This is an opinion column.

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Jermaine Marshall was throwing out celebratory fist bumps to just about everybody in the building following Samford’s 88-62 victory against Western Carolina on Wednesday night.

Teammates, fans, coaches, arena staffers, parents, the guy dressed like Moses in the student section, it didn’t matter. Marshall was dealing hands to everybody on Valentine’s Day. He had love to share after another record-setting victory for the Bulldogs. Samford’s 6-6 shooting guard from nearby Brighton was so excited about another big night at the Pete Hanna Center that he even greeted reporters covering the game with his happy hands.

Yes, even this crusty columnist got a fist bump from Marshall. I’ll take it, too, and maybe drive over to Georgia later in the day to buy a lottery ticket. Marshall can’t miss these days and I’m hoping the magic flowing from Marshall’s fingertips is contagious.

Samford was a really good basketball team while Marshall was injured earlier this season. Now that he’s working his way back into starter’s minutes, this team on fire might mess around and burn down all the nets for the rest of the season and then at the Southern Conference tournament.

Samford, with a 23-3 overall record and 12-1 in the SoCon, was 63 in the NET rankings beginning this week. I was skeptical. My thinking was that a road game against Purdue to begin the season was giving the Bulldogs a Big Ten boost.

After seeing first-hand this team’s furious February energy, I’m hoping Samford gets another shot at No.2 Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. We all know the Boilermakers have a history of getting bounced early and with Marshall in his current form Samford looks like the kind of team that can bust some brackets in March. Samford will tie the program record for wins in a season with its next victory and the Bulldogs still have five games left before the SoCon tournament. The Bulldogs’ next home game is at 6:30 p.m. next Wednesday against rival Furman. That’ll be a big one.

Let me throw out some numbers in the style of Marshall’s post-game fist pounds.

Samford’s silky shooter dropped 16 points in 12 minutes against Western Carolina to extend his scoring tear. He’s been back in action for four games. In that span, Marshall is averaging over 12 points in 10 minutes per game.

When Marshall is on the floor, he’s scoring more than a point per minute. We’re not talking about layups either. Marshall has range and he uses it.

In his last three games, Marshall is 8 of 11 from 3-point range and 15 of 19 from the field. He went 6 of 8 from the floor and 4 of 6 from distance against Western Carolina, which tried everything to hang with Samford but was done after Jaden Campbell splashed back-to-back triples near the beginning of the second half.

It’s not just the points for Marshall, though. It’s how he carries himself on the court. He loves the game and it shows. Samford gains a couple steps when Marshall is on the floor.

“I just feel like me, my personality and how I play, it just brings energy and gets the guys going,” Marshall said.

Samford has the ability to full-court press opponents for an entire game. That’s the essence of Bucky Ball and it’s always a thrill to see it rattle teams late in first and second halves. Against Western Carolina, Samford was still pressing up 24 points with 10 minutes to play. That’s either insane or brilliant. Maybe both.

I asked Marshall what constant pressure does to the spirit of opposing teams.

“They just be gassed,” Marshall said.

McMillan was pleased with Samford’s perimeter defense. Western Carolina was 4 of 18 from 3-point range. That’s going to be a key for Samford in the conference tournament. Furman got hot last season and carried that momentum all the way to March Madness.

“A lot of defense is mental intensity and being dialed in to finding shooters,” McMillan said.

McMillan loves this team. He says it every chance he gets. It starts with Marshall, who is a local talent but at Samford by way of Akron. McMillan and Marshall say they wanted to start something special together on Lakeshore Drive. It’s a great partnership. Marshall used to attend McMillan’s summer camps when McMillan was the coach at Mountain Brook.

Marshall was a raw talent in those days, but McMillan saw the potential.

McMillan wanted Marshall to be a part of Samford’s turnaround. Now Marshall looks like a future pro. McMillan’s recruiting pitch to Marshall?

“We’re going to build something truly unique together and [Marshall] could be the face of our program,” McMillan said.

The face is back but it’s his fists that tell the real story of what’s taking place at Samford.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the signature book about Nick Saban’s reign at Alabama, “We Want Bama”.