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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Samford University basketball team will face its toughest test of the young 2016-17 season Monday at 1 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs square off against the No. 23-ranked Florida State Seminoles in a high-profile, non-conference contest to be held at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
 
Samford (7-3) heads into the matchup riding the positive momentum of a four-game winning streak. Since suffering a heartbreaking 106-103 double-overtime setback against Nicholls State on Nov. 27, the Bulldogs have rattled off four straight victories against Saint Louis, 68-64, Jacksonville State, 81-77, Miles College, 92-73, and South Alabama, 82-79.
 
Samford's four-game winning streak is its longest since early in the 2015-16 campaign when the Bulldogs tallied five straight victories against Auburn-Montgomery, Kennesaw State, Troy, North Texas and Idaho.
 

SAMFORD'S WALKER IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Bulldogs' Wyatt Walker heads into Monday's game ranked second in the nation with eight double-doubles this season. He only trails Louisiana-Lafayette's Bryce Washington in the category, who has registered nine double-doubles.
 
Walker is also ranked No. 7 in the country in rebounds per contest (11.6) and No. 8 in total rebounds (116). Additionally, Samford's Walker is ranked 11th in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (8.0).
 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Florida State (11-1) enters Monday's game as one of the hottest teams in the nation. Currently ranked as the No. 23 squad in the country, the Seminoles are in the midst of a seven-game winning streak.
 
Since dropping an 89-86 decision against Temple on Nov. 24, Florida State has notched consecutive victories over Illinois, Minnesota, George Washington, Southern Miss, Nicholls State, No. 21 Florida and Manhattan.
 
Sophomore Dwayne Bacon scored a team-high 16 points and was one of three Florida State players in double figures, along with Xavier Rathan-Mayes (10) and Trent Forrest (10), as the Seminoles earned an 83-66 victory over Manhattan on Saturday at the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic.
 
The victory moved Florida State to 11-1 on the season and marked the best 12-game start since the 2003-04 campaign.
 
Bacon led the way for the Seminole offense by hitting 4-of-11 from the floor and 8-of-11 at the free throw line in 26 minutes of play, as he has now topped double figures in 21 consecutive contests. Rathan-Mayes was also integral in the Florida State offense, hitting 3-of-6 from the floor, including one from long distance, while handing out a game-high five assists.
 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES - - SAMFORD vs. FLORIDA STATE
Samford has never defeated Florida State and owns an 0-11 all-time record in the series. The Bulldogs and Seminoles first met on the hardwood Jan. 20, 1950, as Florida State posted a slight 59-58 victory held in Birmingham, Alabama. The most recent meeting between the teams occurred Dec. 2, 2007, when the Seminoles tallied a 61-45 home win held in Tallahassee.
 
BULLDOG BITES
-- Samford's Walker is averaging a double-double this season with 13.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Last year as a freshman, he averaged 10.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per outing.
 
-- Walker has registered 12 double-doubles in his young, up-and-coming career.
 

-- In his last three outings, Christen Cunningham is averaging 20.0 points and 5.7 assists per contest. On Dec. 4, he scored a career-high 29 points in Samford's win over Jacksonville State.
 
-- Last season, the Bulldogs compiled an impressive 10-5 record against non-conference opponents. The mark proved to be Samford's first winning season in non-conference play dating back to 2010-11, when the Bulldogs earned an 8-5 record.
 
-- Samford also recorded a pivotal 69-58 road victory at Nebraska last season. The Bulldogs' monumental win proved to be their first against a Big Ten opponent in school history.
 
-- Last season, Samford's Cunningham became the first player in school history to record back-to-back 125-assist seasons. He finished with a career-high 128 assists last year.
 
-- Since the beginning of last season, the Bulldogs have tallied an 11-2 record when scoring 80 points or more. On Friday, Samford posted a historic 82-79 road victory at South Alabama.
 
THREE TRANSFERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE THIS YEAR
Samford bolstered an already talented roster this season with the addition of senior forward Terry Brutus. Brutus joined the Bulldogs from Ole Miss where he accompanied the Rebels on two trips to the NCAA Tournament. Coming out of high school, Brutus was ranked as a three-star recruit by both Rivals.com and ESPN.com, while averaging 17 points and nine rebounds as a senior.
 

Brutus was eligible to compete immediately for Samford this season as a graduate transfer. He joined redshirt juniors Demetrius Denzel-Dyson and Alex Thompson on the court after they were forced to sit out last season due to NCAA transfer rules.
 
Prior to the 2015-16 campaign, Denzel-Dyson transferred from UMass, while Thompson became a Bulldog after spending the previous two seasons at Auburn.
 
Out of high school, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard, Denzel-Dyson, proved to be a three-star recruit by both Rivals and ESPN.com. He was also ranked as the No. 85 shooting guard in the country and No. 17 overall in the state of Tennessee by ESPN Scouting Services. As a senior, Denzel-Dyson averaged 23.8 points and 10.4 rebounds at Covington (Tenn.) High School.
 
Thompson is proving this season to be a 6-foot-8 forward who can stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting ability. During his time at Houston Academy, he averaged 25.0 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.6 blocks and 2.0 steals per game and his 25.0 points per game was tops among all 2A all-state candidates and his 12.8 rebounds were second-most.
 
Thompson came out of high school as the Dothan Eagle Player of the Year, Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 2A Player of the Year, and as one of three finalists for Alabama Mr. Basketball. He scored over 2,000 points in his high school career.
 
"I think these guys take the talent level of the team up a notch, first of all," said Samford head coach Scott Padgett. "Then, if you look at their size, strength and length, it's another level than what we've had. They are all three guys who will help us in different ways this season."
 

RETURNING LETTERWINNERS
Also this season, Samford boasts four talented returning letterwinners in Eric Adams, Alex Peters, Gerald Smith and Tanner Tapp. Adams and Peters are both being asked to play key roles in the frontcourt for the Bulldogs this season, while Smith and Tapp provide critical depth for Samford's backcourt.
 
INCOMING FRESHMEN
Padgett and his staff continued to make major waves in the recruiting scene during the early signing period last season, as the Bulldogs added highly-acclaimed talents James Boone, Triston Chambers, Justin Hopkins and Josh Sharkey to their roster as members of the 2016 signing class.
 
"I am very excited about this class," said Padgett. "We are bringing in shooting, speed, toughness and athleticism, and this group will win a lot of games during the next four years at Samford."
 
QUICK HITTERS
-- Samford finished the 2015-16 season with a 14-19 overall record. The Bulldogs' 14 wins proved to be their highest total in seven seasons, dating back to the 2008-09 campaign when they finished 16-16.
 
-- Samford returned two starters from last season's team in junior point guard Cunningham and sophomore center Walker.
 
-- The Bulldogs were preseason picked seventh in the Southern Conference by both the league's head coaches and media. Samford finished the 2015-16 season tied for eighth place along with VMI.
 
WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT?
Following Monday's marquee non-conference contest at No. 23-ranked Florida State, the Samford University basketball team will next be in action Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs return home to Birmingham, Alabama, for a key matchup against the Florida A&M Rattlers to be held in the Pete Hanna Center.
 
For quick score updates, breaking news and links to all of your favorite articles featuring the Bulldogs, please follow @SamfordHoopsFOE and @Samford_Sports on Twitter.

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