Four challenging road games in four different regions of the country await the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff over the next two weeks.
The UAPB men’s basketball team begins a stretch of four straight road games Thursday night at No. 25 Oklahoma at the McCasland Field House in Norman, Okla. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m.
UAPB (4-4) will follow Thursday’s game at OU by traveling to No. 11 Gonzaga on Dec. 5, No. 4 UConn on Dec. 9, and South Florida on Dec. 12.
Head coach Solomon Bozeman said the Golden Lions want to play against the nation’s top teams.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“As long as we compete and get better each and every game, I’ll be excited about the outcome,” Bozeman said. “This team, we’re going to be a special team once we put it all together. We’re not even close to putting it all together. We just want to continue to compete and get better each and every game.”
OU (6-0) plays solid defense. Although both offenses’ average points per game are in the mid-80s, the Sooners have held opponents to an average of 59.8 this season. UAPB’s opponents are averaging 82.9, so the Golden Lions will need an improved defensive performance to hang in at Norman.
The caliber of opponent UAPB is set to face isn’t the only challenge. The Golden Lions will play games in three time zones over the next two weeks.
UAPB will fly to Washington to play Gonzaga, then return home briefly before a five-day East Coast road trip. The Golden Lions will fly to the Northeast to play the UConn, then fly directly to Tampa, Fla., to play USF.
Junior forward Ismael Plet said the Golden Lions need to take care of their bodies to stay as fresh as possible with so much travel.
“I think all of our guys need to prioritize our recovery,” Plet said. “Drinking enough water, hydrating, putting the right foods in your body. No fried foods. Good foods, healthy foods, clean foods, as well as sleeping, getting your sleep every single night. Trying to prioritize your sleep and good rest.”
Whether home or away, UAPB’s schedule has been packed to this point. Thursday’s game will be the Golden Lions’ fifth in 12 days. They have played every three days during this span with three road games. Prior to this stretch, they played four games in the first eight days of the season.
Bozeman said because of the busy schedule, UAPB hasn’t gotten much practice time.
“The games have been our practice,” Bozeman said. “We’re not practicing for long periods of time. I try to keep them short, because we’re playing every two, three days. When you play a schedule like that, you want to try to keep the guys as fresh as possible, I think.”
By the end of non-conference play, UAPB will have played teams from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, West Coast Conference, Big East and American Athletic Conference, among others. The Golden Lions will have been considered the underdogs in each game but believe these challenges will prepare them for SWAC play.
Plet said in these tough games, UAPB wants to show it is a tough team that can compete and win.
“I don’t look at us as the underdogs,” Plet said. “I think we can compete with anybody due to our scoring ability and our length and our style and our skill and our size. So, if you guard the ball well, I think we can beat anybody in the country.”
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly indicated the venue for the basketball game.