Published on January 13, 2007 by Philip Poole  
Posted by Philip Poole on 2007-02-28

Samford University's basketball teams are headed to the Ohio Valley Conference semifinals March 2 in Nashville for the second consecutive year after posting first-round wins Tuesday night (Feb. 27). And, Samford will be making a big presence at the tournament as the only OVC member with both teams in Nashville.

The fourth-seeded Samford women will play top-seeded Southeast Missouri State University at noon Friday at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville. The two teams met last year in the semifinals, with SEMO winning on their way to the conference championship.

The men will play top-seeded Austin Peay State University at 5:30 p.m. Friday. That game will be televised live on national cable network ESPN-U.

With wins on Friday, the teams would play in the championship games on Saturday – the women at 3 p.m. and the men at 7 p.m. The women's championship will be televised on CSTV on a tape delay basis. The men's championship will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

In first round action, the fifth-seeded Samford men defeated Murray State University 70-60 at Murray to advance. The Samford women closed out historic Seibert Gym in style with a 63-60 victory over Tennessee Tech University. The teams will play in the new $32 million Pete Hanna Center beginning next season, and the women's game was the last in the 45-year-old Seibert Gym.

The Samford band, cheerleaders and Spike the mascot will be in Nashville. Samford fans are encouraged to arrive at the Gaylord Entertainment Center early for an informal pep rally before both games on Friday.

Tickets are on sale at the Samford athletics office through Thursday morning. Tickets also will be available at the Gaylord Entertainment Center.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.