March 3, 2008

MARTIN, Tenn. - The Samford basketball team will begin its quest for a third-straight trip to Nashville, Tenn., for the Ohio Valley Conference Final Four on Tuesday as the Bulldogs square off against the UT Martin Skyhawks in the opening round of the eight-team tournament. The game will begin at 7 p.m., in the Elam Center (6,500).

Fans unable to attend the matchup in person can listen live to Samford's broadcast on WVSU 91.1 FM or via the internet at www.samford.edu/groups/wvsu.

Samford (14-15, 10-10 OVC) enters the OVC Tournament as the No. 5 seed. The Bulldogs have won three of their previous four games, but recently suffered a hard-fought 64-61 defeat to Eastern Illinois on Saturday.

In its five years as a member of the OVC, Samford has qualified for the postseason tournament in each and every season. Additionally, the Bulldogs have reached the semifinal round of the OVC Tournament in each of the previous two years, including a trip to the championship game in 2006.

UT Martin (16-15, 11-9 OVC) heads into Tuesday's matchup as the fourth-seeded team in the OVC Tournament.

The Skyhawks are in the midst of their best season as a member of Division I and have recorded their first winning conference season since 1996. The 1995-96 campaign was the only other time that UT Martin finished with a winning record in OVC play.

The Skyhawks have been victorious in six of their previous seven games, but lost at Murray State 98-59 on Saturday. The defeat snapped UT Martin's conference-leading six-game winning streak.

Despite losing both of its regular-season games against UT Martin this year, Samford still holds a 7-3 all-time record in the series. Prior to this season, the Bulldogs reeled off seven-straight victories in the rivalry dating back to Dec. 5, 1992. Earlier this year, Samford lost at UT Martin 63-49 on Jan. 5, and in Birmingham, Ala., on Jan. 24, 61-43.

The Bulldogs have compiled a 3-4 overall record in OVC Tournament play and advanced all the way to the championship game of the event in 2006.

In 2004, Samford lost at Eastern Kentucky 81-61. In 2005, the Bulldogs were a No. 4-seed and hosted their first OVC Tournament game, but lost against Austin Peay 71-60.

During its run to the OVC Tournament championship game in 2006, Samford defeated Tennessee State at home 78-67, knocked off Tennessee Tech in the semifinal round 73-66, but then lost to Murray State in the championship 74-57.

Last season, the Bulldogs defeated Murray State on the road 70-60 before being knocked out by Austin Peay in the semifinals 65-55.

Samford's Joe Ross Merritt has started in 98 of the 120 games played in his career, including 88 of the team's previous 92 contests. On Saturday, Merritt played in his 120th game as a Bulldog, setting an all-time school record in the category.

The previous record-holder in the category was Jerry Smith, who finished his illustrious four-year career with a total of 119 games played.

The Bulldogs have made at least one 3-point field goal in 500-consecutive games.

The last time that Samford did not make a 3-point basket was on Jan. 19, 1991, against Texas-San Antonio. The Bulldogs have also made at least two 3-pointers in 469-straight contests dating back to Feb. 8, 1992, when Samford finished 1-of-6 from beyond the arc against Mercer.

UNLV is the national leader in consecutive games with a 3-point field goal as the Running Rebels have made a 3-point basket in 693-straight games dating back to the 1986-87 season.

Samford's Josh Bedwell, who wears No. 10 for the Bulldogs, is not the second coming of LSU's "Pistol" Pete Maravich, but he does have some similarities. Both players feature the unassuming demeanor and quiet confidence of a scorer, not to mention the hairstyle and lights-out shooting ability.

Despite his young age, Bedwell has already proven to be a scoring threat at the college level. Against UT Martin on Jan. 5, the Bulldogs' native of Hartselle, Ala., led all scorers with a career-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field.

Bedwell was on fire from beyond the arc and connected on six of his eight 3-point attempts in the game. In the first half alone, he scored 18 of his team-high 20 points and was a near-perfect 6-of-8 from 3-point range. Samford has suffered a pair of season-ending injuries to key players this season, including a setback to one of its starting guards.

In practice on Dec. 1, Samford's senior guard Curtis West suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder when he dove for a loose ball in preparation for the Bulldogs' game at Florida State on Dec. 2. West, a two-year starter, was forced to miss the rest of the season, but will receive a medicial redshirt year.

Samford's bad luck continued on Jan. 30 when redshirt freshman Gaby Bermudez suffered a dislocated shoulder to his non-shooting (left) arm. The injury also occurred when the Bulldogs' 6-for-4 guard from Miami, Fla., was diving for a loose ball.

Bermudez had surgery on Feb. 8 and is out for the season. He was averaging 13.6 minutes and 1.7 points per game.

The winner of Tuesday's first round OVC Tournament matchup between Samford and UT Martin will advance to play either top seed Austin Peay or No. 8-seed Eastern Kentucky at 6 p.m., on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn.

Both of the OVC's semifinal round games will be nationally televised by ESPNU.

Samford Basketball Game Notes
Weekly OVC Release