Oregon State Basketball: Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions Preview (Game 9)

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (1-7)

• Head Coach: George Ivory (12th Season)
• Top Performer: Markedric Bell (10.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG)
• Points For: 51.4 PPG (465th)
• Points Against: 71.7 PPG (T-248th)
• Last Game/Streak: 59-50 Loss at UTEP (2L)
• Conference Affiliation: Southwestern Athletic Conference

The Skinny

If you’re looking for a fun trivia question to ask your friends when Oregon State hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday, you can see if they know who the worst offensive team in all of college basketball is. If your friend is fairly intelligent and answer the opponent that the Beavers are playing, they would be correct. Congrats. They win nothing.

While the second worst offensive squad in the land in top-ten ranked Virginia has a paltry offense that is largely a result of a plodding style, the Golden Lions’ offensive woes are more attributed to the usage of a revolving door of players and an inability to be anchored by a top-level scorer. Shaun Doss (12.3 PPG), the team’s best overall talent, hasn’t played since mid-November, leaving forward Markderic Bell (10.9 PPG), another question mark, as the squad’s only double-digit scorer.

From there, it’s anyone’s guess who else will show up for head coach George Ivory on any given night.

After Bell, a cast of players chip in what they can on a long list that includes Marquell Carter (8.8 PPG), who tallied 21 points in Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s most recent defeat at the hands of UTEP, Dequan Morris (8.3 PPG), Terrance Banyard (6.0 PPG), Zavian Jackson (5.6 PPG), Jordan McNair (3.7 PPG) and Artavious McDyess (1.8 PPG). Each of these players log at least 11 minutes per contest and have seen action recently on a Golden Lions group that has seen twenty-two different players hit the court this season.

Saying that Arkansas-Pine Bluff is a bit of a free-wheeling team at this current juncture is a bit of an understatement when you consider that this is a team that was picked to finish 7th in the SWAC preseason poll and has been trending downward since then. Also, as I mentioned in our preseason coverage as well, this Golden Lions group may also be road weary, considering the won’t play a home game against a Division I foe until January 18th, when a streak of fourteen games on the road against D-1 opponents to start the year will finally come to an end.

Player To Watch

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Terrance Banyard (Forward - Junior)

Despite his lack than stellar statistical contributions, forward Terrance Banyard was selected to the SWAC preseason second-team and expected to be one of the better all-around pieces in the whole conference. The 6’ 7” talent did tally 12 points and 6 boards in a November 16th loss at Grand Canyon, but has been plagued by poor shooting displays so far this season. If Arkansas-Pine Bluff wants to hang around with the Beavers, Banyard will probably have to make his presence felt out there on the court.

Game Info

• Date: Saturday, December 14th
• Time: 3:00 PM PT
• Location: Gill Coliseum (Corvallis, OR)
• Coverage: Pac-12 Network