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CINCINNATI -- The Samford University basketball team will face yet another difficult road test Wednesday at 6 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs conclude their four-game, season-opening stretch away from home with a non-conference showdown against the Cincinnati Bearcats to be held at Fifth Third Arena. The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
 
Samford (2-1) heads into the matchup riding the positive momentum of a decisive 66-53 road victory at Campbell on Monday. In the win, the Bulldogs' Wyatt Walker scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the team.
 
Walker made 5-of-9 shots from the floor and 6-of-10 from the free-throw line for his game-high total. Following Walker, Samford's Demetrius Denzel-Dyson scored 13 points, while Christen Cunningham added 10. True freshman Justin Hopkins pulled down nine rebounds to go along with his five points.
 
On Tuesday, the Bulldogs' Walker was named the SoCon Player of the Week. He averaged 13.5 points and 15.0 rebound per outing, while shooting 56 percent from the field as Samford split a pair of games last week, falling at New Mexico State (58-48) before topping Campbell (66-53).
 
Walker averaged a double-double last week as the Bulldogs' sophomore center finished the stretch with 30 rebounds and 27 points, both team highs. Walker paced Samford with 16 points and 16 rebounds in the Bulldogs' 66-53 victory on the road at Campbell on Monday.
 
With his standout double-double performance, Walker extended his double-double streak to three straight games this season.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Cincinnati (3-1) owns a perfect 2-0 record at home this year after stringing together back-to-back, season-opening victories against Brown, 84-55, and Albany, 74-51. The Bearcats then traveled to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena and dropped a 76-71 decision to Rhode Island.
 
On Sunday, Cincinnati bounced back in a major way at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off tournament by posting a lopsided 71-50 triumph over Penn State.
 
In the Bearcats' victory, Kyle Washington scored 16 points and pulled down a season-high 17 rebounds. Jacob Evans added 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, while Troy Caupain scored 12 points with four assists, and redshirt freshman Tre Scott scored a season-high 10 points in 18 minutes for Cincinnati.
 
Evans leads the Bearcats in scoring this year with 20.3 points per game. He is followed closely by Washington at 17.0 points an outing, while Caupain is adding 10.5 points per contest.
 
Wednesday's game marks the first all-time meeting between Samford and Cincinnati on the hardwood. Despite never facing the Bearcats, the Bulldogs are extremely familiar with Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin.
 
Cronin spent three seasons at Murray State from 2003-06 where the Racers were top Ohio Valley Conference rivals with Samford. During his three-year stint at Murray State, the Bulldogs compiled a 3-2 record against the Racers and won the first three meetings of his tenure.
 
After starting 3-0 versus Cronin's Murray State Racers, Samford dropped the final two games in the series, both in the latter half of the 2005-06 campaign. On Jan. 30, the Bulldogs suffered a 59-38 road defeat in Murray, Kentucky, before squaring off against the Racers in the championship game of the OVC Tournament.
 
On March 4, 2006, in Nashville, Tennessee, Samford took a 33-32 advantage into the locker room with just 20 minutes to play for a bid to the NCAA Tournament, but Murray State rallied in the second half and Cronin's Racers posted a 74-57 victory. The next season, Cronin was named the head coach at Cincinnati.
 
Samford heads into Wednesday's matchup at Cincinnati boasting some impressive listings in the national statistical rankings.
 
The Bulldogs' Cunningham is currently ranked first in the nation in free-throw shooting percentage with a perfect 8-for-8 mark from the field. Cunningham, Samford's dynamic junior point guard from Georgetown, Kentucky, is also ranked No. 42 in the nation in minutes played per game (35.7).
 
Samford's Walker, the reigning SoCon Player of the Week, finds himself ranked first in the nation in both rebounds per game (15.0) and defensive rebounds per game (11.3). The Bulldogs' 6-foot-9 native of Jacksonville, Florida, is also ranked second in the nation with three double-doubles this season.
 
As a team, Samford is ranked No. 21 in the nation in scoring defense (58.7) and No. 24 in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (25.0). With Walker's prowess, the Bulldogs are also ranked as the No. 28 team in the country in total rebounds per game (44.0).
 
Following Wednesday's marquee game at No. 24-ranked Cincinnati, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs return home to Birmingham for their first home contest of the 2016-17 campaign against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats to be held at the Pete Hanna Center.
 
Samford will then play host to Nicholls State on Sunday at 7 p.m. (CST) in the final game of the 2016 San Diego Classic.
 
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