La. Tech faces Samford

Samford (4-4) vs. Louisiana Tech (4-2)

Thomas Assembly Center, Ruston, Louisiana; Saturday, 9 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Samford and Louisiana Tech look to bounce back from losses. Each squad is coming off of a road loss in their last game. Louisiana Tech lost 88-75 to Indiana on Monday, while Samford came up short in an 86-77 game at South Dakota State on Wednesday.

SAVVY VETERANS: Each team has relied heavily on their seniors this year. Mubarak Muhammed, DaQuan Bracey, Kalob Ledoux, JaColby Pemberton and Derric Jean have collectively accounted for 59 percent of Louisiana Tech's scoring this season. For Samford, Josh Sharkey, Brandon Austin and Jalen Dupree have collectively scored 49 percent of the team's points this season.

KEY CONTRIBUTIONS: Sharkey has either made or assisted on 55 percent of all Samford field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has 11 field goals and 31 assists in those games.

THREAT FROM DEEP: Samford's Austin has attempted 47 3-pointers and connected on 42.6 percent of them, and is 10 for 22 over the last three games.

STREAK STATS: Samford has dropped its last four road games, scoring 70.3 points and allowing 83 points during those contests. Louisiana Tech has won its last three home games, scoring an average of 85.3 points while giving up 52.

DID YOU KNOW: The Louisiana Tech defense has forced opponents into turnovers on an impressive 25.2 percent of all possessions, which is the 29th-highest rate in the country. Samford has turned the ball over on 23.2 percent of its possessions (ranked 318th among Division I teams).