Central Arkansas Bears basketball

For information on all University of Central Arkansas sports, see Central Arkansas Bears and Sugar Bears

For information about the Central Arkansas women's team, see Central Arkansas Sugar Bears basketball.

The Central Arkansas Bears basketball team represents the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. UCA currently plays in the ASUN Conference, which it joined in 2021 after 15 seasons as a member of the Southland Conference. The Bears play home games at the Farris Center located on the UCA campus in Conway, Arkansas and are currently led by head coach John Shulman.

Central Arkansas Bears
2024–25 Central Arkansas Bears basketball team
University	University of Central Arkansas
Head coach	John Shulman (1st season)
Conference	ASUN
Location	Conway, Arkansas
Arena	Farris Center (capacity: 6,000)
Nickname	Bears
Colors	Purple and gray
NCAA tournament round of 32
2005*
NCAA tournament appearances
2005* *at the Division II level

The school was formerly known as Arkansas State Teachers School and the State College of Arkansas. Prior to competition at the NCAA Division I level, the Bears also competed in the NAIA and NCAA Division II.

Postseason

NCAA Division II Tournament

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2005	Regional Quarterfinals Regional semifinals	West Georgia Lynn	W 74–71 L 69–73

NAIA Tournament

The Bears have appeared in 15 NAIA tournaments. Their combined record is 13–16.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
1937	Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd-place game	Saint Benedict's Morningside Southwestern (KS)	W 34–33 L 33–40 L 38–46
1938	First round	Central State (OK)	L 34–43
1940	First round	Kansas Wesleyan	L 33–45
1942	First round	Pittsburg State	L 34–37
1946	First round	Pepperdine	L 37–63
1948	First round	Manhattan	L 60–65
1959	First round Second Round	Pikeville Fort Hays State	W 70–67 L 48–59
1961	First round	Westminster (PA)	L 60–68
1974	First round	Hanover	L 83–87
1975	First round	Alcorn State	L 77–88
1980	First round Second Round Quarterfinals	Augsburg Rockhurst Alabama State	W 67–61 W 54–53 L 53–67
1990	First round Second Round	Paul Quinn David Lipscomb	W 62–53 L 66–70
1991	First round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game	Olivet Nazarene Rio Grande Athens State Taylor Oklahoma City	W 75–66 W 99–67 W 95–64 W 66–60 L 74–77
1992	First round Second Round Quarterfinals Semifinals National Championship Game	Charleston (WV) Spring Hill Erskine BYU Hawaiʻi Oklahoma City	W 77–70 W 87–83 W 74–62 W 72–65 L 73–82
1993	First round	Central Washington	L 66–78

CBI results

The Bears have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) one time. Their record is 1–1.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2018	First round Quarterfinals	Seattle Jacksonville State	W 92–90OT L 59–80

Notable players

• Scottie Pippen - Member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Jordan Howard
• Clifton Bush

External links

• Official Website