The VMI basketball team returns home to face the ETSU Bucs Saturday afternoon at Cameron Hall. Tip-off will be 1 pm and it will be Faculty & Staff Appreciation Day with ½ off the entire ticket purchase with a valid VMI ID. The Keydets and Bucs will be meeting for the second time this season after ETSU took a 61-55 decision in Johnson City, Tennessee on January 11. VMI has three remaining home games left with Saturday's game followed by UNCG (Feb. 22) and Chattanooga (Feb. 26). ETSU enters this weekend with a four-game win streak after topping The Citadel 91-67 Wednesday night in Johnson City. VMI will look to rebound after falling 86-67 at Chattanooga Wednesday night. The VMI-ETSU game will be carried on ESPN3.
 
Last Time Out: Chattanooga 86, VMI 67 - Feb. 12, 2020 - Chattanooga, Tenn.
Junior forward Ramon Vila scored 23 points to lead Chattanooga to an 86-67 win over VMI in Southern Conference basketball action Wednesday night at McKenzie Arena. Vila hit 9-of-10 shots from the floor and converted 5-of-6 from the line to extend his double figures scoring streak to 10 straight games. The Keydets placed three in double figures scoring and were led by freshman guard Kamdyn Curfman with 13 points. Sophomore guard Connor Arnold dropped in 11 second half points that included a trio of threes while freshman guard Travis Evee chipped in 10 points. Chattanooga led for nearly 38 minutes of the contest and was nearly flawless at the free throw line draining 23 of 24 attempts while controlling the glass with a 39-25 advantage in rebounding. VMI trailed by just a 30-26 count with over three minutes left in the first half before the Mocs closed out the period with a 9-0 burst to take a 13-point lead at the break. UTC outrebounded VMI 22-11 in the opponent half which included seven offensive rebounds that led to 11 second chance points. The Keydets responded by opening the second half with six straight points and trimmed the deficit to 39-32 following a Curfman layup with 17:39 left. The Mocs then embarked on a 21-5 run over the next 6:49 of regulation to break the game open and took their biggest lead of 23 points (76-53) with 4:45 remaining. Joining Vila in double figures scoring were graduate transfer guard Matt Ryan (17 points), guard David Jean-Baptiste (11 points) and forward Stefan Kenic (10 points). VMI was 11-of-29 from beyond the arc for their 13th game of 10+ three-pointers this season.
 
Last Meeting with the Bucs: ETSU 61, VMI 55 - Jan. 11, 2020- Johnson City, Tenn.
Down by just four points in the final minute of the game, the VMI basketball team rallied from down 14 points earlier in the second half but ultimately fell in the final moments as host ETSU escaped with a 61-55 win over the Keydets. ETSU converted 20 of 31 free throws during the game, including six of eight over the last 38 seconds of regulation, to hold off the Keydets for the win. ETSU led 35-21, its largest lead of the game with 17:50 left before the Keydets rallied with a 9-2 run to trim the deficit to 37-30 following a pair of Travis Evee free throws at 13:26. The Bucs were able to push their lead back to double digits before freshman guard Kamdyn Curfman drained his first points with three consecutive treys to draw VMI within 47-39 with 8:46 left. The Bucs started both halves on 9-0 runs only to see the Keydets respond both times. ETSU placed four in double figures and was led by guard Patrick Good with 12 points while Vonnie Patterson and Lucas N'Guessan each scored 11 for the hosts. Evee led VMI with 13 points and five rebounds while Greg Parham hit double figures with 12 points. Garrett Gilkeson led the Keydets on the boards with 10 as VMI outrebounded its foe, 37-33.
 
A win over ETSU would:
--- End a nine-game skid against the Bucs
--- Give VMI its third SoCon win of the year
 
SERIES HISTORY
VMI vs. ETSU
This will be the 65th meeting between the teams that first met in 1953. ETSU leads the series, 50-14, and has taken the last nine meetings including a 94-70 in decision in Lexington last year and 61-55 win in Johnson City on January 11 of this year.
 
THREE-BALL REPORT
VMI continued to drain three-point shots at a high rate by pouring in double figures beyond the arc in the last two games. The Keydets hit 11 threes against Chattanooga Feb. 12 after knocking in 13 against The Citadel on February 8. The Keydets are third in the nation in 3-pointers made per game with a 10.7 listing. VMI also hit 16 shots from beyond the arc in the January 4 game against Samford for their most against a Division I opponent this season. VMI has hit 10+ threes in 13 total games this season.
 
ARNOLD SETS SEASON-HIGH
Sophomore guard Connor Arnold reached double figures scoring at Chattanooga in his first appearance in a game since Dec. 11. The Knoxville, Tennessee native hit 3-of-4 shots from beyond the arc and scored a season-high 11 points against the Mocs.
 
CURFMAN BACK IN DOUBLE FIGURES
Freshman guard Kamdyn Curfman reached double-figures scoring for the first time since January 8 when he connecting on 5-of-9 shooting including three 3-point baskets and finished with 13 points.