Game Notes
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team will begin play in its 2012-13 Southern Conference schedule Saturday at noon (CST) as the Bulldogs welcome the Georgia Southern Eagles to the Pete Hanna Center for a pivotal early-season league showdown.
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 (1-7, 0-0 SoCon) heads into Saturday's contest looking to put an end to a six-game losing streak. Since earning a 59-40 home victory over Martin Methodist on Nov. 12, the Bulldogs have dropped non-conference matchups against No. 2 Louisville, No. 16 Memphis, Toledo, Alcorn State, UT Arlington and Florida Gulf Coast.
In Wednesday's 86-62 loss to Florida Gulf Coast, Samford concluded the game with three players scoring in double figures and were led by sophomore guard
Raijon Kelly's 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the floor. Samford's 6-foot-4 floor general knocked down a trio of 3-point baskets and handed out an assist in 31 minutes of playing time.
True freshman forward
Tim Williams finished in double figures for the eighth straight game this season and tallied 12 points, three rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot. The Bulldogs' talented native of Chicago, Ill., went 4-of-6 from both the field and the charity stripe.
Samford's best performance of Wednesday night was achieved by fellow true freshman
Jaylen Beckham, who scored a career-high 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. Beckham, a highly-touted recruit from Lexington, Ky., logged a career-high 24 minutes off the bench and also registered three rebounds, three assists and a trio of steals.
Five of Samford's seven losses have come on the road this season and the Bulldogs own a 1-2 mark when playing at the Pete Hanna Center.
Georgia Southern (2-4, 0-1 SoCon) opened its 2012-13 SoCon schedule Wednesday, and suffered a 55-50 home loss to Elon. The defeat extended the Eagles losing stretch to two games after they fell short at Maryland, 70-53, on Nov. 24. Georgia Southern's wins this season have come against Webber International, 87-64, and at Kennesaw State, 62-46.
The Eagles boast two players averaging double figures in scoring this season. Junior forward Eric Ferguson currently leads the Eagles with 13.7 points per game, while junior guard Tre' Bussey follows closely with an average of 11.2 points per outing. Ferguson, a preseason All-SoCon selection, also leads Georgia Southern with 8.3 rebounds per game this year.
In a series that began nearly 46 years ago to the day on Dec. 5, 1966, Samford and Georgia Southern have met exactly 50 times on the hardwood. The Eagles own a 33-17 advantage in the all-time series, but the Bulldogs have been victorious in three of the last five meetings. Samford holds a 3-3 record against Georgia Southern since joining the SoCon.
The 2012-13 season marks Samford's fifth 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.
Samford is the newest member of the SoCon, but already owns a pair of established rivalries with current members of the 12-team conference.
The Bulldogs have squared off against the Georgia Southern Eagles 50 times in their history, and have also met the Chattanooga Mocs 85 times in school history. Samford's all-time rivalry with Chattanooga is its fourth-longest, following long-time series' against Mercer (104), Birmingham-Southern (92) and Jacksonville State (88).
The SoCon released its annual Preseason Media Rankings on Oct. 25, as the Samford basketball team was projected to finish fourth in the SoCon North Division. UNCG and Davidson were tabbed as the favorites to capture the conference's divisional titles in 2012-13.
Both the Wildcats and Spartans were also selected preseason favorites by the league's coaches after each team won its respective division in 2011-12. Samford, under the direction of first-year head coach Bennie Seltzer, garnered 72 total points and was predicted to finish tied for fourth place with Appalachian State in the North Division rankings.
The Bulldogs returned three starters from last season's squad, which concluded the year tied for third place in the division at 8-10.
Georgia Southern was preseason predicted by the coaches to finish third in the SoCon South Division. The Eagles returned three starters from last season's squad that finished the 2011-12 campaign with a 15-15 overall record and a 12-6 mark in the SoCon play. Georgia Southern concluded last season tied for second place in the South Division.
The Bulldogs will face one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation this season. Three of Samford's 13 out-of-conference games are against opponents ranked in the top-25, and Wisconsin opened the season ranked as the No. 17 team in the nation. Two of the Bulldogs' 2012-13 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-notch opponents with road games at Kentucky and Wisconsin. Currently, the defending national champion Kentucky Wildcats are the No. 8-ranked team in the nation, while Wisconsin opened the season ranked No. 17 in the poll.
Following Saturday's SoCon showdown with Georgia Southern, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Tuesday at 6 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs travel to Lexington, Ky., for a highly-anticipated matchup against the No. 8-ranked Kentucky Wildcats to be held in Rupp Arena.
Game Notes