ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The VMI basketball team will begin play in the 2020 Southern Conference Basketball Championship presented by General Shale Friday in the opening round against the Samford Bulldogs – a team that the Keydets had faced just six days before in Birmingham, Alabama. The #9 Keydets and #8 Bulldogs will tip-off at 5 p.m. at the Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C. and it will be the third time over the last five years the teams have squared off in the opening round of the event. The winner of Friday's game will advance to take on top-seeded ETSU Saturday at noon. VMI will be looking to advance to quarterfinal round action for the second consecutive year after defeating Western Carolina in opening round action last year – its first SoCon tourney win since rejoining the league in the 2014-15 season. Friday's game will be carried on ESPN+.
 
Last Time Out: Samford 84, VMI 78 - February 29, 2020 - Birmingham, Ala.
The Sanford Bulldogs scored the final six points over the last 1:15 of regulation to defeat the VMI Keydets 84-78 Saturday afternoon in Southern Conference basketball action at Pete Hanna Center. It was the regular season finale for both teams. Sophomore forward Robert Allen scored 23 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the Bulldogs (10-22, 4-14) while SoCon leading scorer Josh Sharkey tossed in 20 points and handed out seven assists to help secure a Senior Day win.  The Keydets (8-23, 3-15) placed six in double figures scoring for the second time this season and first since Jan. 8 and were led by freshman guard KamdynKurfman with 16 points including four three-pointers with all scoring in the second half. Also in VMI double figures scoring were Greg Parham (13 points, 8 rebounds)  Jake Stephens (12 points) Travis Evee and Sean Conway each with 11 points, and Myles Lewis with 10 points. Samford dominated the boards 47-39 including 18 on the offensive glass - 15 of which came in the second half. The Bulldogs also converted 20 of 26 free throws while VMI was just 1-of-3 from the line. Samford led 71-61 with 7:30 remaining in the contest before VMI ripped off 12 unanswered points behind a three-point barrage to grab a 73-71 lead with 5:57 left. Kurfman drilled three of the long shots while Conway added another during the run. Sharkey converted a three-point play in the next possession to put the Bulldogs ahead 74-73, but the Keydets were able to retake the lead the rest of the way and were hampered by five subsequent turnovers including two in the final :23 of regulation. The Bulldogs hit four of six free throws over that span to put the game away. The game saw 12 lead changes and ten ties during regulation. VMI blocked a season-high seven shots.
 
A win over Samford would:
--- Be VMI's first win over Samford since January 21, 2016 (83-76). 
--- Give VMI its second consecutive opening round win in the SoCon tournament.
 
Series History
VMI vs. Samford
This will be 17th meeting between the schools that first met in 1967. Samford leads the series 14-2 and has taken the last 11 in the rivalry. VMI's last win in the series came on January 21, 2016 (83-76). 
 
Evee Named SoCon Freshman of the Year
Freshman guard Travis Evee was named 2019-20 SoCon Freshman of the Year Wednesday by both the league coaches and league media. He becomes the second Keydet in the last three seasons to have earned the honor after Bubba Parham was tabbed FOTY by the media in 2017-18. Evee also was tabbed to the all-freshman teams for both coaches and media squads.   
Evee currently leads the team in scoring with a 12.6 PPG average and posted his seventh 20-point+ game this year after scoring 25 points at Western Carolina Feb. 19. The freshman has nailed six treys in four separate games this season. Evee entered the starting lineup in December and closed out the month averaging 21.2 points and leading VMI in scoring all five December games. Evee fired in 20 points to lead all scorers against Virginia Tech Dec. 21 and tallied all of his points in the second half while matching a career-high six three-pointers against the Hokies. He also scored a career-high 26 points in the Dec. 4th 71-58 loss at Duquesne after first reaching the 20-point mark against Presbyterian Nov. 11.
 
Conway Provides Bench Boost
Freshman guard Sean Conway has stepped up VMI's bench scoring in double figures in four of the last five games. Over the last three games, Conway is averaging 13.0 points while shooting 15-of-25 from the floor (60%) and 8-of-16 (50%) from three-point range.