There are two SWAC men’s basketball teams which have yet to win a conference game. Only one will remain after Saturday.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will host Mississippi Valley State at H.O. Clemmons Arena at 5:30 p.m. in a matchup of the league’s last-place teams.
Head coach Solomon Bozeman said the Golden Lions need to be hungrier for a win than Valley.
“We gotta come out and play desperate like our lives are on the line, which, our lives are on the line,” Bozeman said. “The most desperate team is going to win on Saturday. I’m excited for the game. I know Valley’s probably excited, too. Both teams looking for that (win), and we wanna come out and play as hard as we can to make sure we get it. It’s going to be a dogfight.”
UAPB (3-17, 0-7) is looking to avoid matching its worst start to league play since the 2002-03 season, when the Golden Lions started 0-8.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Mississippi Valley State (2-19, 0-8) is the only team behind UAPB in the standings and the only SWAC team without a Division I victory. The Delta Devils are 0-19 against Division I teams and 0-15 on the road.
UAPB is 3-3 in Pine Bluff with one Division I victory, an 84-78 win against Central Arkansas on Dec. 7.
These two teams sit at the bottom of the KenPom national rankings, with Valley ranking last at 364 and UAPB just ahead at 363.
UAPB has had two close calls in SWAC play, a 93-91 loss at Alabama State and Monday’s 81-77 home loss to Grambling State. Bozeman said those games help show the parity in the SWAC.
“We’ve been matched up with a lot of these teams, and we’ve been right there and having a chance to win,” Bozeman said. “So, I think we just gotta … continue to get better each and every day and do the things we need to do to where we can start winning these games on a more consistent basis. Right now, you have to get one. So right now, our focus is making sure we find a way to get a (win) on Saturday.”
History favors the Golden Lions, who are 5-1 against Valley under Bozeman, including 3-0 at home. UAPB is 20-5 against the Delta Devils dating back to 2013.
Both teams struggle to defend and rank in the bottom three of the SWAC in scoring defense and opponent field goal percentage.
UAPB has an advantage offensively. The Golden Lions have the third-best shooting percentage at 44.3 percent. UAPB scores 74 points per SWAC game compared to Valley’s 55.9, which is the fewest of any team.
UAPB freshman guard Caleb Jones said if the Golden Lions communicate better than in past games, they should be able to defend MVSU.
“That’s what we’ve been missing defensively,” Jones said. “So, I feel like if we come out this next game communicating loud from the jump, we can really put together our best defensive performance.”
Valley junior guard Arther Tate leads the Devils with 10.9 points per game, while former UAPB forward Alvin Stredic follows with 10.1.