Iowa (10-2) vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-8)
Date: December 22, 2013
Time: 1:00 p.m. CT
Location: Carver Hawkeye Arena
Television: ESPN3/WatchESPN
Line: No line, and we're not sure why
Iowa closes out its non-conference season Sunday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Tipoff is set for a couple of minutes after 1 p.m. at Carver Hawkeye Arena. There is no on-air television coverage, but the game is available on ESPN3 and WatchESPN.
Let's get this out of the way: The Golden Lions are horrendous. UAPB is clumped with Maryland-Eastern Shore, Abilene Christian, and Fairleigh Dickinson at the bottom of the Kenpom ratings, and have yet to defeat a Division I opponent this season. Only twice in eight games against top-flight teams have the Golden Lions stayed within single digits, and those two games -- Air Force and Hampton -- were against teams that are nearly as bad. Creighton beat them by 37 last week (it was so bad that UAPB's recapper had an apparent stroke), and Texas A&M, SMU, and Oklahoma State also have blowout wins against them. Arkansas-Pine Bluff is 323rd nationally in offensive efficiency, 304th in defensive efficiency, and 349th in effective field goal percentage allowed. Nearly half of all Golden Lions possessions end in either a turnover or blocked shot. Opponents are making more than 60 percent of all two-point attempts against them, and rebounding 40 percent of those misses. So, yeah, they're horrible.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff goes with a nine-man rotation, led by 6'8 senior forward DaVon Haynes (12.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and 6'0 junior guard Tevin Hammond (12.2 ppg, 4.2 apg). No other players score in double figures, though junior guard Marcel Mosley (9.9 ppg), who missed the Creighton game for undisclosed reasons, does come close. Junior forward Daniel Broughton (6'8, 225, 7.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and freshman guard Ghiavolnni Robinson (6'3, 190, 7.3 ppg) round out the Golden Lions' starting five.
After Sunday, the Hawkeyes take another nine-day break before Nebraska opens Big Ten play on New Years' Eve. So kick back and enjoy some hoops on Sunday. This one should be a romp.