Samford (7-8, 1-0) vs. VMI (5-10, 0-2)
Cameron Hall, Lexington, Virginia; Saturday, 1 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Samford looks for its 10th straight win in the head-to-head series over VMI. Samford has won by an average of 12 points in its last nine wins over the Keydets. VMI's last win in the series came on Jan. 21, 2016, an 83-76 win.
TALE OF TWO ROSTERS: Samford has depended on senior leadership this year while VMI has been fueled heavily by freshmen. For the Bulldogs, seniors Josh Sharkey, Brandon Austin and Jalen Dupree have combined to account for 54 percent of the team's total scoring, including 64 percent of all Bulldogs points over their last five. In the other locker room, freshmen Garrett Gilkeson, Travis Evee and Kamdyn Curfman have collectively accounted for 47 percent of VMI's scoring this season and 55 percent of the team's points over its last five games.
CREATING OFFENSE: Sharkey has accounted for 62 percent of all Samford field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has 24 field goals and 28 assists in those games.
WINLESS WHEN: VMI is 0-9 this year when it scores 77 points or fewer and 5-1 when it scores at least 78.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Keydets have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Bulldogs. VMI has 43 assists on 74 field goals (58.1 percent) over its previous three outings while Samford has assists on 39 of 84 field goals (46.4 percent) during its past three games.
PACE OF PLAY: The upbeat Samford offense has averaged 76.1 possessions per game, the 15th-most in Division I. VMI has not been as uptempo as the Bulldogs and is averaging only 67.1 possessions per game (ranked 296th, nationally).
