UAB is set to host Nicholls at Bartow Arena on Friday for its home opener, marking the first time fans will walk into the Birmingham venue since a multimillion-dollar renovation wrapped up. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT, with the game streaming live on ESPN+.
According to UAB Athletics, Bartow Arena welcomed fans back following a $15.4 million renovation project. That figure marks a jump from the $14.6 million price tag UAB cited for the same project back in October 2025, and the dossier does not explain the discrepancy between the two numbers.
Whatever the final cost, the scope of the work is substantial. The renovated arena now includes an entrance lobby with roughly 7,400 square feet of additional space, giving fans more room to gather before tipoff, per the same UAB Athletics release.
What Changed Inside Bartow Arena
The project expanded courtside seating and improved accommodations for Gang Green, UAB's student section, while also replacing the lower-bowl retractable seating that had aged over the years. Concourses were renovated with new lighting, paint, finishes and graphics, and the arena's restrooms were upgraded with new fixtures, the UAB release notes.
Beyond the bowl itself, the renovation added an enhanced club area and improved the arena's exterior appearance, giving the building a different look both inside and out for fans returning Friday night. As WBMA first reported, the home opener will serve as the public unveiling of the finished product after months of construction.
UAB Looks To Rebound Against Nicholls
UAB enters Friday's game at 0-1 after dropping its season opener 99-78 to McNeese in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on Monday. Nicholls, meanwhile, arrives in Birmingham undefeated after a dominant 110-56 win over North American, an NAIA program, in its own season opener.
Head coach Andy Kennedy carries a 4-2 record in home openers during his tenure at UAB, per the same UAB Athletics report. The Blazers also hold the historical edge in this matchup, having won both of their previous meetings with the Colonels, with the first coming in 1992 and the most recent in 2002, leaving UAB 2-0 all-time against Nicholls.
Bartow Arena already hosted one event under its new look this week. UAB's women's basketball team opened its 2026-27 season with a 77-67 win over Fisk at the newly renovated venue, according to BVM Sports. Friday's men's game gives a larger wave of fans their first chance to see the upgraded concourses, club area and seating for themselves.
