aj clark vs. citadel
Brian McWalters | RoadWin Photos

Men's Basketball

VMI trips to Macon for meeting with Bears

LEXINGTON, Va. – Ready to bounce back from a loss Wednesday night at UNCG, the VMI basketball team continues south to Macon, Georgia, for a second meeting with the Mercer Bears this season Saturday evening.
 
Tip-off is set for a 4:30 p.m. start at Hawkins Arena and will be televised on ESPN+.
 
Broadcast Information
Watch on ESPN+ | Live Stats
 
Quick Hits
* The Keydets are one of the best free-throw shooting teams in the league and rank second in the SoCon at 76.0 percent
* VMI's offense ranks fifth in the SoCon in points per game at 75.6 ppg. On the other end of the court, the Keydets rank third in the league in steals at 8.1 per game
*  Augustinas Kiudulas is fifth in the conference in offensive rebounds at 2.5 per contest and seventh in defensive rebounds at 4.2 per game
* AJ Clark is second in the league in steals per game at 1.9 and sixth overall in blocks at 0.9 per outing. He is also presently seventh in the SoCon in field goal percentage at 57.5 percent
* Rickey Bradley, Jr. ranks second in the SoCon in minutes per game at 33.4
* Tan Yildizoglu directs the offense and averages 4.3 assists per game, third-best in the league
* TJ Johnson ranks fourth in the league in minutes per game at 32.3.

A win over Mercer would ...
-- Improve VMI to 13-14 on the season and mark the Keydets' seventh league win of the year, its most in three years
-- Snap a five-game losing skid to the Bears
-- Be VMI's first win in Macon since 2008 when VMI achieved a 102-99 win on January 1, 2008, before the schools were colleagues in the Southern Conference
-- Be VMI's fifth all-time win against the Bears
 
About Mercer (11-15, 4-9)
After a hot start to the season in non-conference play, the Bears have since cooled off in league action with four conference wins on the season, including a 70-67 victory over the Keydets in the conference opener back on January 4. The Bears enter Saturday's contest with four consecutive league losses to Chattanooga, Samford, Wofford and Furman. The Paladins came out firing Wednesday night to earn a 96-72 win over the Bears in Greenville, South Carolina.
 
Ahmad Robinson leads the Bears with 17.0 points per game followed closely by Tyler Johnson at 16.1 ppg. Alex Holt is also averaging double figures at 11.9 points per outing. Holt is also the top rebounder at 7.0 caroms per contest, while Robinson leads the squad in both assists (133) for the year and steals (54).
 
All-Time Series History vs. Mercer (4-20)
In a series dating back to 2006, Mercer owns a 20-4 all-time series advantage over the Keydets and have won the last five 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: UNCG 80, VMI 54 – Wednesday, Feb. 12 – Greensboro, N.C.
The VMI basketball team kept pace with host UNCG for the opening minutes of the first half, but the Spartans gradually pulled away en route to an 80-54 victory over the Keydets Wednesday night at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.
 
A TJ Johnson three-pointer at the 15:42 mark of the opening half gave VMI an early 12-11 advantage, but the lead was short-lived as the Spartans hit a pair of buckets and three treys by Donovan Atwell and Joryam Saizonou to give UNCG a 24-12 lead at the 11:58 mark of the period.
 
2025 Southern Conference Basketball Championship
The Ingles SoCon Basketball Tournament is coming right up! Reserve your tickets now at www.vmikeydets.com/tickets .
 
The tourney is set for March 7-10 at Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina.
 

 


 
 

 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

AJ Clark

#5 AJ Clark

G
6' 4"
Sophomore
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

AJ Clark

#5 AJ Clark

6' 4"
Sophomore
G
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