BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Men's Basketball Team faces a weekend road test against the Spartans of UNC Greensboro in a battle of two 3-0 teams in Southern Conference play on Saturday, Jan. 7.
 
Tip-off from Greensboro, N.C. is set for 3:00 p.m., with the game streaming live on ESPN+.
 
Saturday's match-up is the 33rd meeting between Samford and UNCG, with the Spartans holding a 20-12 series advantage.
 
Samford took two of three contests against UNCG last season, including a 66-64 win in the opening round of the SoCon Tournament on March 5. Logan Dye tallied a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
 
The Bulldogs shot 53 percent from the floor and knocked down a season-high 14 threes in their 87-78 SoCon victory over VMI on Wednesday from the Pete Hanna Center.
 
In addition to reaching a season-high in threes against VMI, the Bulldogs amassed a season-best 20 assists. Four players finished with at least two assists, with eight finishing with at least one on the evening.
 
Jermaine Marshall logged 16 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in the win while Dye finished with 19 points and eight boards. Nathan Johnson recorded 13 points and five assists while Bubba Parham added 10 points.
 
Through three games, the Bulldogs are one of just two teams in the league averaging 80-plus points per game in SoCon play. Samford's 80 points per contest against conference competition ranks second behind only Furman (83 PPG).
 
Samford has been the best three-point shooting team in league play so far, converting 31 of 73 attempts for an efficiency of 43 percent. The Bulldogs are shooting 49 percent from the floor and 81 percent from the free throw line in conference contests, both numbers that rank second-best in the SoCon. 
 
Marshall and Dye lead the Bulldog in scoring, with Dye averaging a team-best 12.7 points per game and Marshall sitting second at 11.7. Marshall's 6.5 boards per contest leads the squad while Dye ranks second at 5.6.
 
The UNCG Spartans (9-7, 3-0 SoCon) come in having knocked off Chattanooga 73-61 at home their last time out on Jan. 4.
 
Keondre Kennedy is averaging a team-high 13.4 points per game while ranking in the top 10 in SoCon games in scoring average at 14.3 PPG. Keyshaun Langley (12.6 PPG) and Mikeal Brown-Jones (11.2 PPG) are also averaging double digits in scoring.
 
The Spartans have played stingy defense in their three SoCon contests, where they are holding opponents to a league-low 57.3 points per game and a field-goal efficiency of 32.3 percent.
 
Mike Jones is in his second season at the helm of UNCG. Jones served as the head coach at Radford (Va.) University since 2011, where he posted a record of 174-150. 
 
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