Citadel Bulldogs vs VMI Keydets Prediction, 1/17/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Citadel Bulldogs vs VMI Keydets

Date: Saturday, January 17, 2026

Location: Cameron Hall in Lexington, VA

TV: ESPN+

The VMI Keydets (6-11) host the Citadel Bulldogs (4-13) at Cameron Hall on Saturday.

The Citadel Bulldogs took the court against Western Carolina and walked away with a win by a score of 79-77 in their last contest. In relation to personal fouls, the Bulldogs finished with 14 while Western Carolina accumulated 22 personal fouls. They also made 9 out of their 30 attempts from three-point range. Western Carolina finished the game at 62.5% at the free throw line by burying 10 of 16 attempts. Moreover, Western Carolina collected 30 rebounds (11 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Western Carolina totaled 12 assists and had 8 steals for this game. In terms of the defense, Citadel let their opponent shoot 42.6% from the field on 29 of 68 shooting. They also doled out 9 assists as well as forcing 7 turnovers, but wasn't able to record a steal. Pertaining to pulling down rebounds, they earned 38 with 11 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Bulldogs made 23 of their 28 attempts for a rate of 82.1%. Citadel wrapped up the contest having earned a 41.4% FG percentage (24 out of 58) and converted 8 out of their 28 shots from downtown.

Carter Kingsbury is a player who played a role in this game. He accounted for 22 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He played 36 minutes and also totaled 6 rebounds. He ended up going 58.3% from the floor and recorded 2 assists.

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Citadel heads into this matchup with a record of 4-13 so far this year. They turn it over 11.2 times per contest and as a unit are committing 16.2 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Citadel is grabbing 33.7 boards per contest and has accounted for 211 dimes on the year, which has them ranked 316th in college in terms of passing. The Bulldogs are shooting 32.5% on shots from 3-point land (160 of 492) and 68.5% from the free throw line. They average 70.1 points per outing (311th in the country) while going 42.6% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bulldogs are forcing 9.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 14.9 personal fouls. They are surrendering 37.2% on 3-point shots and they rank 305th in D-1 in points per game allowed (78.4). The Bulldogs defensively are allowing an opponent FG percentage of 48.4% (473 of 978) and they relinquish 34.7 boards per contest as a team. They are currently ranked 232nd in Division 1 in allowing assists to their opponents with 244 surrendered for the year.

When they last played, the VMI Keydets took a loss by a final score of 69-48 when they played Furman. When it comes to cleaning up the glass, VMI permitted Furman to collect 43 in total (15 offensive). They finished 33.3% from beyond the perimeter by going 11 out of 33 and ended up shooting 10 of 18 at the free throw line (55.6%). The Keydets permitted Furman to knock down 24 out of 56 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 42.9% in this game. Overall, the Keydets finished the game shooting 15 for 56 from the field which gave them a percentage of 26.8%. Concerning three-point attempts, VMI made 9 of their 31 tries (29.0%). They were able to bury 9 of the free throws for a percentage of 69.2%. Furman had 15 personal fouls for this contest which got the Keydets to the charity stripe for a total of 13 shots. They coughed up the ball 12 times, while getting 16 steals for the game. The Keydets recorded 16 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 27 for the contest.

TJ Johnson ended up being a factor for the Keydets for the matchup. He scored 15 points in his 38 minutes on the court and had 2 assists in the game. He made 4 of 12 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 33.3%, and earned 4 rebounds.

VMI has a win-loss mark of 6-11 on the season. The Keydets are responsible for committing 16.9 fouls every game and they hit 72.0% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 12.8 times per contest (284th in the nation) and they are giving up possession 10.8 times per contest. VMI has scored 1,267 points for the campaign (74.5 per game) and they pull in 36.7 boards per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Keydets are connecting on 40.1% from the floor, which ranks 351st in the nation.

The Keydets are ranked 247th in D-1 in points given up per game with 75.9. They are forcing 12.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 44.1% from the field (207th in D-1). The VMI defense surrenders 33.9% on 3-point shots (146 of 431) and their opponents are converting on 70.1% of their free throw attempts. They have surrendered 17.1 dimes and 40.1 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 349th and 356th in Division 1.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take VMI

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