GAME NOTES -- SAMFORD vs. VMI (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford men's basketball team continues play in the Southern Conference on Thursday night in the Pete Hanna Center as they host VMI at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs enter the game with a 12-3 record overall and a 2-0 start in SoCon play while the Keydets have a 6-9 record on the season and are off to a 0-2 start in league play.

The Samford Bulldogs are coming off an 88-69 victory at Western Carolina on Jan. 4. The Dogs sit atop the Southern Conference with a 2-0 league record alongside Mercer and UNCG. Samford is taking on VMI for the 25th time in program history and carries a 19-5 record with Samford winning the last five meetings.

The Bulldogs have been on a roll at home, winning 26 straight home games at the Pete Hanna Center. They currently sit fourth in the nation with that win streak, only behind Houston, UConn, and Iowa State. Trey Fort has been on a roll offensively, scoring in double digits in seven straight games while Jaden Brownell exploded in the second half offensively against the Catamounts, finishing with 23 points in just 18 minutes.

Samford is one of the top three-points shooting teams in the nation at 12.0 three-pointers made per game, ranked third in the country. The Dogs are fourth in the nation in offense, scoring 88.7 points per game, and are one of the best passing sides, averaging 18.6 assists per game which is 9th in the nation. Point guard Rylan Jones runs the show for the Bulldogs and is top-15 in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.3. Defensively, Samford is forcing 17.8 turnovers per game which is third-best in the country.

VMI enters the game with a 6-9 record overall and is 0-2 in SoCon play. The Keydets are coming off a 70-67 defeat against Mercer in their last contest and haven't defeated Samford since the 2021-22 season. Head coach Andrew Wilson is in his third season at VMI. The Keydets were picked 10th in the SoCon Preseason Poll and are led offensively by three players who all average 14 ppg on the season, Augustinas Kiudulas, Rickey Bradley Jr., and TJ Johnson.

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For the latest news and information on Samford men's basketball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at /SamfordSports (Facebook), @SamfordMBB (Twitter), and @SamfordMBB (Instagram).