First up is a trip to Lexington, VA., to face a VMI team that has been able to string together back-to-back SoCon wins under third-year head coach Andrew Wilson. It's the first time the Keydets had been able to win back-to-back SoCon games under Wilson, as the Keydets went on the road and took down arch-rival The Citadel, 75-70, on Saturday afternoon at McAlister Field House.
VMI is a much-improved team from the one the Paladins beat by 40 (100-60) in Cameron Hall last season, in what saw the return of Marcus Foster to the Paladin roster after having missed a month-and-a-half with a knee injury.
Wilson has nearly overhauled the entire roster each of his first two seasons as head coach, making it tough to create any kind of continuity within the program. However, the one major difference ahead of his third year as the head coach is that he was able to use the transfer portal, and that has paid off big time for VMI in his third season at the helm, as the Keydets have already won eight games this season, which eclipses each of the previous two seasons win totals.
VMI's win at The Citadel this past Saturday saw the Keydets notch their second road win of the season, which is already more road wins than either of Wilson's first two seasons combined, as VMI went just 1-29 away from Cameron Hall in Wilson's first two campaigns at the helm of the Keydets basketball program.
The other part of the two-game winning streak came in VMI's last home game against Western Carolina, as VMI was able to take a 66-50 win over Western Carolina last week.
Furman has had a roller-coaster week of hoops, dropping a 19-point contest to begin a three-game homestand last Monday night against Wofford (L, 62-81) before knocking off East Tennessee State (W, 73-70) last Wednesday night and then this past Saturday, the Paladins dropped a heartbreaking, 75-71 contest to Chattanooga, who came from a 16-point deficit in the first half and as much as a 13-point margin in the second half to capture a key SoCon road win, which dropped Furman to just 15-4 overall, but 3-3 in league action.
The Paladins can take solace in the fact that they have played pretty well away from Greenville this season, as the Paladins have won six true road wins this season. The Paladins also have registered one neutral court win, which came in a hard-fought, 61-56, win over Seattle in the Terry's Chocolate Vegas Showdown. Furman's 6-2 road record ranks just behind UC Irvine (8 true road wins), Central Connecticut State (7 true road wins), and Southeastern Louisiana (7 true road wins), and it's 71 true road wins since the start of the 2016-17 season ranks the Paladins fifth nationally in that span.
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| Former Furman guard Jordan Lyons (2016-20) |
The Paladins have won each of the past five meetings between the two, and hold a 24-23 all-time lead in the series in games played in Lexington. The Paladins swept the series between the two last season, winning 100-60 in Lexington, playing arguably maybe its best game of the season and faced a VMI team without some key performers due to injury and a case of the flu, which was affecting even some of those who played in that contest at Cameron Hall last season.
The Paladins were powered by a big night from Ben VanderWal in the meeting in Greenville, as he posted 15 points and 13 rebounds to help the Paladins to a 75-62 win at Timmons Arena.
The Paladins have had some great performances in Lexington in recent seasons, both as a team and individually. The 40-point win over the Keydets in Cameron Hall last season marked Furman's largest margin of victory over an NCAA Division I foe all season.
While Furman won in Cameron Hall by 40 last season, in the 89-73 win over VMI on New Year's Day 2020, the Paladins had a player go for 40, as Jordan Lyons went off against the Keydets, becoming the first Furman player to record multiple 40-point scoring games in a career since Darrell Floyd (1952-56).
The senior guard scored his 40 points on just 15 shots, connecting on 11-of-15 from the field, including scorching the nets for 10-of-12 from three-point range. He also was also 10-for-12 from the charity stripe to equal his 40 points. He also dished out a career-high four assists.
Lyons’ 10 treys tied a Cameron Hall record by an opponent, as it matching former Marshall guard Shawn Moore’s 10 triples established back on Jan. 16, 1995.
Lyons’ 10 treys tied a Cameron Hall record by an opponent, as it matching former Marshall guard Shawn Moore’s 10 triples established back on Jan. 16, 1995.
