GAME NOTES -- SAMFORD vs. The Citadel (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford men's basketball team kicks off its Southern Conference campaign tomorrow as they host The Citadel on Dec. 1 at the Pete Hanna Center at 6:30 p.m. The Bulldogs are looking to repeat as SoCon champions and make a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. Samford ended non-conference play with a 10-3 record while The Citadel has a 5-6 record.

The Samford Bulldogs wrapped up non-conference play with a 97-90 victory at Alabama A&M on Dec. 21.  Southern Conference play begins where Samford went 15-3 last season. Samford faces The Citadel for the 32nd time in school history, with Samford winning 18 of the previous matchups and eight of the last ten.

The Bulldogs have been on a roll at home, winning 25 straight home games at the Pete Hanna Center. The Dogs have four players averaging double-figures, led by Trey Fort who is scoring 14.7 ppg and is coming off a career-high 27 points against Alabama A&M where he connected on 7-of-11 threes.

Samford is third in the nation in offense, scoring 89 points per game and making 11.7 three-pointers per game which makes the Dogs ranked third in the nation. Defensively, Samford is forcing 17.7 turnovers per game which is the third most in the country. Samford shares the ball as well as any team in the nation, averaging 18.7 assists per game which is 11th in the nation.

Point guard Rylan Jones runs the show for the Bulldogs and is top-15 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.71. Collin Holloway is 25 points away from reaching the 1,000 career point mark.

The Citadel enters the game with a 5-6 record on the season. They are currently on a three-game losing streak and fell to Vanderbilt 105-53 in their last contest. The Citadel hasn't defeated Samford since the 2021-22 season. Head coach Ed Conroy is in his second stint as the head coach for the Bulldogs and is in his seventh season overall at The Citadel. The Bulldogs were picked 9th out of 10 teams in the Southern Conference Preseason Poll. Brody Fox leads the way for The Citadel, scoring 16.8 points per game, and is the team's only double-digit scorer.

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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).