Georgia Southern's men's basketball team will play only its second home game in a month when it takes on Southern Conference rival Samford at 7 tonight at Hanner Fieldhouse.
    GSU head coach Charlton Young’s Eagles (5-9, 3-1) have played six of their last seven games on the road, and after meeting the Bulldogs will play their next two games away from home. Samford (3-11, 0-3) has lost its last seven games.
    Beating the Bulldogs is critical if the Eagles want to remain a factor in the SoCon race.
    Facts and Figures: The Eagles lead the conference in field-goal shooting (47.4 percent) and 3-point shooting (38.5 percent). Sophomore Eric Ferguson ranks fourth in the SoCon, shooting 56 percent from the floor.
    Players to Watch: GSU — 6-7 F Eric Ferguson 15.9 ppg., 6.4 rpg.; 5-10 G Ben Drayton III 12.4 ppg.; 6-2 G Willie Powers III 11.9 ppg., 5.4 apg. Samford — 6-9 Drew Windler 11.9 ppg.; 6-6 Tyler Hood 12.1 ppg.; 6-6 Jeff Merritt 6.4 rpg.
    The Series:  Georgia Southern leads, 32-16. Samford won the last meeting, 58-50, last year at Hanner.
    Notable: A win over the Bulldogs will enable the Eagles to top last year’s total of five wins. Only one of those victories last season came during conference play.  
    Tournament Drought: Georgia Southern last made the NCAA Tournament in 1987. Samford advance to the NCAA Tournament in 2000.
    The Coaches:  GSU — Charlton Young 19-59, third season; Samford — Jimmy Tillett 221-211, 15th season.