The performance by Lyons marked the first time a Paladin player has scored 40 or more points against a Division I opponent since former star guard Stephen Croone posted a 40-point effort vs Liberty back on Dec. 13, 2013. Lyons is the fourth Paladin to record multiple 40-point games in a career and first to do so in 64 years.
A year earlier in Lexington, Furman recorded another lopsided win in Lexington, taking over the game in the middle portion of the opening 20 minutes of basketball to go on and get what was an 89-57 win over the Dan Earl-led Keydets.
Furman held VMI to 37% shooting and the SoCon’s leading scorer Bubba Parham to just six points, as the Paladins defeated the Keydets going away, 89-57, in Southern Conference action Thursday night at Cameron Hall.
VMI has also had some recent success against the Paladins in Lexington, handing the Paladins a 74-73 setback in the 2020-21 season, as reigning SoCon Player of the Week Greg Parham scored 24 points, which included 22 in the second half, as VMI snapped a 10-game losing streak against Furman in the series, and handed the Paladins their first Southern Conference loss of the season, as the Keydets held on for a one-point win at Cameron Hall.
In the 2021-22 season, Furman was led by head coach Jeremy Growe, as Bob Richey was with his wife awaiting the birth of his son and fourth child, Jax Berner Richey, and the Paladins would see the Keydets rebound from a halftime deficit to come away with what was a 76-67 win over the Paladins on that particular occasion.
Previewing the Keydets:
Keydets head coach Andrew Wilson needed something to make the Keydets competitive with the rest of the SoCon, and when VMI started to allow transfers, he had just the thing to make the Keydets a team to be recokoned with among its SoCon brethren, as the Keydets went out and procured some talent with ties to good programs, and some of that talent starring internationally.
As a team, like Chattanooga, the Keydets excel as a free throw shooting team, posting the second-highest team shooting clip in the SoCon this season, shooting 74.6% from the stripe on the season. The Keydets are also averaging a higher scoring clip this season, posting an average of 76.3 PPG and the Keydets do that by averaging 11.7 offensive rebounds-per-game, which makes the Keydets one of the top offensive rebounding teams in the SoCon--an area of supreme struggle for Furman over the past three games. VMI also averages a league-best 8.2 steals-per-game.
For VMI, it all starts with forward Augustinas Kiudulas (15.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG) and reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week and junior guard Rickey Bradley Jr. (15.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG). Kiudulas is a 6-8, 215-lb forward, who came to VMI from Indiana State, and he recently logged his third-career double-double in VMI's lopsided road loss at Chattanooga.
Kiudulas posted 20 points and 10 rebounds in what was a 91-66 setback against the Mocs last week. Kiudulas originally hails from Vilnius, Lithuania and spent one season with the Sycamores before opting to transfer to VMI. He's had such a successful start to his career for the Keydets this season that it might be tough for head coach Andrew Wilson to hold on to from the meat market that has become the transfer portal these days, especially for good Southern Conference talent.
Prior to signing with Indiana State, Kiudulas played professionally in Lithuania for Vilnius Rytkas 2 in the NKL National Basketball League in Lithuania. He averaged 11.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG and dished out 2.1 APG while shooting 38.2% from three-point land. He is also a member of the Lithuanian National Team.
So far this season, Kiudulas has seen action in 17 games for the Keydets, including having made 16 starts, and he's shooting a solid 50.3% (90-of-179) from the field and 45.5% (25-of-55) from three-point range. As you might expect, with his European background, he brings a high-level of skill to the collegiate game. He's also been a strong free throw shooter for the Keydets this season, knocking down 80.7% (67-of-83) from the charity stripe this season. He ranks fifth in the league in offensive rebounds-per-game, averaging 2.2 per outing.
Kiudulas has found his way into double figures in 13 out of the 17 games he's seen action in this season for the Keydets, and that includes scoring 20 or more points in a game five times this season. He posted a season-high 27 points in the season-opener against Washington College, while finishing most recently with a 26-point effort in an 81-68 road loss to Samford in SoCon play.
Bradley Jr. is one of the neater transfer portal stories for the Keydets. The 6-2 junior guard garnered SoCon all-freshman honors two years ago before transferring out to Georgia State. Things didn't go well for Bradley in his one season with the Panthers, so he decided to return to the coach that recruited him originally, in Andrew Wilson and VMI.
