GAME NOTES--SAMFORD AT PURDUE (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford men's basketball team will open the 2023-24 season by playing at second-ranked Purdue Sunday at 5:30 p.m. (CT) from Mackey Arena.
 
Monday's contest will be just the third meeting between the Bulldogs and Boilermakers, with Purdue having hosted and won the previous two matchups. It will serve as the Bulldogs' first Big-Ten opponent since falling 68-50 at #23 Ohio State on Nov. 20, 2018.
 
Samford was picked to finish fourth in the Preseason SoCon Coaches Poll and tied with Western Carolina for second in the Media Poll announced on Oct. 25. Senior forward Jermaine Marshall was tabbed Preseason All-SoCon for the second-straight season. 
 
Samford posted a record of 21-11 overall and 15-3 in SoCon play in 2022-23, winning a share of the SoCon regular-season title for the first time in program history. The season marked the first time in school history the Bulldogs achieved 20 regular-season wins in consecutive seasons while also matching the 1998-99 team for most conference wins in a season. It also marked the Bulldogs' fourth 20-win season in program history.
 
The Bulldogs return nine players from the SoCon Regular-Season Championship squad in 2022-23, including starters Marshall and A.J. Staton-McCray. Marshall, who was named to the 2022-23 All-SoCon Media second team, led the Bulldogs and ranked sixth in the conference in rebounding at 6.5 boards per contest. The 2023 Preseason All-SoCon selection averaged 13.3 points last season for Samford and averaged 14.6 points per game in conference play. Staton-McCray came on strong for the Bulldogs, starting the final nine games and averaging 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds over that span. The junior guard led the SoCon last season with a pace of 1.8 steals per contest.
 
Achor Achor, Jaden Campbell and Nathan Johnson highlight returning role players for the Bulldogs, with a total of 23 starts between the three players from last season. Achor provided valuable low-post depth in an average of 14.4 minutes per contest last season, posting 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Campbell, who started in six games last season, dazzled with his sheer athleticism at the rim and three-point sharpshooting. The senior guard averaged 7.7 points and 2.3 rebounds.  Johnson started in 16 contests for Samford in 2022-23, where he averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game.
 
The Bulldogs will rely heavily on transfer portal additions, with five transfers signed to the squad in the offseason. Rylan Jones (Utah State), Zach Loveday (Baylor), and Garrett Hicks (Alabama A&M) headline the group of transfers while Dallas Graziani (Nova Southeastern) and Chandler Leopard (Auburn) look to be major contributors for McMillan's squad this season. Jones, Hicks, and Graziani all add depth to the point-guard position for Samford. Jones averaged nine points and four assists as a Freshman at Utah while Hicks amassed over 1,000 career points in four seasons at Alabama A&M. Graziani ranked second in all of Division II with 241 assists and 85 steals while leading the Sharks to a perfect 36-0 national championship season. Loveday saw action in 38 games in three seasons at Baylor, including 13 during the Bear's 2020-21 national title run. Leopard played 18 games over four seasons on the Plains.
 
Riley Allenspach, Josh Holloway and Lukas Walls highlight the Bulldogs' freshman additions. Allenspach was rated a four-star prospect by ESPN while being ranked the eighth-best player in North Carolina and seventh-best by 247 Sports. Holloway averaged 11.4 points and 3.2 assists at Oak Hill Academy, an institution notorious for grooming professional basketball talent. Walls was named Division II-AA Mr. Basketball for the State of Tennessee in 2023 and averaged 18 points and five rebounds for Webb School of Knoxville.
 
The Purdue Boilermakers went 29-6 in 2022-23 and captured the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles. Purdue became the first Big Ten team since 2019 (Michigan State) to win both the regular-season title and tournament titles. The Boilermakers checked in at No. 2 in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll while coming in at No. 3 in the Preseason AP poll announced on Oct. 16. Head Coach Matt Painter has posted a career record of 438-203 in 19 seasons, highlighted by four Big Ten Coach of the Year honors and four Sweet 16s in the last six tournaments. The Boilermakers return leading scorer Zach Edey, who Swept all six major National Player of the Year Awards in 2022-23. The senior center ranked in the top 10 in the country in both points per game (22.3) and rebounds per contest (12.9) last season while leading the country with 27 double-doubles. 
 
Monday night's game can be seen live on the Big 10 Network. Live stats will also be available. For links to follow all of Samford's games this season, click on the following link: MBB SCHEDULE.
 
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS
For the latest news and information on Samford men's basketball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordSports (Facebook), @SamfordMBB (Twitter), and @SamfordMBB (Instagram).