A five-day trip to the East Coast wraps up tonight with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff’s fourth-straight road game.
The UAPB men’s basketball team will face South Florida at 6 p.m. Central Standard Time at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Fla. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
UAPB (4-7) is coming off three straight losses to ranked opponents, most recently falling 101-63 at No. 5 UConn on Saturday.
Prior to starting this stretch of challenging road games, head coach Solomon Bozeman said these games will help the Golden Lions prepare for SWAC play.
“Anytime you play against the best in the country, it’s going to be huge for our team,” Bozeman said. “We just wanna compete. I definitely think it’s going to help us prepare for conference [play]. I’m excited to compete. I know our guys are, too.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Golden Lions are 1-6 on the road with the lone win coming at Central Arkansas, 85-83. UAPB last played at home Nov. 27 before starting this road stretch. The next home game will be the last of non-conference play on Dec. 18. From there, the Golden Lions will begin SWAC play at home against Alabama A&M and Alabama State on Jan. 6 and Jan. 8, respectively.
UAPB’s defense has been outmatched the past three games, giving up 100 or more points in each, but this upcoming game presents a good opportunity for the Golden Lions to get back on track.
USF (3-4) isn’t a great shooting team. They have shot 38.9% from the field and 28.4% from 3-point range so far this season. Senior guard Selton Miguel leads the team with 13.7 points per game, while Chris Youngblood averages 13 points.
The Bulls defeated Florida State 88-72 Saturday, breaking a three-game losing streak. Their other wins have been against Northen Iowa and South Carolina State with losses to teams such as Maine and Hofstra.
Despite their offensive struggles, USF has played mostly well on defense. Other than Hofstra’s 82 points, no team has scored more than 72 against the Bulls. USF has held opponents below 40% shooting in each of its wins.
The Bulls haven’t been perfect on defense, though. Central Michigan, Maine and Hofstra all shot roughly 49% against USF.
UAPB is shooting 43.6% this season. Minnesota, Gonzaga and UConn are the only teams so far which have held the Golden Lions below 40.4% . Kylen Milton, Rashad Williams and Joe French are all averaging 15.9 points or more.
The Golden Lions have an opportunity to end this tough road stretch on a high note if they can get back to scoring like they did earlier in the season and show some improvement defensively.