As far as Cinderella stories go, this one is pretty unbelievable. The Golden Lions of Arkansas-Pine Bluff lost their first 11 games of the season and somehow, some way, are now in the “dance,” all set to face the heralded and top-seeded Duke in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.
Those first 11 games, all on the road, were against schools with a lot more basketball clout than UAPB, with names such as Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Georgia Tech, among others. But the team righted the ship and turned their season around. They finished the regular season with a record of 14-15, winning 8 of their last 9 games to finish second in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with a 14-4 record. Then, in the SWAC tournament, they had the good fortune of the SWAC regular season champ, Jackson State, losing early, and went on to win the tournament.
Even then, they weren’t guaranteed one of the 64 spots. They still had to face the Winthrop Eagles in the play-in game that took place last night. Leading by only one at halftime, the Golden Lions, lead by Allen Smith’s 14 points, surged in the second half and ran away with a 61-44 victory to continue their improbable run. And in the process, they did their conference proud, snapping a 17-game losing streak by SWAC teams in the NCAA tournament, one that went all the way back to Southern’s upset win over Georgia Tech in 1993.
Now, UAPB must face the team that many people have said has the easiest road toward a possible berth in the Final Four — the Duke Blue Devils. And while no 16 seed has ever defeated a number one seed in the history of the tournament, this is one 16 seed I wouldn’t count out.
Photo courtesy of the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff Athletic Department.
