Jermaine Marshall, the Samford Bulldogs forward, made a very bold statement ahead of his team’s first-round NCAA Tournament game against the highly-regarded Kansas Jayhawks.

Speaking to reporters, Marshall expressed extreme confidence that the No. 12 seed Bulldogs would defeat the No. 4 seed Jayhawks, suggesting a win would not even be a surprise to his team.

Marshall’s words were direct and unapologetic when discussing the highly anticipated matchup:

“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.”

He added a challenge to those filling out tournament brackets:

“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.”

Marshall also expressed the belief that his team is just as good as anyone they face:

“We don’t think that anybody’s better than us,” he said. “We feel like every time we’re on the court, we’re supposed to win.”

Samford plays a fast, high-pressure style of basketball nicknamed “Bucky Ball,” after their coach Bucky McMillan. They are one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation averaging about 86 points per game.

Samford is seeking its first-ever win in the NCAA Tournament in program history and Marshall’s strong comments have added serious buzz to this David vs. Goliath matchup.