The Samford Bulldogs (10-4, 0-1 SoCon) welcome the VMI Keydets (6-7, 0-1 SoCon) to Pete Hanna Center. The Bulldogs look to extend their five-game winning streak. The game starts at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 29, 2018, and will air on ESPN 3.
VMI Keydets at Samford Bulldogs Betting Odds
Both teams were victorious in their last game. The Bulldogs defeated the North Alabama Lions 91-74, while the Keydets easily got past the Washington College Shoremen 89-56.
VMI dominated nearly every stat category in the game. They had a free throw rate of 0.235 and an effective field goal percentage of 0.537. Washington College recorded marks of 0.081 and 0.338, respectively, for those same stats. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, had a much better effective field goal percentage (0.664 vs. 0.431) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (32.0 vs. 25.5). Ruben Guerrero played a pivotal role for Samford with 17 points and six rebounds. VMI, meanwhile, received a boost from Greg Parham, who finished with 11 points and 10 assists.
The Bulldogs dominated this series last year, taking both games. In the most recent contest, Samford won 89-82. Samford’s 0.556 effective field goal percentage was its largest strength over VMI, who had a mark of 0.435. This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams.
The Keydets’ Bubba Parham has been playing at a high level over his last five games, averaging 0 points per game. Meanwhile, Guerrero has averaged 0 points during that same time frame for the Bulldogs.
The elite offense of Samford will face off against the mid-tier defense of VMI. The Bulldogs rank 84th in effective field goal percentage (0.531), while the Keydets are 194th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.501). The Bulldogs should have the advantage on that side of the ball.
VMI Keydets vs. Samford Bulldogs Pick
College Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Samford, ATS Winner – VMI, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- VMI ranks 13th in three pointers attempted per game (28.9) while Samford ranks 227th (19.2).
- The Keydets average 6.9 steals per game, which ranks 80th in the country. The Bulldogs rank 123rd in steals allowed per game (6.8).
- Samford averages 13.0 assists per game, which ranks 137th in the country. VMI ranks 176th in assists allowed per game (14.8).
- The Bulldogs rank 81st in rebounds per game (37.5) while the Keydets rank 228th in rebounds allowed per game (39.8).
- Samford ranks 28th in blocks allowed per game (2.5) while VMI ranks 92nd (3.6).
Bettings Trends:
- The Keydets’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 10.8, up from 0.5 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Bulldogs have scored an average of 79.2 points per game (2.5 above their season average) and allowed an average of 64.6 points per game (5.0 below their season average).
