PINE BLUFF, Ark.- The University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Men's Basketball team visited the Arkansas State Capitol on Wednesday afternoon to meet with Governor Mike Beebe.
The team was invited by Gov. Beebe to be recognized for their extraordinary accomplishments this past season. After starting the year 0-11, the Golden Lions finished the season with a remarkable run all the way to the NCAA tournament. The Golden Lions went 18-5 over the course of their last 23 games as they concluded the season with an 18-16 overall record.
“The Golden Lions' season was one of the truest examples of resilience you will ever see,” Governor Mike Beebe said. “To begin the season with so many tough losses, and then to rise all the way to the NCAA tournament, showed the nation the UAPB perseverance and determination that made Arkansas proud.”
UAPB won the 2010 SWAC Basketball Tournament Championship, marking the schools' first title in over four decades. Arkansas-Pine Bluff followed their undefeated SWAC tourney run with a victory over the Winthrop Eagles in the NCAA Opening Round game, snapping a 17-year conference losing streak in the NCAA tournament.
The Golden Lions eventually faced the NCAA National Champion Duke University basketball team in the first round of the tournament. The University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff was the only Division I institution from the state of Arkansas to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
“It was truly an honor to be invited to the State Capitol,” said UAPB Athletic Director Louis “Skip” Perkins, Jr. “Governor Beebe was extremely supportive of our team during their tournament run and to be recognized by him and the state of Arkansas for their achievements is a remarkably humbling experience.”
