The Georgia Southern University men’s basketball team will travel to Birmingham, Ala., to take on Samford University Thursday night at 8 p.m.
The Eagles have played well at home in their last two outings against The Citadel and the College of Charleston. GSU’s record for the season stands at 8-11 and 6-3 in conference play. For the Eagles to keep up with powerhouse Davidson College in the Southern Conference, they need the ability to win conference games on the road.
These two teams faced off earlier on Jan. 12, with the Eagles getting a tough 58-53 victory over the Bulldogs. Even though Samford is struggling this season at 2-5 in the conference, they have already proved to be a formidable opponent for GSU.
AWAY RECORD: The Eagles have struggled with teams away from Hanner Fieldhouse this season, only notching one win so far. The confidence gained from beating a solid CofC team and getting an exciting double overtime win over The Citadel should help.
THREE POINT SHOOTING: A big part of this contest could come down to which team shoots the ball the best from outside the arc. The Eagles struggled from beyond the arc early in the game against The Citadel, going 0-3 in the first half. GSU is slightly better on the stat sheet this season when it comes to three point shooting, making 35.2 percent of its attempts, while Samford only hits 34.5 percent of its shots.
ADVANTAGE: GSU
FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE: In order to win games like this, GSU needs to come out hot and hit some high percentage shots early on. The Eagles rank 57th in the nation in field goal percentage this season, hitting 47 percent of its shots. Samford, however, ranks 149th in the nation in field goal percentage, only making 44 percent of its shots.
ADVANTAGE: GSU
NUMBER TO WATCH: 30.9
The Eagles average 30.9 rebounds per game so far this season, ranking 314th in the nation in rebounding. GSU will need more second chance points for the rest of this season to contend in the SoCon. To do that, the Eagles will need solid contributions on the glass from forwards Eric Ferguson and Cameron Baskerville.
PLAYER TO WATCH: BEN DRAYTON III
Senior guard Ben Drayton III will need to be able to contribute on the scoreboard for the Eagles to get their second win on the road. Drayton III had 18 points in the win over The Citadel and went almost perfect from the free throw line, making 8-9 from the stripe. GSU will most certainly welcome another scoring option on the floor against a tough Samford defense.
FINAL SCORE: 63-61 GSU