Samford vs VMI 2/17/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The VMI Keydets will travel to the Pete Hanna Center to take on the Samford Bulldogs this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The VMI Keydets had their 4-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 15-11 on the season after being defeated by The Citadel Bulldogs, 83-79, this past Saturday. VMI struggled defensively against The Citadel and could not fight all the way back after the Bulldogs took a 57-38 lead with 14:19 left in regulation. VMI shot 42.3% from the field & 36.1% from beyond the arc while allowing The Citadel to shoot 45.9% from the field & 53.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Keydets was Jake Stephens who had a double-double with 21 points, 17 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks, & 1 steal.

On the season, VMI is averaging 79.3 ppg on 46.4% shooting from the field. The Keydets are averaging 12.5 three-pointers per game on 38.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, VMI has been led by Jake Stephens (19.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.1 bpg), Kamdyn Curfman (16.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.5 apg), Trey Bonham (11.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.3 spg), & Sean Conway (8.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.6 apg).

Defensively, VMI is allowing their opponents to average 72.1 ppg on 39.9% shooting from the field. The Keydets have a rebound margin of 0.9 and a turnover margin of -1.3.

The Samford Bulldogs won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 16-9 on the season after defeating the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, 77-73, this past Saturday. Samford was solid on the offensive end against East Tennessee State and was able to pull away late after a Ques Glover jumper gave Samford a 74-71 lead with 1:03 left in regulation. Samford shot 54.2% from the field & 35.0% from beyond the arc while allowing East Tennessee State to shoot 44.9% from the field & 31.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Ques Glover who had 23 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Samford is averaging 75.4 ppg on 44.1% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 8.9 three-pointers per game on 32.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Samford has been led by Ques Glover (18.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.3 spg), Jermaine Marshall (12.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.2 spg), Logan Dye (12.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg), & Jaden Campbell (10.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.6 spg).

Defensively, Samford is allowing their opponents to average 74.4 ppg on 44.9% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 1.8 and a turnover margin of 0.8.

The Keydets are 12-5-1 ATS in their last 18 games, however, are just 3-12 ATS in their last 15 Thursday road games. The Bulldogs are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games & 3-1 ATS in their last 4 home games.

VMI is a talented team that can really do damage from beyond the arc (1^st in three-pointers made per game; 18^th in 3P-FG%), however, this is still a team that is just 5-7 on the road and can struggle winning the turnover battle as the Keydets rank just 270^th in turnover margin. Samford lost to VMI by a 99-80 margin earlier this season, however, the Bulldogs have been great as of late, winning 5 of their last 6 games, and as I think their offense, which ranks 74^th in scoring offense & 49^th in three-pointers made per game, will have success on their home court, I’m taking Samford to cover this small spread. Good Luck!