BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Over the next several weeks, we at SamfordSports.com will take a look back at some of the biggest wins by Samford teams throughout the years in a series sponsored by America's First Federal Credit Union. Today, we will continue the series by looking at one of the biggest wins in the men's basketball program's history.

On Feb. 27, 1999, the Samford men's basketball program earned an 89-61 win over Central Florida (UCF) in the finals of the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) Tournament to earn the program's first conference title and NCAA Tournament bid.

The team also won the TAAC's regular-season crown, winning a school-record 24 games, and finishing with a 24-6 record.

In the TAAC Tournament, the Bulldogs earned wins over Campbell (67-51) and Centenary (62-54) to advance to the title game where Samford would take on the Central Florida Golden Knights.

Before a nationally televised audience on ESPN, Samford executed its Princeton-style offense to perfection and dissected the Golden Knights, making 63 percent of its field-goal attempts and routing the bigger, faster and stronger Golden Knights, 89-61. Sophomore Marc Salyers was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, and he was joined on the All-Tournament team by teammates Reed Rawlings, Will Daniel and freshman Chris Weaver.

The team advanced to the NCAA Tournament where it fell to #3-seeded St. John's. Salyers and Rawlings went on to play professional basketball after finishing their Samford careers. Rawlings played professionally in Europe and with the NBA's D-League. Salyers spent over a decade playing professionally overseas.

The year also saw Samford claim the TAAC Player of the Year Award winner, Rawlings, and the league's Coach of the Year, Jimmy Tillette.

The Bulldogs followed up the 1999 TAAC Tournament title by winning a second-straight conference tournament in taking the 2000 TAAC Tournament title, and advancing to another NCAA Tournament.