NCAA Basketball: 5 potential Cinderella teams for 2024 NCAA Tournament
5. Samford Bulldogs
Bucky McMillan and the Samford Bulldogs have caught college basketball’s attention, currently riding a 16-game win streak after starting the season 0-2. Even the likes of Jon Rothstein has his eyes on McMillan.
Samford's winning streak is now at 16. Started the season 0-2.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 17, 2024
Bucky McMillan.
Remember The Name.
Nonetheless, fourth-year head coach Bucky McMillan -- who was hired at Samford in 2020 following an extremely successful stint as a high school coach in Alabama -- has put his stamp on the program who looks to not only get their third-straight 20-win season but to earn a bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Samford plays a unique, up-tempo style of basketball where they rank fourth in the country in PPG (87.9), fourth in the country in three-point percentage (41.2%) and third in the country in possessions per game (78.3), according to TeamRankings.
Interestingly enough, the Bulldogs scored 72 points in one half of basketball on Jan. 13, beating VMI by a whopping score of 134-96.
Led by Achor Achor (16.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG) -- who recently tallied 35 points and 10 rebounds in their win over Western Carolina -- and a balanced attack off the bench, the Bulldogs deploy a style of play that provides all sorts of difficulties for teams trying to dictate the pace.
They beat you with their brand of basketball -- nicknamed “Bucky Ball” -- and if you can’t keep up with them pace-wise, it can potentially spell a potential Cinderella story in the making.