The Southern Conference men's basketball regular season title won't be determined on Wednesday night at the Pete Hanna Center. But Samford or UNC Greensboro could take a huge step toward ultimately earning the crown.
Samford will play host to UNCG in a game featuring two teams locked in a three-way tie for first place in the SoCon with four conference games left on the regular season schedule. Both teams are 18-9 overall and 12-2 in SoCon. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30, and a large crowd is expected.
Samford head coach Bucky McMillan is aware of the challenge his team faces.
"UNCG has won at Furman," said McMillan of the Spartans' win over the other team in the three-way tie for first. "They play really well on the road. They play just as well on the road as they do at home. It will be a game we have to play really well. They're a really good team. It is what it is. You're not going to win this time of year vs. the top teams when you're not playing your best basketball."
Samford escaped with a 70-68 win when the teams met in Greensboro on Jan. 7. The Bulldogs led by 10 points with four minutes left, and the lead was nine with 2:45 remaining. UNCG got as close as a point, and the Spartans had a hurried 3-pointer that Samford's Jermaine Marshall blocked at the buzzer.
Samford was without leading scorer Ques Glover during that first meeting. Glover returned from a knee injury on Jan. 21 in a win over Western Carolina. Glover is averaging 16 points per game in the seven games since his return.
The Spartans lead the Southern Conference in scoring defense (63.8 points per game), field goal percentage defense (40.3%) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (31%). Samford and UNCG are the top teams in the SoCon in steals. Samford averages 7.7 steals per game, and UNCG averages 7.3.
Offensively, UNCG relies heavily on 6-foot-1 senior Keyshaun Langley and 6-foot-6 graduate student Keondre Kennedy. Langley averages 14.3 points per game with 74 3-pointers, and Kennedy averages 13.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game with 52 3-pointers.
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