Game on for Tuesday
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s basketball team will take to the national airwaves against Prairie View A&M on Tuesday.
ESPNU has picked up the game, which was pushed back one day due to the weather event that restricted travel in Arkansas and Texas. Tipoff has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday in Prairie View, Texas.
But first, UAPB is scheduled to visit Texas Southern in Houston for women’s and men’s games Sunday evening. The women’s game will start at 5:30 p.m., with the men’s game to follow.
UAPB Coach George Ivory said the trip to Houston “is a go” despite the heavy snow that’s plagued both states.
“The guys are looking forward to playing basketball,” Ivory said. “There’s a peace to being out there on the court. We’ve been back-and-forth [between the schools] about travel. [UAPB Interim Athletic Director] Chris Robinson has done a good job staying in contact with Texas Southern’s and Prairie View’s ADs, and I’ve talked with both coaches.”
Ivory’s Golden Lions have missed only one day of practice this week. The players live close to H.O. Clemmons Arena, so they’ve walked over to the facility to work out.
Prairie View (7-4, 6-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) and Jackson State (65, 6-0) are tied for first place in the conference, two games ahead of Texas Southern (77, 4-2). UAPB (3-17, 2-9) is on a nine-game losing skid and just one victory ahead of lastplace Mississippi Valley State (1-17, 1-9), but lost its last two games to Southern University and Alabama A&M by two points or fewer.
Prairie View won 73-56 in Pine Bluff on Jan. 25 but has only played twice since. The Panthers’ home game against Mississippi Valley State on Sunday will be their first contest since Feb. 1.
Ivory said the Lions look to get off to fast starts against both Texas Southern and Prairie View and take better care of the basketball.
“You can see an improvement within the team,” Ivory said.
The Lions played four of their first five games this season on television, taking on Marquette on Fox Sports 1, Wisconsin and Northwestern on Big Ten Network and Saint Louis on Fox Sports Midwest. ESPN+, a paid streaming service, carried the Lions’ games at Iowa State, Saint Louis, Arkansas State, Tulane and Baylor, while YouTube streamed the North Texas contest.
Tuesday’s ESPNU broadcast means the women’s game between UAPB (2-15, 1-10) and Prairie View (1-8, 0-6) will tip off at 3 p.m. Tuesday. The women’s teams will square off again the next day in Prairie View to make up a game that was to be played last month in Pine Bluff but postponed due to covid-19 issues within Prairie View’s program.
Both teams are trying to end long skids. UAPB has dropped 10 in a row and Prairie View has lost its last eight.
UAPB will visit Texas Southern in Houston for women’s and men’s games Sunday evening. The women’s game will start at 5:30 p.m., with the men’s game to follow.
Texas Southern’s women are 2-6 and 1-5.