I know you're probably not going to watch the play-in game tonight, but you may want to sound like you know some shit if someone asks you.
The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions
Location: Pine Bluff, Arkansas (dur)
Conference: SWAC
Head Coach: George Ivory
NCAA record: 0-0
Basketball Expenses: 338/340
- UAPB was founded in 1873 as a separate but extremely unequal branch of the University of Arkansas.
- Pine Bluff was officially allowed into the University of Arkansas system in 1972, but I'm betting they still weren't invited to any fraternity mixers in Fayetteville for a good long while after that.
- Pine Bluff made STF history in February of 2008, when students stormed the floor before the final buzzer had sounded, thus earning the dubious honor of inspiring one of the original rules.
- The SWAC final plays out in the shadow of the power-conference coronations, so nobody saw them storm for their first-ever tourney berth. That's a shame.
- Roster features a 6'9" center from London, England named Hugh Barnett. Sadly, he is not caucasian, because that would have been much funnier.
- I like their logo. It reminds me of watching Thundercats when I was a kid.
Location: Rock Hill, South Carolina
Conference: Big South
Head Coach: Randy Peele
NCAA record: 1-8 ('sup, Notre Dame)
Basketball Expenses: 192/340
- Founded in 1886, Winthrop is the South Carolina Commission on Education's top-ranked school in the state. Which is... impressive?
- Winthrop made the NCAA tourney for the first time in 1999, then danced the next three years as well. After a short break from being awesome, they went on another four-year streak from 2005-2008
- Winthrop's highest-ever NCAA seed was a #11 in 2007. That's the year they beat Notre Dame, giving Gregg Marshall the mojo to snag the Wichita State job vacated by Mark Turgeon.
- Current coach Randy Peele is taking Winthrop to the Dance for the second time. Gregg Marshall is the only other person to coach the Eagles in the tournament.
- God Shammgod Trophy finalist Mantoris Robinson is finishing his senior campaign in style, at the NCAA tournament.
Give Dayton a chance, won't you?