GAME NOTES: The 2015 Southern Conference Tournament begins on Friday evening, as the ninth-seeded Samford Bulldogs and the eighth-seeded UNC Greensboro Spartans meet at the U.S. Cellular Center.

The winner of this game will move into the quarterfinal round and take on top- seeded Wofford on Saturday.

Scott Padgett's Bulldogs finished the year five games under .500 overall at 13-18. The team also found wins hard to come by in conference play, where they team managed just a 6-12 league ledger. However, Samford was able to end a three-game losing streak in the season-finale, posting an 80-69 win at VMI, the team's first win in Lexington, VA in nearly half a century. Samford has never won this event and sports just a 3-6 record in the SoCon Tournament.

Wes Miller's Spartans had even less success overall this season with a mere 10 wins against 21 losses. The team finished conference play tied with Samford with a 6-12 mark, but had a two-game win streak snapped in the regular-season finale with a 61-58 loss to Chattanooga. The Spartans' only SoCon Tournament title came in 2001. UNCG is 14-16 all-time in this event.

These two teams split the regular-season series with each earning victories at home.

The Bulldogs shot .508 from the floor and got huge efforts from Christen Cunningham and Tyler Hood in earning the historic win over the Keydets last weekend to close out the regular season on a high note. Cunningham was 10- of-16 from the floor and led all scorers with 22 points. Hood, who hit five 3- pointers and was 7-of-9 from the floor overall, was right behind with 21 points in the win.

That kind of offensive success has not been the norm for Samford this season, but could be just what the team needs heading into the tournament. On the year, the Bulldogs averaged a more modest 69.0 ppg on .442 shooting. Three of the five starters average double figures though, providing the team some balance at the offensive end. Darius Jones-Gibson tops the team with 11.9 ppg. Hood, who has a team-best 67 3-pointers to his credit comes in at 11.0 ppg, while Cunningham adds 10.3 ppg, while also serving as the team's top distributor (4.0 apg). Jones-Gibson was named to the All-SoCon Third-Team, while Cunningham earned All-Freshman honors.

After scoring over 80 points in two wins to being a season-ending three-game homestand, the Spartans were stifled by Chattanooga and managed just 58 points in last weekend's three-point loss to the Mocs. UNCG held Chattanooga to a mere .370 shooting effort, but couldn't take advantage, shooting .368 from the floor itself. R.J. White was the only Spartan to finish in double figures in the loss, posting 14 points off the bench. Leading scorer Tevon Saddler struggled, going just 2-of-10 from the floor and finishing with just seven points in the setback.

Saddler has been much more effective this season. The sophomore guard leads UNCG in both scoring and assists this season, averaging 13.6 points and 4.1 assists per game. He was named to the All-SoCon Third-Team. Saddler isn't the only scoring threat on the roster, as Kayel Locke (12.5 ppg), White (12.0 ppg) and Nicholas Paulos (10.7 ppg) are also double-digit threats. White, a 6-8 sophomore, finished the season tied for second in the league in rebounding at 7.1 rpg.

These two teams played less than 10 days ago with UNCG coming out on top. Samford got a big win in the regular-season finale though and may just ride that momentum to win here.