In his most recent outing for VMI, he posted 29 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, and was an impressive 4-for-5 from three-point range in the 75-70 win over The Citadel in Charleston. He was also 13-for-15 from the charity stripe in the big road win.
Bradley Jr. posted an average of 21.5 PPG on the week, highlighted in wins over Western Carolina (W, 66-50) and The Citadel (W, 75-70). Earlier in conference play, Bradley Jr. scored a career-high 30 points in a narrow home floor loss to Mercer. He has scored in double figures 14 times in 20 games this season, including having started all 20 games for the Keydets this season.
Bradley Jr. has a streak of 13-straight double-figure scoring games, including having hit the 20 or more scoring mark five times this season, and the 30-point plateau once this season. He is shooting 43.3% (91-of-210) from the field this season and has connected on an impressive 41.3% (31-of-75) from three-point land so far in 2024-25.
Set to team with Bradley Jr. in the backcourt on Wednesday night for VMI will be sophomore guard AJ Clark (4.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG) and Tan Yildizoglu (7.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 76 Assists). Clark gives the Keydets some defensive bite on the perimter, and saw action in 21 games least season, posting a solid performance in VMI's 13-point loss in Greenville last season, as he grabbed seven rebounds. He helped establish himself as VMI's top on-ball defender last season, and will likely draw the assignment of shadowing Furman sharp-shooting guard PJay Smith Jr. on Wednesday evening.
Earlier this season, Clark registered his first-career double-double in the loss to Mercer, as he finished the contest with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Clark ranks fifth in the league in steals-per-game so far in his sophomore season, while ranking fifth in the league in assist/turnover ratio (2.7). The Suffolk, VA., native has a pair of double-figure scoring games this season, including last time out against The Citadel, as he posted 10 points in VMI's win in Charleston. He is shooting 57.7% (30-of-52) from the field this season, and has logged five starts in the 18 games he's seen action in so far in 2024-25.
Yildizoglu is another successful addition from the transfer portal. The 6-4 transfer guard from Pacific has added even more to the Keydets international mix in 2024-25. He gives the Keydets another outstanding skilled European, who brings great shooting ability, along with being technically gifted as both a passer and ball-handler.
Yildizoglu played in 28 games for the Tigers last season, which included making a pair of starts and one of those came in the WCC Tournament against Pepperdine. Yildizoglu is also a member of the Turkish National Team, and paced his team with 20 points and eight assists in Turkey's historic win over Team USA for the bronze medal in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in 2023.
His skill-level has been most apparent in his distribution of the basketball and the ability to get others involved offensively, as he enters the midweek tilt with 76 assists, averaging 4.5 helpers-per-game, which ranks him third in the league in assists-per-game average.
In his first season with VMI, Yildizoglu can also be an effective offensive weapon for VMI, as he has posted five double-figure scoring performances this season, posting a career-high of 17 points on two occasions against both Charleston Southern and Richmond. His most-recent game in double figures was in his last home game against Western Carolina, as Yildizoglu posted 14 points in VMI's 66-50 triumph over the Catamounts. He has seen action in 18 games this season, logging 17 starts.
Rounding out the projected starting five for VMI on Wednesday night will be forward TJ Johnson (12.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG), who was Wilson's first addition from the transfer portal coming into the season. Johnson made the move from Lipscomb-to-VMI with three years of eligibility remaining, and he's given the Keydets 6-6, athletic small forward that has logged more minutes than any of the other incoming Keydets transfers this season, proving to be a workhorse. He comes in averaging 31.6 MPG, which ranks fifth overall in the league and he has started all 19 games he's been a part of for the Keydets this season.
Last season for the Bisons, Johnson averaged 3.7 PPG and 1.8 RPG and shot 34.7% from three-point land. He's seen his scoring and rebounding numbers almost triple this season, as he has flourished offensively in his first season at VMI, as he is having a campaign worthy of All-SoCon consideration. He is shooting 43% (78-of-182) from the field and is shooting 37.2% (48-of-129) from three-point range so far this season. Johnson has posted double-figure scoring performances in 14 games this season, and has scored 20 or more points twice this season.
