UALR has NCAA tourney in its sights after quick turnaround

[...] well, in fact, that the Trojans have emerged as one of the most surprising contenders for an NCAA Tournament berth entering the final few weeks of conference play.

At 23-3 overall, 13-2 in the Sun Belt Conference heading into Saturday's game at Georgia Southern, Arkansas-Little Rock has the look of a team destined to earn only its second NCAA appearance in the last 26 seasons.

[...] of how the rest of this surprising turnaround plays out, the school — with road wins at San Diego State, DePaul and Tulsa on its resume — has showed it belongs in any NCAA Tournament discussion.

Throughout each of the stops in his coaching career, from junior college to 10 years as an assistant at Texas Tech and even a stop in the semi-professional American Basketball Association along the way, the 42-year-old Beard has never quite lost touch with the 12-year-old version of himself.

Beard gave each of the Trojans returning players the option of their scholarship release when he was hired, knowing the coaching transition could be difficult for some.

Six others stayed along with Hagins, and Beard added a collection of 10 high school recruits, junior college players and transfers to the mix to create the group that has led to the quick turn of fortunes.

Fans in central Arkansas have started to take notice of the quick progress, with morning talk radio filled with discussion of the school's NCAA Tournament chances earlier this week.