INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Samford men's basketball program had their season extended as they were invited into the National Invitation Tournament tonight. The Bulldogs will travel to take on George Mason on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs carry a 22-10 record into postseason play while the Patriots are 26-8 on the season.

The Bulldogs make the postseason for the second-straight season after their trip to the NCAA Tournament last year. Samford is coming off their second-most regular season wins in school history as they finished their season with a defeat against Furman in the Southern Conference Tournament. 

Samford is led by three players who average double-figure scoring, led by Trey Fort at 14.9 points per game, followed by Jaden Brownell and Rylan Jones. The Dogs are the second-highest-ranked team in the SoCon at 116th in the NET rankings, just one spot behind Chattanooga.

The Patriots are coming off a 68-63 defeat against VCU in the Atlantic-10 Championship game today. They finished the season ranked number 68 in the NET and are the two seed in the section of the bracket. 

The Bulldogs are joined by top-seeded Dayton, Florida Atlantic, Middle Tennessee State, Chattanooga, Bradley, and North Alabama in their portion of the bracket.

First-round play is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, March 18 and 19, with the second round playing March 22 and 23. Quarterfinals will be held March 25 and 26 with four teams advancing to historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the semifinals on Tuesday, April 1. The oldest postseason tournament in college basketball will conclude with the 87th NIT championship game on Thursday, April 3.

The Bulldog's first-round game against GMU can be seen on ESPN+ on Wednesday at 6 p.m. NIT games are being televised by ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN+. Additional NIT information including how to purchase tickets for the semifinals and championship can be found on www.NCAA.com/NIT.

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).