The Keydets have some solid contributors off the bench, including guard Linus Holmstrom (7.3 PPG, 1.2 RPG) and forwards Kaden Stuckey (4.7 PPG, 3.1 RPG) and Cal Liston (1.6 PPG, 2.0 RPG). Holmstrom hails from Stockholm, Sweden, where he captained the U16 and U18 Swedish National Teams and has been the top producer off the bench for the Keydets this season. He's started five of the 19 games he's been a part of this season, and sports as a strength his ability as a perimeter shooter, connecting on 35.9% (33-of-92) of his long-range attempts this season.
Holmstrom's top performance of the season came against Regent, as he posted 17 points, while scoring 15 in a road loss at Pittsburgh. He has found his way into double figures in eight times this season. Stuckey spent his time as a prep at Orangeville Prep in Canada.
The 6-8, 227-power forward has a 7-1 wingspan and is the son of former Missouri State Hall of Fame and former pro Kelby Stuckey. Stuckey is an athletic forward that like Holmstrom, is a true freshman. Stuckey has logged action in 18 games this season for VMI, including having made 13 starts. He gives the Keydets a nice athletic boost off the bench and on the offensive glass.
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| Furman senior guard PJay Smith Jr. |
Noting The Paladins:
--Furman is coming off a tough week, which saw the Paladins drop two out of their three home games from last week, as the Paladins suffered a 75-71 last Saturday against Chattanooga and were an 81-62 loser to Wofford on Monday. The Paladins sandwiched those two setbacks with an impressive 73-70 result against SoCon title contender East Tennessee State.
--The Paladins ran through the non-conference portion of the slate with an impressive 12-1 record, however, have hit the skids a little since entering league play, spitting the first six. Furman has seen its offensive numbers take a bit of a dip, and that's more a result of struggling from both the field and three-point range in the first six league contests. After averaging 78.9 PPG through the first 13 non-conference games this season, the Paladins have seen their overall team scoring average dip to 71.6 PPG. The Paladins also shot 48.3% from the field through non-conference play as a team but are shooting just 40.1% from the field since entering league play. Finally, the Paladins shot at an impressive 36.6% and made 142 three-pointers (10.9 3pt FGs per game) through non-conference play. However, in the first six league games this season, the Paladins has made 53 three-pointers over a six-game span (8.8 3pt FGs per game). The Paladins have connected on just 31.0% (53-of-171) through their first six league games. That ranks ninth out of 10 teams in shooting the three since the start of SoCon play.
--Furman has also seen a decline in its defensive numbers, and after allowing just 63.8 PPG to rank 31st nationally in scoring defense through non-conference play, the Paladins are now surrendering 72.3 PPG. Furman has also seen a decline in both its field goal percentage defense, which ranked second in the league through non-conference league, holding foes to just 39.8% from the field. In league games, the Paladins are allowing foes to shoot 44.2% from the field. Furman finished non-conference play second nationally in three-point field goal percentage, holding its first 13 opponents of the season to a frigid 25.3% shooting from long range and did not allow a team to hit double digit makes from three-point range in the first 13 games. However, in league play, Furman is allowing the opposition to shoot 36.2% from long-range and allowed both UNCG and Wofford to shoot better than 40% from long-range, as both connected on double-digit totals from long-range in two of the Paladins' three league losses.
--Furman's most alarming trend, however, has been its lack of attention to detail on the defensive glass through the first six league games, as the Paladins rank ninth out of 10 teams in defensive rebounds (22.0) and last in defensive rebound percentage (63.5%). The Paladins currently rank eighth in the 10-team SoCon in rebounding margin (-3.50) through the first six league games.
--Despite the struggles in the early portions of league play, the Paladins still find themselves in the thick of the Southern Conference title race in a league rated by KenPom as the most competitive in all of NCAA Division I College Basketball.
--The Paladins have seemingly been most comfortable in coming from behind in the second halves of nine of its 15 wins thus far in the 2024-25 season, which made Saturday's home setback to Chattanooga particularly uncanny in the way it happened, as it was the Mocs that came from behind to finish off Furman. The Paladins had been 4-0 in games decided by four points or less previously this season. Furman's biggest second half deficit overcome this season was a 13-point deficit in the final nine minutes vs. Florida Gulf Coast.
