Samford’s first-round matchup in the 2024 NCAA tournament against Kansas is a tall task, as the Bulldogs will try to take down one of college basketball’s historically great programs.
Samford, however, doesn’t appear to agree with the assessment that it is a big underdog.
Bulldogs forward Jermaine Marshall spoke with the media on Wednesday, and he explained that he expects Samford to pull off the upset.
“I don’t feel like it’s an upset, I feel like we’re gonna win and when we win, it’s not gonna be a surprise to us,” Marshall said. “It might be a surprise to all these brackets that are gonna be messed up, but it definitely won't be a surprise to us.”
#Samford forward Jermaine Marshall on playing #Kansas: "When we win, it's not going to be a surprise to us." #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/qEbCgjTQpw
— Rob Collins (@RobCollinsTV) March 20, 2024
Samford, the No. 13 seed in the Midwest Region, enters the NCAA tournament with a 29–5 record as the Southern Conference champions. The Bulldogs averaged 86 points per game this season, which ranked fifth among all Division I programs.
The Bulldogs have not appeared in March Madness since 2000, and they are still looking for their first NCAA tournament victory in program history. Still, they are a potential upset pick against No. 4 seed Kansas, as the Jayhawks are coming off a disappointing 22–10 season and will play without star guard Kevin McCullar Jr.
Kansas and Samford will tip-off late Thursday night in one of the final matchups of the NCAA tournament’s opening day, but the Bulldogs believe it will be worth the wait.
