Furman vs. Samford Game Notes
 
Greenville, S.C. – No. 6 seed Furman opens its quest for a league title and NCAA Tournament berth when it faces No. 3 seed Samford in the quarterfinal round of the Ingles Southern Conference Men's Basketball Championship Saturday evening in Asheville, N.C.
 
The Paladins and Bulldogs are set for a 6 p.m. tip-off at Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville, and the matchup will be televised live on SCETV and streamed on ESPN+. Fans can listen to Dan Scott and Tom Van Hoy call the action on The Fan Upstate at 97.7 FM and 1330 AM in Greenville, 97.1 FM and 1490 AM in Spartanburg, and via the Audacy app. Links for the live audio and live statistics are available at FurmanPaladins.com. 
 
Furman enters the postseason at 19-12 overall and finished in a tie for fifth place in the SoCon standings at 10-8. This season's SoCon Men's Basketball Championship marks the 73^rd for the Paladins who hold a 60-65 record in the event. Furman has won the tournament seven times (1971, 73, 74, 75, 78, 80, and 2023) and is seeking its fourth trip to the finals in the last five seasons.
 
Freshman Alex Wilkins, who garnered second team All-SoCon honors earlier this week, leads the Paladins averaging 17.3 points and 4.9 assists per game. Forward Cooper Bowser and guard Asa Thomas have contributed 13.6 and 13.1 points per game, respectively, this season.
 
Saturday's game marks the 44^th all-time meeting between Furman and Samford with the Paladins boasting a 31-12 series advantage and five-game winning streak against the Bulldogs. Furman claimed a 77-73 triumph at Samford on January 14 before holding on to down the Bulldogs 78-73 in Greenville on January 29. Wilkins averaged 24.0 point per game in the two wins over Samford while forward Charles Johnston added 8.5 points and 15.0 rebounds per game.
 
Last season, Furman swept its regular season meeting against Samford before eliminating the Bulldogs from the SoCon Men's Basketball Championship with a 95-78 win in the quarterfinal round. Samford comes into Saturday's contest having won eight of its last nine games. The Bulldogs have been led by SoCon Player of the Year Jadin Booth, who has poured in 21.2 points per game.
 
The winner of Saturday's Furman-Samford tilt will advance to face the winner of No. 2 seed Wofford and either UNC Greensboro or VMI in Sunday's second semifinal contest at 6:30 p.m. The SoCon Championship Game is slated for 7 p.m. on Monday, March 9.
 
Minuteman Press is the Official Sponsor of Furman Athletics press releases.