LAS VEGAS — Samford lost the Southern Conference’s player of the year and the other half of the league’s highest-scoring duo. Lennie Acuff found part of his replacement plan in the Ivy League.
Cooper Noard arrived from Cornell after averaging 18.2 points and leading the conference in scoring last season. Before playing a regular-season game for Samford, he scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in an exhibition at Auburn.
Acuff could use all of it. Jadin Booth and Dylan Faulkner helped Samford finish 18-14 and tied for second in the SoCon during his first season. Faulkner, now at Clemson, also supplied 8.6 rebounds per game. Keaton Norris directed the offense and averaged 4.9 assists.
Samford, picked fourth in the conference, opened with an 87-58 win over Division III Berry and visits UNLV on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. Cade Norris and Isaiah Campbell-Finch are the two returning starters.
Acuff took over in April 2025 after Bucky McMillan left for Texas A&M. He had just taken Lipscomb to the NCAA Tournament, following 22 seasons at Alabama-Huntsville. His offense puts the center in the middle of the passing and keeps the guards working after the ball leaves their hands.
In a 2024 Slappin’ Glass interview while at Lipscomb, Acuff described attacking before the defense gets set, then moving into Princeton concepts if the early chance disappears. A guard who throws to the center can come back for a handoff. If his defender jumps into that path, he can cut behind him toward the basket.
Samford took at least half its shots from three in each of its three exhibitions. Noard made 228 threes during four seasons at Cornell and has shot 39.0 percent from deep for his career, according to CBB Analytics. Leaving him to help on a cutter is an expensive choice.
Acuff still wants the ball in the paint first. After Auburn, he criticized his team for settling for threes late in the first half. He credited the better offense after halftime to getting downhill and creating better looks, according to Birmingham Sports Media.
Keaton Norris is now a graduate assistant, so the Bulldogs have to find someone else to deliver those passes. Ty Davis came home to the Birmingham area from Creighton with a chance to take over the point.
The Mountain Brook product appeared in 61 games over two seasons at Creighton but averaged only 9.3 minutes. He played 33 minutes and scored 13 points at Auburn. Acuff emphasized Davis’ feel for getting teammates involved when announcing his signing.
Cade Norris has already spent a season making those decisions for Acuff. He started 31 games last year, averaging 2.1 assists against 0.8 turnovers while playing more than 30 minutes a game. He had five assists at Auburn, and Acuff described him as “very much the coach on the floor for us,” according to Birmingham Sports Media.
Helping off Norris carries its own risk. He made 44 of 109 threes last season and can score in the post or pass out of a double-team. Belmont transfer Win Miller gives Acuff another guard who can move the ball; he led Samford with four assists against Berry.
Will Shaver is getting a much bigger job. He spent last season behind Faulkner, averaging 2.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 9.7 minutes. Against Berry, he finished with 17 points, six rebounds and four blocks.
The 6-foot-10, 265-pound Birmingham native played sparingly at North Carolina and UAB before coming to Samford. Acuff was already talking about his improvement in July, crediting his work getting into shape.
“Night and day. Not even the same person,” Acuff said, according to Birmingham Sports Media.
Shaver made three of four threes against Berry after making four of 12 all last season. Four attempts against a Division III opponent cannot establish him as a dependable shooter, but they give the next center a reason to follow him outside.
Following Shaver outside opens room for Campbell-Finch, who made 36 of 60 shots at the rim last season, according to CBB Analytics. Staying near the basket gives Shaver another chance to shoot. Acuff can make use of either decision if the guards keep cutting and Shaver makes the right pass.
Coastal Carolina transfer Braeden MacVicar offers another passing option in the frontcourt. More than 72 percent of the 6-foot-11 forward’s career attempts have come from three, where he has made 32.4 percent. Acuff also recruited him for passing and rim protection; he will need those contributions on nights when the jumper does not fall.
At the other end, Acuff wants the ball kept in front and help near the basket. In that 2024 interview, he emphasized positioning and keeping hands up to avoid fouls, with less reliance on pressure.
After Auburn, he praised his team’s greater physicality and work protecting the paint, according to Birmingham Sports Media. The Tigers attempted only 10 free throws, though they made 12 of 29 threes. Acuff credited them with making difficult perimeter shots.
Shaver showed what his defense can contribute with 8:02 left at Auburn. He blocked Tahaad Pettiford’s layup, collected the rebound and sent Samford back the other way. On the next possession, Norris assisted a Davis three that pulled the Bulldogs within 59-56.
The rebound is the part Samford cannot leave unfinished. When Shaver goes to challenge a guard, someone has to find the player he leaves behind. Otherwise, the Bulldogs can make a shooter miss and still wind up fishing the ball out of the net.
Jacksonville State scored 17 second-chance points in its exhibition against Samford. Auburn collected 12 offensive rebounds and turned its extra opportunities into 22 points. That is a lot to ask a new offense to make up, even with Noard.
He led Samford in both scoring and rebounding at Auburn. Acuff found someone to help replace Booth’s points. His new scorer could use a little more help replacing Faulkner’s rebounds.
