Basketball fans in Pine Bluff will have to wait until after the end of the fall semester to see the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men play a home game this year.
UAPB released its men’s basketball schedule late Wednesday, and it does not feature a home game until Dec. 15. The Golden Lions will host Ecclesia College from Springdale that day, then host Champion Christian College two days later.
Those games will wrap up non-conference play, which will feature 11 consecutive road games prior to the home opener.
It will be the fewest non-conference home games and the latest home opener since the 2020-21 season, during which UAPB did not play any non-conference home games. The home opener was the SWAC opener in January 2021.
UAPB will start the season with an exhibition game at Little Rock on Oct. 17, dubbed the Central Arkansas Tip-Off Classic. The regular season will begin on Nov. 3 at Washington.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Golden Lions will go on to play three other teams from Power Four conferences: Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and SMU. The shortest road trip will be the last road game at Tulsa on Dec. 10.
Other than the exhibition against the Trojans, UAPB will not play another Arkansas-based Division I team this season. The Golden Lions had played Central Arkansas each of the past two years.
SWAC play will open at home against Alabama A&M on Jan. 3 and Alabama State on Jan. 5. The rest of the conference home slate will consist of Florida A&M, Bethune-Cookman, Alcorn State, Jackson State, Texas Southern, Prairie View A&M and Mississippi Valley State. The MVSU game will be the final home game of the season on Feb. 28.
The SWAC basketball tournament will be held March 9-14 in Atlanta.
UAPB 2025-26 men’s basketball schedule
Oct. 17; at Little Rock (exhibition)
Nov. 3; at Washington
Nov. 6; at Portland
Nov. 8; at Loyola Marymount
Nov. 11; at Oklahoma
Nov. 15; at Vanderbilt
Nov. 18; at SMU
Nov. 21; at Marshall
Nov. 23; at Miami (OH)
Dec. 3; at Illinois-Chicago
Dec. 6; at DePaul
Dec. 10; at Tulsa
Dec. 15; Ecclesia
Dec. 17; Champion Christian
Jan. 3; Alabama A&M*
Jan. 5; Alabama State*
Jan. 10; at Texas Southern*
Jan. 12; at Prairie View A&M*
Jan. 17; Florida A&M*
Jan. 19; Bethune-Cookman*
Jan. 24; at Southern*
Jan. 26; at Grambling State*
Jan. 31; at Miss. Valley State*
Feb. 7; Alcorn State*
Feb. 9; Jackson State*
Feb. 14; at Alabama State*
Feb. 16; at Alabama A&M*
Feb. 19; Texas Southern*
Feb. 21; Prairie View A&M*
Feb. 28; Miss. Valley State*
March 3; at Jackson State*
March 5; at Alcorn State*
*SWAC contest