VMI Keydets vs East Tennessee State Buccaneers Prediction, 1/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: VMI Keydets vs East Tennessee State Buccaneers

Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2026

Location: Freedom Hall in Johnson City, TN

TV: ESPN+

The VMI Keydets (6-9) are on their way to Freedom Hall on Wednesday where they will try to beat the East Tennessee State Buccaneers (10-5).

The VMI Keydets faced off with Chattanooga and took home the win by a score of 79-71 in their last contest. In reference to fouls, the Keydets finished with 16 and Chattanooga accumulated 22 fouls. They knocked down 7 of their 24 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Chattanooga shot 83.3% from the free throw line by knocking down 20 of 24 attempts. Additionally, Chattanooga snagged 29 boards (6 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Chattanooga recorded 13 dimes and had 8 steals for the game. Regarding defense, VMI allowed the other team to shoot 40.7% from the field on 22 of 54 shooting. They also recorded 13 assists for the matchup as well as forcing 12 turnovers and earning 6 steals. Concerning getting rebounds, they earned a total of 38 with 12 of them being of the offensive variety. At the free throw line, the Keydets knocked down 21 of their 29 attempts for a rate of 72.4%. VMI wrapped up the game having earned a 43.6% field goal percentage (24 of 55) and buried 10 out of their 33 shots from beyond the arc.

Tan Yildizoglu is one guy who came through for the game. He ended up shooting 58.3% from the floor and distributed 6 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 34 mins played and also pulled down 4 rebounds. He ended up scoring 22 points on 7 out of 12 shooting.

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VMI will enter this matchup with a record of 6-9 this year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.7 times per contest and as a group they commit 17.5 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, VMI is pulling down 37.5 rebounds per contest and has tallied 200 assists for the year, which has them ranked 253rd in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. The Keydets are shooting 32.7% on shots from distance (167 of 510) and 72.9% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 76.8 points per game (198th in D-1) while shooting 41.0% from the field.

Defensively, the Keydets are forcing their opponents into 12.5 turnovers every game while drawing 16.3 personal fouls. They are ranked 342nd in Division 1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 259 surrendered on the year. The Keydets defensively are giving up a field goal percentage of 43.5% (402 of 924) and they surrender 39.9 boards per contest as a team. They relinquish 33.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 251st in the nation in PPG allowed (76.0).

When they last stepped on the court, the East Tennessee State Buccaneers walked away with a victory by a final of 77-71 against Mercer. The Buccaneers were able to corral 22 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds for a total of 34 in this game. They turned it over 12 times, while getting 8 steals for the matchup. Mercer was called for 20 personal fouls for the matchup which got the Buccaneers to the free throw line for a total of 27 tries. They were able to convert 23 of them for a rate of 85.2%. In the matter of shots from downtown, East Tennessee State buried 6 of 19 attempts (31.6%). Overall, the Buccaneers shot 24 out of 57 from the field which gave them a rate of 42.1%. The Buccaneers permitted Mercer to convert 25 of 58 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 43.1% for this contest. They went 32.1% from distance by shooting 9 out of 28 and walked away from this one shooting 12 out of 17 at the free throw line (70.6%). When discussing how they cleaned up the glass, East Tennessee State allowed Mercer to pull down 29 in total (9 offensive).

Brian Taylor was important for the Buccaneers in the matchup. He knocked down 5 of 12 in the game for a field goal rate of 41.7%, and added 8 rebounds. He accumulated 21 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood and had 2 dimes for this contest.

East Tennessee State has a mark of 10-5 on the campaign. On the offensive side of the court, the Buccaneers are connecting on 48.3% from the field, which ranks them 62nd in college. East Tennessee State has totaled 1,172 points this year (78.1 per game) and they collect 35.2 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 14.7 times per contest (155th in college) and they are turning it over 11.4 times per game. The Buccaneers are committing 16.5 personal fouls per game while shooting 73.9% from the free throw line.

The East Tennessee State defense allows 31.0% from downtown (126 of 406) and opponents are making 71.5% of their foul shots. They have allowed 12.6 assists and 32.6 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 125th and 84th in Division 1. The Buccaneers on defense are ranked 39th in D-1 in points allowed per game with 66.5. They are forcing 14.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 40.6% from the floor (59th in college).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take VMI

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