Davidson College
VMI
'Cats Host VMI in Friday Tip Off
11/21/2024 1:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DAVIDSON WILDCATS (3-0, 0-0 A-10) vs. VMI KEYDETS (4-2, 0-0 SOCON)
SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: Davidson leads, 77-30
First Meeting: 1917-18 | VMI won 29-12
Last Meeting: Nov. 13, 2022 | Davidson won 75-71
Davidson Record at Home: 37-9
Davidson Record on Road: 32-19
Davidson Record at Neutral Site: 8-2
Matt McKillop's Record: 2-0
WILDCAT SCRATCHES
• The Wildcats have jumped out to a 3-0 start in the 2024-25 campaign, earning wins at home over William Peace and ETSU and a road victory at Bowling Green.
• Davidson is looking for its fourth-straight win on Friday night, which would mark the first 4-0 start in head coach Matt McKillop's tenure.
• In all three wins, Davidson has had four 'Cats reach double figures in scoring, while the Wildcats' big three - Reed Bailey, Connor Kochera and Bobby Durkin - are averaging 17.7, 18.3 and 16.0 points per game,
respectively, through the start of the year.
• Zach Laput and Roberts Blums have aided the offensive effort, averaging 11 and 8 points per game, respectively, in the first few games of their Davidson careers.
• VMI enters Friday's game at 4-2 overall, with wins over Bellarmine (76-71) and Charleston Southern (80-69). The Keydets average 80 points per game as a team and are led by Augustinas Kiudulas' 18.6 points per game.
LAST TIME OUT | DAVIDSON 76, ETSU 70 | NOV. 16, 2024
• Reed Bailey had 18 points and eight boards and led four double-digit Wildcat scorers in Davidson's 76-70 win over East Tennessee State last Saturday evening in Belk Arena.
• With their second home victory, the Wildcats improved to 3-0, as Zach Laput scored 14 points and Bobby Durkin and Connor Kochera added 13 apiece.
• Davidson overcame ETSU's hot second-half start and took the lead for good on a Laput floater with 4:30 to play, and Laput's old-fashioned three-point play, which made it 71-67 with 1:02 left, also proved pivotal in putting away the Bucs.
A FAMILIAR FOE
• In a series that began during the 1917-18 season, the Davidson Wildcats and VMI Keydets have squared off 107 times in men's basketball.
• When the series began, 107 years ago, the Keydets defeated Davidson 29-12 at VMI.
• Most recently meeting in 2022, the Wildcats hosted VMI in Matt McKillop's third-ever game as head coach.
• The 'Cats defeated VMI 75-71 in that match up, as Connor Kochera scored 11 during his first season as a Wildcat.
S.W.A.T.
• Junior big man Sean Logan became a perimeter presence last season, setting a new single-season record for blocked shots (58), while matching the blocks per game record (1.8) and single-game blocks mark with eight against UMass on March 2, 2024.
• Through three games this season, Logan has six blocks, all of which came in game two against Bowling Green. He has 75 career blocks.
THE REED BAILEY OF IT ALL
• Among those returning on McKillop's squad include Preseason All-Conference Third Team selection Reed Bailey.
• Bailey scored in double figures in 21 games during his sophomore season, including 10 of the last 12 games. The forward recorded five 20-point performances and averaged 16.5 points per game over that same 12
game stretch.
• The junior big man also finished the 2023-24 campaign as one of the most consistent free throw shooters in the league, making 135 shots at the stripe (6th) and shooting 80.4 percent (10th) at the line.
• So far this season, Bailey has averaged 17.7 points per game and matched his career high with 24 points in a win over Bowling Green.