--A win over VMI would give the Paladins a 16-4 start to the season, marking its best-ever start under eighth-year head coach Bob Richey. The Paladins have scored 100 or more points 18 times under head coach Bob Richey, including posting 100 in Furman's 40-point win at Cameron Hall last season.
--The Paladins have won a league-best 213 games since the start of the 2015-16 season, including having won 116 SoCon games, which ranks second to only UNCG's 121 league wins over that same span.
--The Paladins continue to be led by PJay Smith Jr., who is averaging 16.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 3.2 RPG. He recently crossed the 1,000-point plateau for his career in Furman's recent road win at The Citadel. The senior point guard from LaVergne, TN., ranks among the Top 10 in the SoCon in steals per game, points per game, assists per game, three-point field goal percentage, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and assist-turnover-ratio.
--Furman guard Eddrin Bronson is slated to make his third-straight start for the Paladins on Wednesday at VMI. Bronson is averaging 6.0 PPG and 1.4 RPG through his first 19 games for Furman. The 6-4 athletic guard from Tampa, FL has scored in double figures in seven games this season, including posting 14 points in the 86-51 loss at Kansas and posted a career-high 15 points in Furman's 100-75 win over Montreat.
--Nick Anderson rounds out the starters in the backcourt for the Paladins. He has been a nice addition from Barry University, which is coached by former Paladin head coach Butch Estes (1986-94). Anderson has averaged 12.6 PPG and is shooting 38.5% from three-point range (47-of-122) and is one of the league's top free throw shooters, posting an 89.1% clip (41-of-46) from the charity stripe this season.
--Cooper Bowser has started all 19 games for the Paladins this season and comes in averaging 8.5 PPG and 5.0 RPG. Bowser, a 6-11 sophomore from Woodbridge, VA., has six double-figure scoring efforts this season and also has two double-double performances, with his most notable performance of the season coming against Seattle, as he posted 17 points, 12 boards and four assists in the 61-56 win over the Redhawks in Las Vegas earlier this season. Bowser currently leads the SoCon with 29 blocks on the season, averaging 1.53 blocks-per-game.
--Garrett Hien rounds out the projected starters for the Paladins entering Wednesday night's tilt and he comes in averaging 7.8 PPG and 5.0 RPG and also ranks Furman's most-skilled passer and is one of the most-skilled passing big men in the SoCon. He has dished out 53 assists this season, which ranks second on the team behind only point guard PJay Smith Jr. Hien has scored in double figures in seven games this season, which includes a season-high 15 points in Furman's win at Belmont. Hien, a native of Charlotte, N.C., also posted 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds in Furman's early win over Jacksonville. Hien has contributed to 98 wins in his five seasons at Furman, ranking fourth in program history.
Off The Bench:
--Ben VanderWal has been Furman's "glue guy" this season and posted a 15-point, 13-rebound effort in Furman's 75-62 win over VMI at Timmons Arena last season. VanderWal has logged 17 starts in 19 games this season, averaging 5.8 PPG and 4.6 RPG.
--Charles Johnston has been another key addition from the transfer portal for head coach Bob Richey this season, and the 6-11 forward/center has been a key player off the bench for Furman this season, and showed what he could do as a shooter in Furman's home win over Jacksonville, going 8-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range to finish off a 25-point scoring effort. He's seen action in 15 of 19 games for the Paladins, having been somewhat limited by some nagging injuries, but is averaging 6.9 PPG and 3.0 RPG. He grew up playing cricket in his native homeland of Sydney, Australia, and has only five years of experience playing organized basketball.
--Davis Molnar has proven to be a real asset to Furman off the bench this season, playing some of his best basketball since entering Southern Conference play. Molnar is averaging 3.8 PPG and 3.1 RPG and the 6-6 redshirt sophomore has contributed seven and nine points in the past two games, respectively. His nine points in a 73-70 win over ETSU marked a seaosn-high offensively for the native of Fayetteville, N.C.
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