GAME NOTES--SOCON TOURNAMENT (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford men's basketball team will open play in the SoCon Tournament by taking on either The Citadel or Mercer Saturday at 11 a.m. (CT) at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. The game can be seen live on ESPN+.
 
The winner of Saturday's game will play in Sunday's semifinals at 3 p.m. (CT). The tournament championship game is scheduled for Monday evening at 6 p.m. (CT).
 
Samford and The Citadel have met 31 previous times, with Samford owning an 18-13 series lead. Samford won both meetings with The Citadel this season. Samford and Mercer have met 125 times with the Bears owning a 75-50 series lead. Samford and Mercer split this season's two games, with each team winning at home.
 
Samford enters the tournament with a mark of 26-5 overall and 15-3 in SoCon play. The Bulldogs most recently hosted The Citadel last Saturday, earning a 92-80 win. Samford's 26 wins are the most wins in program history. The Bulldogs' 15-3 conference record earned them the outright regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for the SoCon Tournament.
 
Entering Saturday's game, Samford has been led this season by Achor Achor, averaging 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, leading the team in both categories. A.J. Staton-McCray averages 12.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while Jaden Campbell averages 11.2 points per game for the Bulldogs, and Jermaine Marshall scores 10.7 points per game. Rylan Jones leads the SoCon and ranks sixth in the nation in assist-turnover ratio (3.56).
 
Entering this week, the Bulldogs rank fourth in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 86.9 points per game. Samford also ranks in the top 10 in the nation in three-point percentage (5th-39.8), fastbreak points per game (5th-15.90), steals per game (T-7th-10.3),  bench points per game (4th-34.65), assists per game (6th-18.0),  turnovers forced per game (6th-17.00) and winning percentage (T-8th-83.9).
 
Samford currently leads the Southern Conference in scoring (86.9 ppg.), scoring margin (+12.3), field goal percentage (.494), turnover margin (3.87), assists (17.97 pg.) and steals (10.26 pg.).
 
The Citadel Bulldogs enter Saturday's game with a mark of 11-20 after a 92-80 loss at Samford last Saturday. Mercer has a mark of 15-16 overall and 8-10 in SoCon play following an 82-75 win at Furman last Saturday.
 
The Citadel has been led this season by A.J. Smith, averaging 16.4 points per game. Elijah Morgan scores 14.4 points per game, while Madison Durr averages 11.6 points per game. Quentin Millora-Brown averages 11.1 points and a team-high 9.3 rebounds per game.
 
Mercer has been led this season by Jalyn McCreary, averaging 15.8 points per game. David Thomas scores 10.3 points per game for the Bears.
 
The quarterfinal games can be seen on ESPN+, the semifinals will air on ESPNU and Monday's championship game will be broadcast by ESPN. To follow all tournament games, click on the following link: TOURNAMENT CENTRAL PAGE.
 
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).