After previously sitting alone in second place, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s basketball team is reeling entering the final week of the regular season.
UAPB will face Jackson State at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Lee E. Williams Athletics and Assembly Center in Jackson, Miss. The Golden Lions will conclude the regular season at 8 p.m. Thursday against Alcorn State at the Davey L. Whitney Complex in Lorman, Miss.
Saturday’s 70-69 loss to last-place Mississippi Valley State left UAPB (12-17, 9-7 SWAC) in a three-way tie for fourth place with Alabama A&M and Southern. A win against Valley would have sent the Golden Lions into this week alone in second place.
Instead, after losing four of its past five games, UAPB finds itself half a game out of second but only two games ahead of ninth with two games to play.
The frustration from that loss was evident when Coach Solomon Bozeman gave his now-viral postgame interview to UAPB play-by-play announcer LaRon Marbley.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We (are) emotionally unstable at times, and it showed,” Bozeman said. “We (are) up 10, 12 points, and then we just lose our f****** minds and get f****** techs.”
Bozeman referred to a pair of technical fouls UAPB players received in the first half, which led to four straight free throws that helped the Delta Devils erase UAPB’s early lead.
With that loss, UAPB no longer controls its destiny in the race for the No. 2 seed in next week’s SWAC tournament, which will be held March 9-14 at the Gateway Center Arena in Atlanta. Bethune-Cookman has clinched the No. 1 seed.
The top six teams get byes to the quarterfinals, but the top two get to play their quarterfinal game on March 10. With a win, those teams then get the next day off before the semifinals as the other quarterfinal games are played. Teams finishing in the 3-6 range must win three games in three days to win the tournament, not getting the benefit of an off-day.
Before the Valley game, Bozeman said that day off can be a huge help.
“I think any time you can get a day of rest in a tournament, that’s always beneficial for each and every team,” Bozeman said. “But I’ve also been a part of teams when I was in college, we won four days in a row. When I was at Oral Roberts, I think we were able to win three days in a row. Anything is possible during tournament time, but that day off, to me, is always beneficial.”
Texas Southern and Florida A&M are tied for second entering this week. Both schools control a potential tiebreaker with UAPB, meaning the Golden Lions likely need to go 2-0 this week and get losses from both teams to reclaim the No. 2 seed.
Before worrying about finishing top two, though, UAPB must first ensure it finishes top six to get a bye to the quarterfinals. The Golden Lions could do that Tuesday if they defeat Jackson State (9-20, 8-8).
The Tigers enter the week in seventh place, one game back of UAPB, so a UAPB win would ensure the Golden Lions could finish no worse than sixth. A loss would make things tricker, though because UAPB defeated Jackson State 84-63 on Feb. 9, UAPB would still control a potential tiebreaker with the Tigers if it loses by fewer than 21 points.
Alcorn State (7-21, 6-10) enters the week tied for 10th with Grambling State. The Braves cannot catch up to UAPB in the standings at this point, but UAPB still needs a win to avoid a further collapse.
A 2-0 week would ensure UAPB finishes no worse than tied for second, though that tie could potentially feature as many as three other teams depending on how other games go. Tiebreakers would then decide seeding.
A 1-1 week could still clinch a top six spot, though the possibility of the No. 7 seed opens with a loss to Jackson. An 0-2 week opens the door for a finish as low as the No. 9 seed, though losses by Alabama State and Prairie View A&M would raise the floor to the No. 7 seed. Higher could still be possible depending on results elsewhere.
UAPB’s previous win against Jackson came two days after an 84-77 win against Alcorn, but the Golden Lions are 0-4 this year in rematches against teams they previously defeated. UAPB is 4-3 on the road in SWAC play, so Bozeman said the Golden Lions can still finish strong.
“It’s not like we can’t go on the road and get a win,” Bozeman said. “We just gotta be disciplined. … We got everything we need, but that’s the part that we gotta continue to get better at, and we’ve been preaching it all year. We’ve been holding them accountable all year. We got some guys that have some punishment for (technical fouls). … I still believe in this team, and I know what we gotta do to be better.”