By CHARLIE PARENT
Samford’s Rylan Jones made a circus layup to spark an 11-5 closing run as the Bulldogs won the SoCon Championship 76-69 over Eastern Tennessee State to clinch the sixth NCAA Tournament bid of 2024.
Samford duo Achor Achor and Jermaine Marshall combined for 47 points. Achor had 25 while Marshall dropped 22 as the Bulldogs earned their third tournament bid in program history and first since 2000.
Samford (29-5) is currently projected as a 13-seed in ESPN Joe Lunardi’s recent bracketology. The Bulldogs won the SoCon regular season title last year but were upset in tournament play. Bucky McMillan, who was coaching at Mountain Brook High School (AL.) just four years ago, and his staff now get their first March Madness opportunity. McMillan is one of the fastest rising young coaches in the country, known for his unique offensive style of ‘Bucky Ball’ that won Mountain Brook five state titles. It took him just three seasons to transform Samford into SoCon Champions. Follow Charlie on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on Facebook😱😱😱 @rylanjones15
— Samford Men's Basketball (@SamfordMBB) March 12, 2024
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