Published on November 4, 2020 by Joey Mullins
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Non-conference games at Belmont and Georgia and the Southern Conference schedule highlight the 2020-21 slate, which will begin with an exhibition game against Martin Methodist on Nov. 25 in the Pete Hanna Center.
"We know this year has presented challenges on many fronts, but we're really looking forward to competing on the hardwood starting Nov. 25," McMillan said. "We have a good schedule comprised of high-level teams in conference and out of conference. We have scheduled some in-state universities in an attempt to build local rivalries and excitement here in the Alabama basketball community. We look forward to building on this and adding more in-state teams in the years to come. Due to the season being pushed back, we lost some of our early season SEC games against Florida and Vanderbilt. Still, we were able to add Georgia in December, who will present a tremendous challenge in Athens. Two more non-conference road tests will be at Kennesaw State and at Belmont."
The Bulldogs will open the regular season with a home game against Alabama A&M on Nov. 29. Samford will then play one final exhibition game, hosting Tennessee Wesleyan on Dec. 1.
Samford will then enter a tough stretch of playing four of the next five games on the road. The Bulldogs will play at Belmont (Dec. 5), Georgia (Dec. 12), Troy (Dec. 15) and Kennesaw State (Dec. 19). The lone home game in the stretch comes when Samford hosts Alabama State on Dec. 9.
Samford will play its final non-conference game when the Bulldogs host Belhaven on Dec. 21. Samford will open Southern Conference play with a home game against VMI on Dec. 30.
"As many know, the SoCon is one of the best basketball leagues in the country," McMillan said. "Therefore, we will have some of the better teams in the NCAA competing in the Pete Hanna regularly once conference play begins in late December. We're going to need all our fans rallying around us and fighting with us as we take on these quality opponents right here on Lakeshore Drive."
The Bulldogs will then travel to Wofford (Jan. 2) and Chattanooga (Jan. 6) for back-to-back road games before returning home to host Western Carolina on Jan. 9. Samford will then travel to defending SoCon champion ETSU on Jan. 13.
Samford will then play three-straight home games, hosting UNCG (Jan. 16), Chattanooga (Jan. 20) and The Citadel (Jan. 23). The Bulldogs then travel to Mercer (Jan. 27) and Western Carolina (Jan. 30).
Next up, Samford will host Furman on Feb. 3, before playing at UNCG on Feb. 6. The team will return home to host Mercer on Feb. 10 and then play the next two games on the road, traveling to VMI on Feb. 13 and Furman on Feb. 17.
Samford will host ETSU on Feb. 20 and then will host Wofford for Senior Night on Feb. 24. The team's regular-season finale is scheduled for Feb. 27 at The Citadel.
The 2021 Southern Conference Tournament is set for Mar. 3-7 in Asheville, N.C.
Season tickets for the 2020-21 season are now available online at www.SamfordTickets.com. All tickets are general admission and tickets are required for all ages. Fans can e-mail tickets@samford.edu or call 205-726-2965 for more details.
"We look forward to seeing everyone starting late November," McMillan said.
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.