watkins at wofford
Mark Olencki

Men's Basketball

VMI hits road for SoCon games at Chattanooga, Samford

LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI basketball team hits the road this week to face Southern Conference foes Chattanooga and Samford to continue league play.
 
Broadcast Information
VMI at Chattanooga – Thursday, Jan. 11 – 7 pm                    Watch on ESPN+  |  Live Stats
VMI at Samford – Saturday, Jan. 13 – 6 pm                            Watch on ESPN+  |  Live Stats
 
VMI vs. Chattanooga
All-Time Series: 16-50
Thursday's game marks the 57th all-time meeting between the programs. VMI looks to snap a three-game losing streak to the Mocs as Chattanooga won both contests during the 2022-23 regular season as well as the opening round game of the SoCon Tournament, a 72-92 loss for VMI. The Keydets last tasted victory over UTC on Feb. 19, 2022, an 80-75 win at home.
 
VMI vs. Samford
All-Time Series: 5-18
Saturday's game marks the 24th all-time meeting between VMI and Samford. The Keydets look to pick up their sixth all-time win versus the Bulldogs, with VMI last claiming victory on Jan. 20, 2022 in a 99-80 win at home. Samford won both contests during the 2022-23 regular season.
 
QUICK HITS
* The Keydets are coming off an 86-64 loss to Mercer in VMI's SoCon home opener last Saturday
* VMI is the top rebounding team in the Southern Conference, ranking first in rebounds per game (40.3),
second in defensive (29.4) and sixth in offensive boards per game (10.9). VMI is fourth in rebounding margin at 4.2
* Taeshaud Jackson II is the primary force in rebounding, averaging 10.2 per game for second most in the SoCon
* Freshman Stephen Olowoniyi is second on the team in rebounding with 6.1 per game, 10th best in the league
* Junior Brennan Watkins ranks first in the league in free-throw shooting at .927 (38/41) from the charity stripe. He also
ranks seventh in field goal percentage (.430), eighth in scoring (15.3) and three-pointers per game (2.4) and 10th in assists at 3.2 per outing.
 
A WIN OVER CHATTANOOGA WOULD ...
--- Be VMI's 17th win against the Mocs in the all-time series and snap a three-game skid to UTC
--- Be VMI's first SoCon victory of the season
--- Be VMI's fourth win of the season and first Division I victory of the year
 
A WIN OVER SAMFORD WOULD ...
--- Be VMI's sixth win against the Bulldogs and snap a three-game skid in the all-time series
 
LAST TIME vs. CHATTANOOGA - Mar. 3, 2023 - Chattanooga 92, VMI 72 - Asheville, N.C.
   Down 43-24 at the half, the VMI basketball team pulled within 13 points with seven minutes remaining in the game but could not get closer as No. 7 Chattanooga defeated No. 10 VMI in the opening round of the 2023 SoCon Tournament by a 92-72 score at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
    The highlight for the Keydets came early in the opening half when senior Sean Conway converted his first free throw of the game to earn his 1,000th career point at VMI. By hitting the benchmark, he became the 45th Keydet in program history to attain the milestone. He ended the game with seven points, finishing a stellar VMI career with 1,006 points over the past four seasons.
 
LAST TIME vs. SAMFORD - Feb. 18, 2023 - Samford 96, VMI 61 - Lexington, Va.
   Starting five freshmen - the first Division I team to do so in the 2022-23 campaign - the young VMI basketball team fell by a 96-61 score to visiting SoCon leader Samford on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023 in Lexington.
   VMI (6-23, 1-15) played without the services of senior captain Sean Conway, who went down with an injury in Wednesday night's contest with Chattanooga.
   The Bulldogs (20-9, 14-2), revealed it offensive prowess by converting a blistering 60 percent of its three-point attempts by knocking down 21 of 35 from beyond the arc.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Sean Conway

#30 Sean Conway

G
6' 5"
Senior
Brennan Watkins

#1 Brennan Watkins

G
5' 11"
Sophomore
Taeshaud Jackson II

#2 Taeshaud Jackson II

G
6' 4"
Freshman
Stephen Olowoniyi

#10 Stephen Olowoniyi

F
6' 8"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Sean Conway

#30 Sean Conway

6' 5"
Senior
G
Brennan Watkins

#1 Brennan Watkins

5' 11"
Sophomore
G
Taeshaud Jackson II

#2 Taeshaud Jackson II

6' 4"
Freshman
G
Stephen Olowoniyi

#10 Stephen Olowoniyi

6' 8"
Freshman
F