Preview: Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Southern

BATON ROUGE, La. (Interstat) — Two SWAC men’s basketball teams looking to build momentum will meet Saturday when the Southern Jaguars host the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions at the Clark Activity Center.

Southern (7-11) enters on a two-game winning streak after a 71-53 road victory at Grambling on Jan. 17. The Jaguars have shown resilience in conference play, with guard AJ Barnes providing steady play. He logged 10 points and five assists in the win over Grambling.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff (6-13) seeks to rebound from a tough 87-82 overtime home loss to Bethune-Cookman on Monday. Despite the defeat, the Golden Lions have been competitive in SWAC action, winning three of their last six league games.

The matchup features a compelling duel at guard. UAPB is led by Quion Williams, who is coming off a 19-point, nine-assist performance against Bethune-Cookman. Over his last six games, Williams has averaged 16.5 points and 7.8 assists, including a triple-double of 16 points, 17 rebounds and three assists in a win at Texas Southern on Jan. 10.

Southern will counter with Barnes, who has averaged 7.7 points and 2.7 assists over his last three contests. The Jaguars will also look for production from Fazl Oshodi, who scored a team-high 16 points against Grambling.

Both teams have navigated challenging non-conference schedules. Southern suffered losses at Illinois, Baylor and Texas, while UAPB fell at Tulsa and DePaul. Conference play has offered a reset, with each squad aiming to climb the SWAC standings.

The Golden Lions won the last meeting between the programs, but Southern holds the home-court advantage in a series often defined by narrow margins. With both teams clustered in the mid-tier of the conference, Saturday’s result could prove pivotal for postseason seeding.

Tip-off is set for Saturday, Jan. 24, in Baton Rouge. Southern visits Mississippi Valley State on Jan. 26, while Arkansas-Pine Bluff travels to face Grambling on the same date.