For the First Time in 3,654 Days, Samford Women's Basketball will Play in a Postseason Tournament
- Chris S
- Mar 18, 2021
- 4 min read
Yes, you read that headline correctly. The last time that the Women's Basketball team found themselves in a postseason tournament was all the way back on March 18th, 2011 when the Bulldogs fell to the Duke Blue Devils 82-47 in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament. To put that in perspective, Davidson, College of Charleston, Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, and Elon were still members of the Southern Conference and Mercer was still a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Of course, the headline would have read, "For the First Time in 357 Days (or 358, depends on where we would have been seeded)..." but COVID decided to strike at the exact wrong moment and extend the postseason drought. But I digress.
Samford learned this past Monday that they would face off against the Rebels of Ole Miss in the first round of the WNIT with Ole Miss being designated as the home team. UT Martin, Nebraska, Louisiana Lafayette, Colorado, Illinois State, and Tulane round out the other 6 teams in the Memphis Regional. To learn more about Monday night, click here to read about the team's thought process and how the tournament works, because it's not the same as the NCAA Tournament.
The last time the Bulldogs were in the WNIT, they faced these same Rebels in a game hosted by Samford in the Pete Hanna where the Bulldogs won a thrilling game by just a single point. This time the two will meet on a neutral site, but the Rebels will be without their head coach as Coach McPhee-McCuin tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week. While I in no way think that this guarantees a Samford victory, it will be interesting to see how the Rebels manage and respond to any adversity. Of corse, we here at Ins and Outs of the Bubble wish the Ole Miss a speedy recovery and we pray that she experiences no long term effects.
Keys to the Game:
1 Win the Glass
The upset defeat handed to the Bulldogs against ETSU two weeks ago was the first time this entire season where Samford lost the game after winning the rebounding battle. In the 3 matchups with SEC schools in the beginning of the season, Samford lost the rebounding battle by a combined 10 boards. Keep in mind that Samford only lost to Auburn by 2 points and was out rebounded by just 1. The Bulldogs need to limit Ole Miss to just one chance at points each time that they come down the floor. Allowing too many offensive rebounds will more than likely make the game a track meet, and not one in our favor. On the other side of the floor, I think that if we grab 13+ offensive rebounds and have those rebounds turn into points without another rebound, Samford could give themselves a good chance at moving on in the winner's bracket.
2 Limit Turnovers
This is the thing that killed us in the first round of the SoCon Tournament and allowed ETSU to stay in Asheville a day longer than they should have. Samford turned the ball over a whopping 21 times two weeks ago. That's a 130% increase from the season average of 16.18. Our average during Conference play was 14.46, equating to a 145% increase. Samford needs to protect the rock, especially in this first game when nerves will likely be through the roof. Speaking of...
3 Enjoy the Stage
Obviously the team would have preferred to be in Texas, but the WNIT offers a special platform. Especially with this tournament not being structured on the win-or-go-home model, Samford will be able to enjoy their time in the bubble, regardless of how they perform on Friday evening. Nerves will be a factor in the beginning without a doubt. This is the first meaningful basketball the Bulldogs have taken part of in two weeks and several team members directly mentioned the need to get the taste of the ETSU game out of their mouths. However, if the team pushes too hard, they have the potential to make unforced errors and shoot themselves in the foot.
However, with the tournament guaranteeing a second game, it will be interesting to see if/how that impacts nerves.
Samford and Ole Miss are scheduled to tip off at 5pm Central with the game being broadcast via FloHoops. The winner will face the winner of Illinois State/Tulane at 8pm on Saturday and the losers of these two matching up at 2pm on Saturday.
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