winning its first eight games, including a blowout of then, No. 10, Georgetown. The winning came to an abrupt halt once the SEC schedule began with losses to Florida and Auburn. Next came a surprising upset of No. 3 ranked Kentucky. Before going to Los Angeles, the Tide followed the big win over the Wildcats by losing four of its next five games.

Before the tipoff in Los Angeles, UCLA head football coach, Terry Donahue led the Pauley Pavilion crowd in a moment of silence to recognize Paul Bryant. Alabama Basketball took early control of the game and never trailed. Led by Bobby Lee Hurt with 23 points and Ennis Whatley with 20 points, the Crimson Tide led by as much as 16 points. Whatley was an Alabama basketball wizard but was given little notice nationally. In the New York Times story on the Tide victory, Ennis was identified as Whealty, rather than Whatley.

UCLA never gave up and tied the game at 67 with 35 seconds to go. Free throws in the final seconds; two by Mike Davis and one by Buck Johnson clinched the Crimson Tide victory. It was a milestone win for the Crimson Tide.

Unfortunately, it did not trigger NCAA Tournament success that March. In the Tide’s opening-round game of the 1983 NCAA Tournament, Lamar stunned Alabama basketball fans by destroying the Crimson Tide.

The Crimson Tide and the Bruins played again in 2002, 2006, 2014 and 2015. UCLA won three of the four, with the single Tide win coming in 2015.