Jan. 25, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will square off against the defending Ohio Valley Conference-champion Austin Peay Governors on Saturday at 7 p.m., in the Pete Hanna Center (5,000). The matchup will be the first meeting between the teams this season.

Saturday will also be Samford's Big Brothers Big Sisters Night, as the Athletic Department and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Birmingham are teaming up to celebrate National Mentoring Month and BBBS' 35th Anniversary.

The game will be broadcast on WVSU 91.1 FM and via the internet at www.samford.edu/groups/wvsu.

Samford (8-11, 5-6 OVC) heads into the contests looking to break out of a home shooting slump. The Bulldogs are struggling in the brand-new Pete Hanna Center and are only shooting 28 percent from beyond the arc this season.

Following its 61-43 loss against UT Martin on Thursday, Samford dropped to 4-6 at home this year. The Bulldogs have compiled a solid 4-5 record on the road this season and are shooting 39.8 percent from 3-point range when playing outside of Birmingham.

Austin Peay (13-7, 9-1 OVC) enters Saturday's game as the first-place team in the conference.

The Governors have been victorious in nine of their previous 10 games and have compiled a staggering 25-5 OVC record in the last two seasons. Austin Peay's lone loss in league play this year occurred Jan. 10 at Murray State, 82-70.

Junior forward Drake Reed, the 2007 OVC Player of the Year, is again pacing the Govs in scoring with an average of 15.8 points per game.

Austin Peay has been Samford's nemesis since the Bulldogs joined the OVC in 2003. The Govs hold a 13-5 advantage in the series between the teams and are 8-2 as OVC rivals.

Of Samford's 10 opponents in the conference, Austin Peay owns the best record against the Bulldogs. Tennessee Tech is the only other team in the OVC that has a winning record against Samford at 8-6.

Samford is ranked first in the OVC in four statistical categories. Also, the Bulldogs are ranked among the top-five teams in the conference in an additional six categories.

Samford is currently the top-ranked team in the OVC in scoring defense (59.6 ppg), field-goal percentage defense (43.3), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (34.2) and rebounding defense (29.6 pg). In addition, Samford is ranked third in assist/turnover ratio (1.0) and fourth in assists (14.2 pg).

Individually, Samford's Trey Montgomery is ranked fourth in the OVC in steals (1.9 pg) and eighth in field-goal percentage (53.1).

Senior Joe Ross Merritt is ranked seventh in the OVC in 3-point field goals per game (2.1) and 14th in scoring at 12.2 points per contest. Fellow-senior Travis Peterson is ranked 16th in the conference with 12.0 points per game.

Samford's true freshman Josh Bedwell, who wears No. 10 for the Bulldogs, is not the second coming of LSU's "Pistol" Pete Maravich, but he does have some similarities.

Both players feature the unassuming demeanor and quiet confidence of a scorer, not to mention the hairstyle and lights-out shooting ability. Despite his young age and diminutive 6-foot frame, Bedwell has already proven to be a scoring threat at the college level.

Against UT Martin on Jan. 5, the Bulldogs' native of Hartselle, Ala., led all scorers with a career-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field.

Bedwell was on fire from beyond the arc and connected on six of his eight 3-point attempts in the game. In the first half alone, he scored 18 of his team-high 20 points and was a near-perfect 6-of-8 from 3-point range.

It is safe to say that Samford's offensive style is unique, especially in the OVC.

While most teams in the conference play pressure defense and tend to run the ball up the court, the Bulldogs use patience and precision cutting on offense to get either a back-door layup or a wide open look at a 3-point shot. With that in mind, Samford's offense is hard to prepare for and often poses problems for the other coaches in the league to scout.

Since head coach Jimmy Tillette incorporated the Princeton offense at Samford in 1997, the Bulldogs have reeled off a 65-36 record in games played against teams that have less than three days to prepare.

Following Saturday's matchup with Austin Peay, Samford will return to the road Tuesday for an OVC contest at Murray State. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., and will jumpstart a key two-game road trip.

Thursday, the Bulldogs will conclude their road swing at Tennessee State in Nashville, Tenn., at 7:30 p.m.

Samford Basketball Game Notes