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The Virginia Military Institute Keydets will play host to the East Tennessee State Buccaneers on Saturday. Both schools are 5-9, and they both compete in the Southern Conference, and last year we were treated to two entertaining contests between these two. ETSU defeated Watford last time out, which is their only conference game played thus far. For VMI, they previously fell to Furman, which is their only conference game, and now the Keydets have dropped three in a row, but they'll return home where they're a perfect 5-0 on the year.
East Tennessee State Buccaneers vs. Virginia Military Institute Keydets Betting Odds
Odds Courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook
East Tennessee State Buccaneers vs. Virginia Military Institute Keydets Match Details
Fixture: East Tennessee State Buccaneers @ Virginia Military Institute Keydets
Date & Time: Saturday, December 31, 1:00 p.m. EDT
Venue: Cameron Hall
East Tennessee State Buccaneers vs. Virginia Military Institute Keydets Key Stats
ETSU's leading scorer is Jordan King, who is up at 13.3 points per game after averaging 14.6 last season. Jalen Haynes is averaging 12.9 points, and his 5.5 rebounds per game are the third-most on the team behind Jaden Seymour's 7.8 and Josh Taylor's 5.8. The Buccaneers are very average offensively, but they're only converting 31.4% of their threes. Despite their struggles from deep, they've been pretty effective within the arc, which makes up for their three-point woes. On the year, the Buccaneers have had a light schedule, but they're just 1-4 on the road entering today's contest.
VMI has been above average on offense, scoring 107.5 points per 100 possessions. Guards Sean Conway (15.2 PPG) and Asher Woods (14.7) are big parts of the Keydets' offense, and this is a team that loves to let it fly from deep. VMI shoots 39.1% from downtown, which is the 20th-best mark in the country. They also attempt just under 28 triples per game, and Conway alone accounts for 2.7 made threes on a 46.3% clip. Defensively, the Keydets have had issues which explains their 5-9 record, as they're allowing 106.9 points per 100 possessions. Today, VMI will need to get stops consistently to avoid their fourth straight defeat.
East Tennessee State Buccaneers vs. Virginia Military Institute Keydets Betting Prediction
VMI is 5-0 at home, but only two of these contests have come against D1 schools. They have won and covered both of those contests, though, and they did win and cover versus ETSU in the previous meeting back in January. As poor as VMI's defense has been at times, their ability to get buckets should be just enough to cover today on their home floor.
Prediction: VMI +4.5 (-110)
