Mercer Bears vs VMI Keydets Prediction, 1/15/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Mercer Bears vs VMI Keydets

Date: Thursday, January 15, 2026

Location: Cameron Hall in Lexington, VA

TV: ESPN+

The Mercer Bears (10-7) are on their way to Cameron Hall on Thursday where they will play the VMI Keydets (6-11).

The Mercer Bears took the court against Wofford and went home with a win by a final score of 109-97 in their last game. Mercer finished the contest with a 63.6% field goal percentage (35 out of 55) and converted 12 of 19 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Bears made 27 of their 31 attempts for a rate of 87.1%. In terms of rebounding, they compiled 33 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 23 assists for the contest in addition to creating 12 turnovers and getting 7 steals. When discussing the defense, Mercer let their opponent shoot 47.1% from the field on 32 of 68 shooting. Wofford earned 15 assists and had 8 steals in the matchup. On top of that, Wofford totaled 28 rebounds (12 offensive, 16 defensive), but didn't have a block. Wofford finished the game at 77.3% at the free throw line by knocking down 17 of their 22 attempts. They also buried 16 out of their 32 tries from distance. In reference to personal fouls, the Bears walked away with 20 while Wofford finished the game with 24 personal fouls.

Baraka Okojie is a guy who was a major contributor in this contest. He finished the game at 53.8% from the field and also dished out 12 assists. He was on the court for 37 minutes and also pulled down 3 boards. He ended up finishing with 29 points on 7 of 13 shooting.

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Mercer will play this contest with a win-loss mark of 10-7 for the year. They are averaging 84.8 pts per contest (52nd in D-1) while shooting 46.4% from the floor. The Bears are hitting 35.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (164 of 469) and 72.7% from the charity stripe. As a team, Mercer is collecting 38.7 boards per game and has totaled 259 dimes for the season, which has them ranked 124th in the country in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 10.9 times per game and as a group are committing 15.8 fouls every game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bears have forced 14.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.6 fouls. They are 149th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 218 relinquished on the season. The Bears defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 42.0% (456 of 1,085) and they surrender 38.8 rebounds per game as a unit. They are surrendering 32.5% from 3-point land and they are 208th in the nation in points per game allowed (74.5).

The last time they took the court, the VMI Keydets took a defeat with a final score of 69-48 when they faced Furman. In the matter of rebounding, VMI permitted Furman to pull down 43 in total (15 on the offensive glass). They finished the game shooting 33.3% from beyond the perimeter by going 11 out of 33 and ended up going 10 out of 18 from the free throw line (55.6%). The Keydets allowed Furman to knock down 24 of 56 tries from the floor which had them at 42.9% for the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Keydets finished the game shooting 15 out of 56 from the floor which had them shooting 26.8%. In the matter of shooting from 3-point land, VMI converted 9 of their 31 tries (29.0%). They were able to convert 9 of them for a rate of 69.2%. Furman committed 15 personal fouls in the matchup which took the Keydets to the charity stripe for 13 tries. They also turned it over 12 times, while earning 16 steals in this game. The Keydets were able to snag 16 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 for the contest.

TJ Johnson was important for the Keydets in this contest. He made 4 of 12 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 33.3%, and had 4 rebounds. He earned 15 points in his 38 mins of playing time and added 2 assists for the contest.

VMI has a record of 6-11 on the year. The Keydets have committed 16.9 fouls per game and they go 72.0% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 12.8 times per game (284th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 10.8 times per game. VMI has scored 1,267 points this season (74.5 per game) and they collect 36.7 rebounds per contest. On the offensive side of the court, the Keydets are shooting 40.1% from the floor, which is 350th in the nation.

The Keydets on the defensive side of the court are 249th in the country in points given up per game with 75.9. They are forcing 12.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 44.1% from the floor (209th in college). The VMI defense gives up 33.9% on shots from distance (146 of 431) and opponents are making 70.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 17.1 assists and 40.1 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 348th and 355th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take VMI

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