Dec. 1, 2010

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford University basketball team will begin its 2010-11 Southern Conference schedule Thursday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs welcome the Western Carolina Catamounts to the Pete Hanna Center (5,000) for an early-season conference showdown.

Fans unable to attend the game in person can listen live to Samford's radio broadcast on WVSU 91.1 FM or via the Internet at www.samford.edu/wvsu. GameTracker and live video webstreaming will also be available at www.SamfordSports.com.

Samford (4-3) heads into Thursday's contest looking to build on the momentum from its thrilling 70-61 overtime victory at Georgia State on Saturday. In the come-from-behind win, the Bulldogs trailed by as many as 11 points and overcame an eight-point deficit in the final 1:14 of the game.

Senior Andy King drained a deep 3-point basket with 9.1 seconds remaining in regulation to send the contest into overtime where Samford outscored Georgia State 14-5. The Bulldogs improved to 2-1 in road games with the win.

Thursday's contest will determine if Samford can win its SoCon home opener for a third straight season. During the 2008-09 campaign, in their first year as a member of the SoCon, the Bulldogs defeated Furman 71-60 in their conference home opener. Last season, Samford opened SoCon play at home against Elon and tallied a 55-31 victory to register their second straight conference home-opening win.

The 2010-11 season marks Samford's third year as a member of the SoCon. Prior to the 2008-09 campaign, the Bulldogs spent the previous five seasons in the Ohio Valley Conference and earned a 53-39 league record. Before competing in the OVC, Samford was a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference (previously known as the Trans America Athletic Conference) from 1989 until 2003.

During its 14 seasons in the TAAC/A-Sun, the Bulldogs earned a pair of conference championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in both 1999 and 2000.

The Bulldogs have compiled a 1-1 record at home this season, but are only scoring an average of 53 points per game at the Pete Hanna Center. In Samford's last home outing, the Bulldogs dropped a 60-49 decision against Jacksonville on Nov. 24. When playing away from home this season, Samford has notched a 3-2 record and is averaging 65 points per game.

Western Carolina (4-4) also enters Thursday's matchup with a full head of steam after earning back-to-back victories against William & Mary 64-39 and Bradley 66-65. In the Catamounts' one-point home win Tuesday, Western Carolina surged back from a 12-point deficit to beat Bradley. Mike Williams led the Catamounts with 16 points and six assists.

Williams' 15.3 points per game this season currently leads Western Carolina in scoring. The Catamounts' native of Baton Rouge, La., also leads the team in assists with 28 and is pulling down an average of 3.8 rebounds per contest.

As a team, Western Carolina is averaging 38.1 rebounds per game and owns a +5.0 rebound differential. The Catamounts are only committing 13.5 turnovers and are only allowing four 3-pointers per game.

A key matchup in Thursday's game will be Samford's stifling matchup zone against Western Carolina's Williams. The Catamounts' Williams is the only Western Carolina player scoring in double figures this season. The Bulldogs' back court will need to close down the driving lanes for Williams and limit his chances to score around the basket.

Heading into this week, Samford led the SoCon in scoring defense (61.6 ppg), field-goal percentage defense (37.9) and 3-point field-goal percentage (39.5), while Western Carolina led the conference in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (30.0), rebounding margin (+5.0) and turnover margin (+3.9).

Individually, Samford's Jeffrey Merritt leads the SoCon in rebounding (8.6 rpg) and the Bulldogs' Drew Windler leads the conference in 3-point shooting percentage (61.1).

Samford and Western Carolina will square off for only the sixth time in history Thursday, and the fifth time since the Bulldogs joined the SoCon in 2008. The Catamounts were victorious in the first meeting between the teams in 1961 and currently hold a 4-1 all-time advantage in the series.

Since defeating the Catamounts 76-64 in the teams' first meeting as SoCon rivals Jan. 15, 2009, Samford has dropped three straight games versus Western Carolina, including two losses last season. During the 2009-10 campaign, the Bulldogs dropped a 62-50 decision at home and a 61-44 defeat in Cullowhee, N.C.

It is safe to say that Samford's offensive style is unique. While most teams 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 opposition's 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 80-55 record in games played against teams that have less than three days to prepare.

Following Thursday's SoCon-opening contest against Western Carolina, the Samford University basketball team will continue its conference homestand with a key matchup against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at 4 p.m. (CST) Saturday at the Pete Hanna Center.

Samford Basketball Game Notes
GameTracker - Samford vs. Western Carolina