VMI starts its second trip around the SoCon opponent trail as it closes out a three-game road swing at UNCG Thursday night in Greensboro. It will mark VMI's fourth road game out of the last five contests and the Keydets will be closing out the month of January against the same opponent it began the month as it faces the UNCG Spartans for the second time this season.The game tips at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3.

Last Time Out: The Citadel 84, VMI 82 - January 26, 2019
Senior guard Quayson Williams hit a driving layup at the buzzer to lift The Citadel to an 84-82 win over VMI Saturday afternoon at McAlister Field House. It was the lone basket of the day for Williams as The Citadel (10-11, 2-7 SoCon) snapped an eight-game losing streak while the Keydets fell to 7-14, 1-8 SoCon. With the score tied 82-82, VMI called timeout with 20.7 seconds to draw up a play. Forward Sarju Patel missed a left baseline 3-pointer jumper with eight seconds remaining and an off-balance follow-up attempt by junior guard Garrett Gilkeson was unsuccessful before Citadel forward Zane Najdawi grabbed the rebound with four seconds left. With play continuing, Williams then grabbed the ball and raced down the right sideline before launching the game winning layup. Parham led the Keydets in scoring with 24 points – his 18th career 20 point game while Gilkeson produced a double-double with 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Myles Lewis added 14 points for the Keydets with 12 coming in the first half. Tyler Creammer, who recently returned to action after missing two games with a sprained ankle, scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in 26 minutes of action. The Ciatdel's Lew Stallworth led all scorers with 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting from the field and five-of-six from the line. Zane Najdawi added a double-double for the Bulldogs with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Last Meeting with UNCG: UNCG 71, VMI 68 - January 5, 2019
The VMI basketball team put up a valiant effort and led most of the game, but UNCG (14-2, 3-0) rallied to defeat VMI 71-68 in Southern Conference action in Cameron Hall on January 5 earlier this season.The Spartans led 67-64 with four minutes left and had several chances to extend the advantage but the Keydet defense kept it a three-point game. Freshman Jake Stephens nailed a three-pointer with 2:08 remaining on the game clock to tie the contest. Francis Alonso hit a clutch three pointer for UNCG with 51 ticks left. The teams traded one free throw apiece and VMI had the ball with a chance to tie in the closing seconds, but Kyrin Galloway blocked the potential tying three-pointer to seal the victory. Sophomore Bubba Parham led VMI and tied for the game high with 17 points, and added five rebounds and five assists. Junior guard Garrett Gilkeson had a solid all-around game with 14 points, a team-best eight rebounds, three assists and three three-pointers. Sophomore Sarju Patel hit all seven of his free-throw attempts and finished with 14 points, while Tyler Creammer added nine points and six boards. Isaiah Miller paced UNCG with 17 points and a game-high nine rebounds along with three steals.

A win over UNCG would ...
--End a five-game skid to the Spartans.
--Be VMI's second January win this season.

SERIES HISTORY – VMI vs. UNCG
This will be the 25th meeting between the teams that fi rst met in 1979. UNCG leads the series,16-8, and has taken the last fi ve meetings. VMI last defeated the Spartans, 86-72, in Lexington on February 11, 2016.

PATEL MAKES FIRST START
VMI employed its third starting lineup combo of the year when it inserted sophomore Sarju Patel at guard against The Citadel January 26. It was the fi rst career start for Patel