Men's basketball seeks to make run

It was a tough December for Scott Padgett’s Bulldogs. A strong 2-0 start against some easier opponents were followed by three consecutive losses to tougher competition including Hawaii, Alabama and Georgetown. They started play with an overall record of 6-8, but built upon this with a set of decent SoCon wins.

A 69-68 win over The Citadel in the Pete Hanna Center made for a happy New Year’s Day, followed by a road trip to VMI and a three-point win that saw Samford begin Southern Conference play with a pair of wins. It was exactly the momentum needed as the Wofford Terriers came to Birmingham, in a game that Samford shot 24 percent from the three-point line and lost by five. Then came a 38-point blowout loss to Chattanooga and a 25-point loss at East Tennessee State followed by a 15-point loss to Mercer and a 23-point loss at Furman. In the four-game stretch, Samford went winless and was outscored 384-283, pushing their conference record to 2-5, good for eighth in the SoCon.

There seems to be multiple things that could use some fixing if the Bulldogs are to get back to winning ways, with the first being the defense. Samford is giving up just under 85 points per game which is the worst in the conference according to Basketball Reference. Opponents are shooting over 40 percent from the three-point line against Samford, which is also the worst in the conference. As Samford prepares to play against the top teams in the conference, the Bulldogs must find a way to limit the opponent’s scoring.

Another solution to the losing ways of the Bulldogs would be better shooting. The Bulldogs are shooting about 34 percent from the three-point line, good for eighth in the SoCon, with Brandon Austin emerging as the go-to shooter. Josh Sharkey remains the star player and is posting an average of 18 points per game while also leading the Southern Conference in assists with 7.8 per game.

Samford’s defense and shooting will be key if they look to turn around what has been a disappointing start to the conference slate.