UAPB Golden Lions

The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions bring SWAC basketball to south Arkansas, playing at H. O. Clemmons Arena in Pine Bluff. UAPB built one of the league's best attendance streaks in the early 2010s and has produced genuine March moments despite its modest national profile. The Golden Lions' story is one of a small program that shows up when it counts. Pine Bluff basketball nights carry real energy behind this SWAC underdog.

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, founded in 1873, has bounced in and out of the SWAC, most recently rejoining in 1997 after an earlier stint through 1970. The Golden Lions won the conference regular-season title in 1967 and captured the SWAC Tournament championship in 2010, each earning an NCAA Tournament berth. UAPB led the SWAC in average home attendance for six consecutive years from 2009 to 2015, a point of real program pride. That 2010 tournament run remains the high point of the modern Golden Lions era.