The 11-game road trip the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s basketball team embarked upon at the start of the season finally ends on Wednesday.
UAPB will face Tulsa at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ at the Donald W. Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla.
This will be the final Division I opponent and the final road game UAPB (1-9) plays in the non-conference portion of the schedule. Next week’s home opener awaits the Golden Lions, starting a four-game homestand including two non-Division I opponents and the first two SWAC games of the year.
UAPB has fared much better in its two games since Thanksgiving than it did across its first eight contests. After an 0-8 start with only one game finishing with a single-digit margin, the Golden Lions came back from the break and defeated the University of Illinois Chicago 63-62 before nearly upsetting Big East opponent DePaul (Ill.) in a 76-72 contest.
The biggest difference has been defense. UAPB allowed 98.1 points per game during its 0-8 start but held UIC and DePaul to an average of 69 points per game.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Golden Lions held the two Chicago schools to 40% or worse from the field and to 16.7% or worse from 3-point range, by far the worst percentages of any of UAPB’s opponents so far. UAPB blocked a season-high 12 shots against UIC.
Offensively, UAPB shot a season-best 48.3% against DePaul. Its 41.7% against UIC was third-best this year.
Freshman guard Milhan Charles had his best game of the season against DePaul, scoring a career-high 19 points. He had not made a 3-pointer all season before making 2 of 3 against the Blue Demons. He collected a season-high nine rebounds against both UIC and DePaul.
Senior guard Quion Williams continues to grow into his role with UAPB. He scored 27 points against DePaul, his second-most this year, and has improved both defensively and as a point guard. In his past three games, including the final game before Thanksgiving against Miami (Ohio), he is averaging seven assists per game. He never had more than five prior to Miami.
Tulsa (8-1) will test UAPB’s defensive improvements. It is the best shooting team in the American Conference and the second-highest scoring. The Golden Hurricane averages 87.8 points per game and shoots 48.1% from the field while averaging 10.9 made 3-pointers.
Senior guard Miles Barnstable is the American’s most efficient 3-point shooter. He has made 25 of 56 (44.6%) of his 3-point attempts this season. His 14.3 points per game are just slightly behind the 14.6 points teammate David Green, a graduate forward, averages. Green shoots 45.1% from the field, fifth in the American.
Mid-Major Madness this week ranked Tulsa as the 15th best team from outside of the major conferences in the nation. The Golden Hurricane’s only defeat has been an 84-83 road loss to Big 12 foe Kansas State.
Tulsa has won five straight games since then, most recently defeating Missouri State 98-74 in Tulsa on Saturday. The Golden Hurricane are 4-0 at home this season.
This will be UAPB’s second trip to the Sooner State this season after falling 95-69 to Oklahoma on Nov. 11.
