SportsLine.com Report
March 16, 2000

Round 1: Syracuse wears down Bulldogs, 79-65

For the second year in a row, the Bulldogs were beaten by a Big East Conference team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

But this time, they just lost to a more-talented team -- they made a couple of runs, and closed to within three points with 13:14 remaining, before fourth-seeded Syracuse pulled away for a 79-65 decision in Cleveland.

Last year, remember, they fell behind St. John's by a ridiculous 15-0 score and were eventually buried by 26 points. This year, they fell behind, but didn't fade until the final minutes.

"We felt much more comfortable than last year," forward Will Daniel said. "But we let them get offensive rebounds and putbacks."

Reed Rawlings scored 19 of his 28 points in the first half, but Samford still trailed 37-30 at the break. Derrick Jones added 13 points and Marc Salyers 10.

"Our inability to defend was really the problem," coach Jimmy Tillette said. "This was not our best game."

How They Got There

Although not as dominant as last season, Samford won its second consecutive TAAC championship to earn the league's automatic bid.

The Bulldogs, who were 15-1 in conference play a year ago and cruised through the league tournament, went 12-6 in TAAC play this season and were seeded third in the conference tournament.

They persevered, surviving No. 2 Georgia State 83-80 in the semifinals, and holding off fifth-seeded Central Florida 78-69 in the title game. After the Knights pulled within 66-65 with 2:51 left, a basket by Marc Salyers put the Bulldogs up by three and then Mario Lopez iced the game with a 3-pointer and two free throws.

"It was fun, but we expected to come here and do this," Salyers said. "We didn't care if we won a game all year, as long as we won this one."

Starting lineup

• PG Mario Lopez (6-1, 170, Sr.): Lopez has a thorough knowledge of Samford's intricate system, and was tremendous in the conference final, hitting 5-of-6 shots from 3-point range and scoring 20 points to help down UCF.
• SG Derrick Jones (6-5, 205, Jr.): A transfer from Mississippi State who provides another active body for Samford. He also can score from 3-point range, as one of four Bulldogs with more than 50 3-pointers this season.
• C Marc Salyers (6-9, 220, Jr.): Samford's leading scorer (17.0) and rebounder (7.3), selected to the all-TAAC team.
• SF Will Daniel (6-5, 215, Sr.): A streaky shooter who is the team's best defender, Daniel does everything well.
• PF Reed Rawlings (6-7, 215, Sr.): The TAAC Player of the Year in 1998-99, he fought with back problems through his senior season, and effectiveness decreased. Still, he turned it up late in the season and during the TAAC tournament.

Keys to Success

There's no doubt: Samford is going to be shooting the 3-pointer, and probably shooting it well.

Jimmy Tillette's complicated Princeton-style offense won't be easy for any team to defend, and if the Bulldogs shoot as well as they can (they average 9.7 3-pointers per game, third-best in the nation and the most of any team in the tournament), then they could provide an early round shocker.

As junior center Marc Salyers says: "We've just got so much stuff to run, that it's impossible to defend everything. We just have to shoot it well."

Perhaps the biggest key is to not get obliterated on the boards. In Samford's 83-80 win over Georgia State in the TAAC semifinals, it allowed the Panthers to shoot 62 percent (better than 70 percent in the second half) and was out-rebounded by a 2-to-1 ratio. How did the Bulldogs win? They made 13 3-pointers.

The Bulldogs hit 37 3-pointers during their three TAAC Tournament victories, and need to keep that hot hand.

The Coach

Tillette will be making his second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in his third year since replacing current LSU coach John Brady. Tillette has the highest winning percentage in Samford history, entering the NCAAs with a 60-29 record (67.4).

The Bench

Tillette uses an eight-man rotation, giving four starters more than 30 minutes per game. Sharpshooter Chris Weaver is the team's sixth man, averaging six points a game and shooting 46 percent from 3-point range and 88 percent from the free-throw line. Up front, senior Boyd Kaiser and sophomore Gabe Skypala also see minutes. Kaiser, a former starter, plays good defense and sets solid picks, while Skypala is an emerging contributor and capable low-post scorer.

Offense

Tillette visited Princeton, studied the offense inside and out and learned his lessons well. The Bulldogs have many different sets out of the offense, utilizing back cuts and screens to get easy baskets and open looks. Samford shoots 50.3 percent, ranking near the top of the nation all season. ... The Bulldogs have made 302 3-pointers in 780 attempts.

Defense

The Bulldogs play well on the perimeter, extending their defense with athletic players such as Daniel and Jones, but they are not as adept in the frontcourt. Samford is prone to giving up easy baskets inside, which poses problems against physical opponents. Samford ranks among the Top 20 in scoring defense, giving up just over 61 points per game. ... Opponents shot less than 42 percent against the Bulldogs and turned the ball over an average of 15 times per game.