Liberty defeated VMI 85-80 on January 11. Photo courtesy VMIKeydets.com

You can catch our initial VMI primer from prior to the teams’ first meeting.

Since losing to Liberty 85-80 on their home floor back on January 11, VMI has gone 6-3, including a 4 game win streak which was ended Wednesday night at the hands of Coastal Carolina. Will the Flames be able to stop their current 5 game losing streak? Here are 5 things to consider for the rematch.

1. Since losing to Liberty 85-80 on their home floor back on January 11, VMI has gone 6-3: 3-1 at home and 3-2 on the road. In its most recent game, the Keydets raced out to a sizable lead against Coastal Carolina, and went into the halftime break with a comfortable 50-36 lead. The 2nd half was a different story though, as the Chanticleers outscored VMI 47-28 in the final 20 minutes on their way to the 83-78 victory. The loss was just Keydets’ 2nd home loss on the season (the only other home loss came against the Flames). VMI has won their last 2 road games, beating Asheville (109-105) and Gardner-Webb (108-104 in 4OTs), but prior to these two wins, the Keydets were just 1-8 on the road this season.

2. VMI is currently at 7-4 in the Big South, and in 1st place in the Big South’s North Division. Head Coach Duggar Baucom’s team has all the components of a contender: veteran leadership (Covington and Glasgow), youthful energy (Peterson), and multiple offensive threats. As you are aware by now, VMI is in their final season competing in the Big South before moving to the Southern Conference next season. I’m sure the Keydets would love nothing more than to win their first Big South Championship in their last season in the league.

3. The backcourt combo of Rodney Glasgow and Q.J. Peterson has been brilliant all season, but they seem to have kicked it up a notch in conference play. Peterson and Glasgow are averaging just a hair under 21 and 19 points per game, respectively, this season, but in conference play they have increased their scoring to 22 points per game each. The Chanticleers held the combo in check Wednesday night, holding the guards to a combined 26 points on 9-of-24 shooting. In the teams’ 1st meeting, the Flames held Peterson to just 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting while Glasgow had 27 points and 5 assists in 38 minutes.

4. While not getting as much press, but equally important to the Keydets’ success is center D.J. Covington. Covington is averaging 17.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game this season while providing a presence in the paint for VMI to counterbalance their tremendous guard play. In the 1st meeting, Covington battled early foul trouble picking up his 2nd foul less than 10 minutes into the game. Covington finished the game with 4 fouls and played just 21 minutes. He was very effective in his limited time, scoring 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting and grabbing 7 rebounds. D.J. also recorded 2 blocks against the Flames in the 1st meeting. Getting Covington in foul trouble and on the bench is key for the Flames.

The Keydets need Covington to stay on the floor. Photo courtesy VMIKeydets.com

5. You may think the Keydets don’t play good defense considering they’re last in the Big South in scoring defense allowing their opponents to score over 84 points per game. But when you take a deeper look at the numbers, you will realize VMI has the 2nd best field goal percentage defensive team in the conference, holding opponents to under 43% field goal shooting this season. VMI also leads the league with 8 steals per game. So, while their pace will allow opponents to score plenty of points, the Keydets force their opponents into tough shots. The Flames shot an impressive 48.5% from the field in Lexington, but was forced in to 17 turnovers.

Prediction: The Flames are reeling, while the Keydets seem to have found themselves. VMI will be angry and looking for a bit of payback for their loss to Liberty in January and get the bad feeling of the Coastal collapse out of their minds. If Covington stays out of foul trouble, and either Peterson or Glasgow is on, it could be a long night for the Flames. VMI 81 Liberty 74