After snapping its 23-season NCAA Tournament drought, Samford could be going dancing again.
The Southern Conference might be one of the most underappreciated leagues in college basketball. It has been a top-15 conference in five of the past six years, per KenPom. The SoCon has also accounted for two wins in the past five NCAA Tournaments, with Wofford beating Seton Hall as a 7-seed in 2019, and Furman’s 13-over-4 upset of Virginia at the buzzer in 2023. There have also been a few near-misses, including Chattanooga’s one-point loss to Illinois in 2022 and Samford falling four points short against Kansas this past March.
Last season, seven of the conference’s 10 teams were ranked in the KenPom top 200, and six had a top-150 offense. Notably, the conference ranks second in the country in 3-point attempt rate, fifth in 3-point percentage, and top-10 in tempo. That combination leads to a lot of high-scoring affairs, and it’s part of the reason for the conference’s NCAA Tournament success.
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This year, the SoCon race should be as tight as ever, with at least four teams vying for the title. Whichever team can separate itself down the stretch will likely be a popular Cinderella pick if they can also earn the league’s auto-bid.
Projected Order of Finish
1. Samford Bulldogs
During the 2024 NCAA Tournament, fans across the country were introduced to something Samford fans have experienced for the past four seasons: Bucky Ball. A brand of basketball unique to Samford head coach Bucky McMillan, Bucky Ball involves pressing off made baskets and turning turnovers into quick offensive buckets. Last year, this style led Samford to the eighth fastest tempo in the country, the SoCon regular-season and tournament titles, and a 13-seed in the Big Dance.
This year, McMillan will look to recreate that magic with a roster that returns just one starter. One side effect of McMillan’s high pace of play, and the effort it takes to press for a full 40 minutes, is that his rotations run deep. He often plays 10 or 11 guys, and few players get more than 25 minutes per game. In fact, returning guard Rylan Jones (9.4 ppg) led the team with 26 minutes per game, and returning role players Josh Holloway (4.3 ppg), Riley Allenspach (5.6 ppg) and Lukas Walls (3.3 ppg) all got nine to 13 minutes per contest, despite being the ninth through 11th players in the rotation.
Samford’s style, while exciting, requires depth to work, and McMillan aimed to replace the team’s departures through the transfer portal. Trey Fort (5.0 ppg at Mississippi State), Isaiah West (2.8 ppg at Vanderbilt) and Collin Holloway (12.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg at Tulane) all come from high-major programs and should find success at Samford. Julian Brown (10.0 ppg at Wagner), Jaden Brownell (6.1 ppg at UIC) and Larry Olayinka (5.3 ppg at Utah Tech) give the Bulldogs a solid 10-man rotation even before freshmen and up-transfers are considered. This core looks ready to compete in defense of the conference title.
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