Game Notes

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team will play its first home game in nearly two weeks Saturday as the Bulldogs welcome the UT Arlington Mavericks to the Pete Hanna Center for a highly-anticipated non-conference matchup set to begin at 7 p.m. (CST).
 
Fans unable to attend the game in person can follow along via Samford's free Live-stream. The contest will also be broadcast locally on 97.3 FM The Zone and Live Stats will be provided on SamfordSports.com.
 
Samford (1-5) heads into the contest looking to remain undefeated at home this season. The Bulldogs own a 1-0 record when playing in the Pete Hanna Center this year after they earned a 59-40 victory against Martin Methodist on Nov. 12.
 
Since then, Samford has embarked upon a strenuous four-game road swing, which has featured difficult losses against No. 2 Louisville, No. 16 Memphis, Toledo and Alcorn State.
 
In Thursday's overtime defeat versus Alcorn State, Samford inbounded the ball from underneath the Braves' basket with 5.4 seconds remaining in regulation. On the Bulldogs' final play, sophomore point guard Raijon Kelly drove all the way to midcourt before finding Tyler Hood open in the left corner.
 
At the buzzer, Hood had an open look at the possible game-winning basket, but the ball rimmed out to send the contest into overtime tied at 56-56.
 
Once in the overtime period, Alcorn State received seven points from guard LeAntwan Luckett as the Braves were able to rally for the 69-65 victory. Luckett scored a game-high 24 points Thursday and finished 8-of-20 from the field. He also pulled down seven rebounds and connected on 8-of-11 free-throw attempts.
 
Saturday's showdown will mark the beginning of a three-game homestand for Samford that will also feature matchups with Florida Gulf Coast and Georgia Southern. Just days removed from playing at the 2012 Atlantis on the Mainland Tournament hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University, the Bulldogs will meet the Eagles at home Wednesday at 7 p.m.
 
Samford is also scheduled to conclude its critical three-game homestand Dec. 1 at noon as the Bulldogs open Southern Conference play against the Georgia Southern Eagles.
 
UT Arlington (1-1) has only played two regular-season games this year and will end an eight-game hiatus Saturday at Samford. The Mavericks opened the 2012-13 campaign with a 62-60 loss at CSU Bakersfield and then fell at home to Oklahoma on Nov. 16, 63-59.
 
UT Arlington is averaging nearly 46 rebounds per game this season, but has already committed a total of 40 turnovers in two contests. The Mavericks' senior center Jordan Reves is almost averaging a double-double in 2012-13 with 8.5 points and 12 rebounds per game, while senior forward Kevin Butler is the team's leading scorer with 11.5 points per contest.
 
The Bulldogs own a 5-4 all-time record against UT Arlington and have been victorious in each of the last four meetings between the teams. Last season, nearly a year ago to the day, Samford posted a 71-69 victory at UT Arlington on Nov. 26, 2011. The win extended the Bulldogs' series streak which also features triumphs in 1998, 1999 and 2010.
 
In last season's thrilling win at UT Arlington, Samford used a key 3-point basket from Kelly to earn a momentous 71-69 triumph on the road against the Mavericks in Texas Hall.
 
With Samford trailing 69-68 with 1:13 left to play, the Bulldogs' Kelly knocked down the game-winning 3-point basket from the right flank to give his squad a key 71-69 advantage. The teams then traded possessions in the final minute until UT Arlington's Shaq White-Miller was fouled in traffic with only 1.1 seconds remaining in the game.
 
White-Miller, with the opportunity to tie the game at 71-71, missed both of his free throws to apparently give Samford the victory at the buzzer. The officials then added 0.6 seconds to the clock with the Mavericks' possession on the left baseline.
 
On the final play of the game, UT Arlington's Reves quickly collected the inbounds pass on the right wing, but heaved a 12-footer just off the back rim to secure Samford's victory.
 
During Samford's annual Media Day held Nov. 7 at the Pete Hanna Center, Head Coach Bennie Seltzer described how he has taken an active role in allowing Kelly to take advantage of his newfound freedom in the Bulldogs' offensive sets.
 
“The other day, I blew the whistle and stopped practice and told Raijon in front of the entire team that he has the ability to break off any single play that he feels he can go and make a drive towards the basket,” said Seltzer. “I told him that about three times in front of all his teammates to also let them know that he has that freedom to go make plays. Raijon is an extremely talented point guard and I don't even think he realizes how good and how talented he really is.”
 
The Bulldogs will face one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation this season. Four of Samford's 13 out-of-conference games are against opponents ranked in the top-25. Two of those opponents are currently ranked in the top 10.
 
On Nov. 15, the Bulldogs played in Louisville, Ky., and were defeated by the No. 2-ranked Louisville Cardinals, 80-54. Just two days later, Samford squared off against the 16th-ranked Memphis Tigers at the FedExForum and nearly pulled off the upset, 65-54.
 
In December, Samford is slated to play yet another pair of top-25 opponents with road games at Kentucky and Wisconsin. Currently, the defending national champion Kentucky Wildcats are the
No. 7-ranked team in the nation, while Wisconsin is ranked No. 24 in the weekly poll. The Bulldogs will play at Kentucky on Dec. 4 and at Wisconsin on Dec. 29.
 
A key mantra in Seltzer's philosophy is Intensity. The Bulldogs' first-year head coach always played with Intensity throughout his illustrious playing career at Washington State, and he brings that same mindset to Samford University and his Bulldog players.
 
This season, Samford's practice shorts have INTENSITY prominently featured on the backside, because Seltzer wants his players to always be reminded about what it takes to win games.
 
Following Saturday's non-conference showdown with UT Arlington, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs continue their key three-game homestand against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles in a pivotal matchup to be held at the Pete Hanna Center.

Game Notes