coach wilson vs. queens
Paul Bouis | Cate Wilson

Men's Basketball

VMI takes on Mercer in SoCon home opener

LEXINGTON, Va. – The VMI basketball team looks to bounce back following a loss at ETSU on New Year's Day as the Keydets face Mercer in their SoCon home opener Saturday afternoon.
 
Tip-off will occur at 4:30 p.m. instead of the normal 1 p.m. slot for TV reasons as the game has been selected as the SoCon Nexstar Game of the Week.
 
Broadcast Information
VMI vs. Mercer - Saturday, Jan. 4 – 4:30 p.m.         Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Program
 
Game Promotion
To ring in the new year, fans can receive General Admission tickets for just $20.25 to be able to sit in the red seats generally reserved for the Corps of Cadets.
 
 
Quick Hits
* The Keydets are coming off an 84-69 loss on the road at ETSU on Wednesday afternoon, a game which the Keydets fought back to tie it up at 38-all at halftime but could not sustain the momentum as the Bucs pulled away in the second half to open conference play with a win
* The Keydets are one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the league and rank second in the SoCon at 74.4 percent
* The Keydets run a high-scoring offense that ranks fourth in the SoCon in PPG at 79.1 points per contest and fifth in assists per game at 15.7. On the other end of the court, the Keydets cause turnovers and rank third in the league in steals at 8.5 per game.
* Tan Yildizoglu is the key distributor and averages 4.8 assists per game, third-best in the league
* TJ Johnson ranks fourth in the league in minutes per game at 31.5. One of VMI's top defenders, he is averaging 1.7 steals per game to rank fourth in the league.
*  Augustinas Kiudulas returned from injury this week and ranks fifth in the league in offensive rebounds per game at 2.3 and sixth in defensive rebounds per outing at 4.3
* Rickey Bradley, Jr. ranks fifth in the SoCon in assists per game at 3.9 and eighth in the SoCon in minutes per game at 30.0.
 
A win over Mercer would ...
-- Improve VMI to 7-8 on the season and mark the Keydets' first league win of the season 
-- Snap a four-game losing skid versus Mercer
-- Be VMI's fifth all-time victory against the Bears dating back to 2006
 
About Mercer (8-6, 1-0)
The Bears are off to a good start to the 2024-25 season and have earned eight wins thus far, including a 99-94 overtime win over Chattanooga to open league play Wednesday at home.  Other notable wins this year include victories over Georgia State, Stetson and Jacksonville while taking close losses to Queens, Winthrop, Miami (Ohio) and SEC foe South Carolina.
 
Tyler Johnson leads the Bears at 16.7 ppg and followed closely by teammate Ahmad Robinson, who is averaging 16.6 ppg. Alex Holt (12.1) and Angel Montas (10.5) are also averaging double figures in scoring on the season. As a team, the Bears have one of the highest-powered offenses in the league averaging 83.8 ppg.
 
All-Time Series History vs. Mercer (4-19)
In a series dating back to 2006, Mercer owns a 19-4 all-time series advantage over the Keydets and have won the last four contests. The Keydets last earned a victory over the Bears on February 10, 2022, an 85-79 victory at Cameron Hall. All but two of the contests have been played as joint members of the Southern Conference since the 2014-15 season.
 
Last Time Out: ETSU 84, VMI 69 – Wednesday, Jan. 1 – Johnson City, Tenn.
The VMI basketball team rallied to tie the score at 38 apiece with host ETSU but could not sustain the momentum as the Bucs earned an 84-69 win over the Keydets Wednesday afternoon at Freedom Hall in the Southern Conference opener for both schools.
 
ETSU's Jaden Seymour led the Bucs with his first career triple double and only the third in school history as he totaled 18 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the win.

VMI's first-half rally was fueled by four treys over the six minutes, including two from freshman Linus Holmstrom, one by TJ Johnson and another by Augustinas Kiudulas.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Rickey Bradley, Jr.

#1 Rickey Bradley, Jr.

G
6' 2"
Junior
Augustinas Kiudulas

#11 Augustinas Kiudulas

F
6' 8"
Sophomore
Tan Yildizoglu

#30 Tan Yildizoglu

G
6' 4"
Sophomore
TJ Johnson

#44 TJ Johnson

F
6' 6"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Rickey Bradley, Jr.

#1 Rickey Bradley, Jr.

6' 2"
Junior
G
Augustinas Kiudulas

#11 Augustinas Kiudulas

6' 8"
Sophomore
F
Tan Yildizoglu

#30 Tan Yildizoglu

6' 4"
Sophomore
G
TJ Johnson

#44 TJ Johnson

6' 6"
Sophomore
F