Halftime Report

A win for Mercer would push their record over .500, and after one quarter of play they've put themselves in a good position to make it happen. They are fully in control with a 48-28 lead over VMI.

If Mercer keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 8-7 in no time. On the other hand, VMI will have to make due with a 3-12 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Mercer Bears @ VMI Keydets

Current Records: Mercer 7-7, VMI 3-11

How To Watch

What to Know

VMI will be in front of their home fans on Saturday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. The VMI Keydets and the Mercer Bears will face off in a Southern battle at 1:00 p.m. ET at Cameron Hall. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.

VMI fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against Wofford on Wednesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Terriers by a score of 87-85. Despite running the score up even higher than they did back in December of 2023 (82), VMI still had to take the loss.

VMI struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only five offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, Mercer unfortunately witnessed the end of their five-game winning streak on Wednesday. They fell 80-69 to the Buccaneers.

The Keydets' defeat was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 3-11. That rough patch could be blamed on the team's lackluster offensive performance across that stretch, as they only averaged 61.5 points per game. As for the Bears, their loss dropped their record down to 7-7.

VMI was pulverized by Mercer 80-54 in their previous matchup back in February of 2023. Will VMI have more luck at home instead of on the road?

Odds

Mercer is a 5-point favorite against VMI, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Bears as a 6-point favorite.


The over/under is set at 141 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Mercer has won 8 out of their last 10 games against VMI.

  • Feb 04, 2023 - Mercer 80 vs. VMI 54
  • Jan 19, 2023 - Mercer 69 vs. VMI 61
  • Feb 10, 2022 - VMI 85 vs. Mercer 79
  • Jan 13, 2022 - Mercer 97 vs. VMI 91
  • Mar 07, 2021 - Mercer 73 vs. VMI 59
  • Jan 23, 2021 - Mercer 83 vs. VMI 80
  • Jan 25, 2020 - Mercer 69 vs. VMI 66
  • Jan 15, 2020 - Mercer 73 vs. VMI 62
  • Feb 28, 2019 - VMI 84 vs. Mercer 71
  • Jan 24, 2019 - Mercer 88 vs. VMI 68