Teams › SoCon · Compare VMI with another team
VMI
VMI returns 100% of last season's minutes and rates #344 on offense and #349 on defense of 365 teams. 80% range: -19.3 to -4.5.
Why we have them here
VMI's preseason projection of -11.9 (No. 350 of 365) starts from the roster: its players' ratings, weighted by projected minutes, add up to a roll-up worth -7.3, about the -6.9 typical of teams ranked near it. Last season's rating (No. 352 at the end of 2025-26) adds -3.0, about its neighbours' -2.7; the program's level two and three seasons back and the roster's experience and shape add -1.9. It returns 100% of last season's minutes, more than teams ranked near it (77%). The projection leans most on TJ Johnson (+2.4), Mason Lawson (-0.5) and Branford Edmonds III (-0.7); the newcomer who matters most is Robert Peters, a newcomer from outside Division I, at -0.9. Its 80% range, -19.3 to -4.5, is about as wide as that of teams ranked near it.
Generated from the published projection's own terms, not written by hand. "Teams ranked near it" are the thirty nearest in the preseason order. Preseason projection frozen 2026-10-23; how the projection is built.
Roster
Returning 94% · Other newcomer 6%
| Rank | Player | Pos | Ht | D1 yrs | Group | From | MPG | Rating | Contrib. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 442 | TJ Johnson | F | 6-7 | 3 | Returning | VMI | 29 | +3.2 | +2.4 |
| 4240 | Walker Andrews | G | 6-1 | 2 | Returning | VMI | 15 | -2.1 | -0.8 |
| 4376 | AJ Clark | G | 6-4 | 3 | Returning | VMI | 20 | -2.0 | -1.0 |
| 4430 | Mason Lawson | G | 6-1 | 1 | Returning | VMI | 5 | -3.9 | -0.5 |
| 4517 | Branford Edmonds III | G | 6-2 | 1 | Returning | VMI | 8 | -3.5 | -0.7 |
| 4592 | Alexander Daushvili | F | 6-8 | 1 | Returning | VMI | 15 | -2.6 | -1.0 |
| 4709 | Robert Peters | F | 6-8 | 3 | Other newcomer | 12 | -3.1 | -0.9 | |
| 4989 | Mason Hagedorn | F | 6-9 | 1 | Returning | VMI | 8 | -4.8 | -1.0 |
| 5137 | Tan Yildizoglu | G | 6-4 | 3 | Returning | VMI | 23 | -3.6 | -2.1 |
| 5141 | Jaylen Pazon | G | 6-5 | 2 | Returning | VMI | 11 | -5.2 | -1.5 |
| 5177 | Mario Tatum Jr. | G | 6-3 | 1 | Returning | VMI | 20 | -4.3 | -2.2 |
| 5227 | Kaden Stuckey | F | 6-8 | 2 | Returning | VMI | 15 | -6.0 | -2.2 |
| 5242 | Cal Liston | F | 6-5 | 2 | Returning | VMI | 18 | -6.2 | -2.7 |
A player's rating is points per 100 possessions better than an average Division I player while he is on the floor. Contribution weights it by the share of a rotation slot he is projected to play, so a star on the bench and a role player who never sits both read right. Rank is among all 5,249 rated players. MPG is the projected share of a rotation slot times 40. "From" is last season's team. The bars are contribution, the player's rating times his projected share; their sum is the roll-up the projection starts from.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Proj. margin | Win prob. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu Nov 05 | at |  SMU #53 | -22.6 | 3% | |
| Sat Nov 07 | at |  UTSA #284 | -9.0 | 23% | |
| Wed Nov 11 | vs |  North Carolina Central #353 | +6.0 | 69% | |
| Wed Nov 18 | at |  Longwood #195 | -12.7 | 15% | |
| Sat Nov 21 | vs |  Gardner-Webb #361 | +7.8 | 74% | |
| Tue Nov 24 | vs |  Southern Indiana #315 | +3.0 | 60% | |
| Sat Nov 28 | at |  Richmond #136 | -15.1 | 11% | |
| Tue Dec 01 | vs |  UNC Greensboro #246 | conf | -2.9 | 41% |
| Sat Dec 05 | vs |  East Tennessee State #171 | conf | -5.2 | 34% |
| Mon Dec 21 | at |  Virginia Tech #45 | -23.8 | 3% | |
| Wed Dec 30 | vs |  Furman #110 | conf | -7.9 | 26% |
| Sat Jan 02 | at |  Western Carolina #152 | conf | -11.2 | 18% |
| Thu Jan 07 | at |  Tennessee Tech #280 | conf | -6.4 | 30% |
| Sat Jan 09 | at |  Chattanooga #226 | conf | -8.0 | 26% |
| Wed Jan 13 | vs |  Wofford #306 | conf | -0.6 | 48% |
| Sat Jan 16 | vs |  The Citadel #345 | conf | +2.1 | 57% |
| Mon Jan 18 | at |  Samford #190 | conf | -10.2 | 20% |
| Wed Jan 20 | at |  Mercer #231 | conf | -8.7 | 24% |
| Thu Jan 28 | vs | Chattanooga #226 | conf | -3.5 | 39% |
| Sat Jan 30 | vs | Tennessee Tech #280 | conf | -1.7 | 45% |
| Wed Feb 03 | at | Wofford #306 | conf | -4.9 | 35% |
| Sat Feb 06 | at | East Tennessee State #171 | conf | -10.5 | 20% |
| Thu Feb 11 | vs | Mercer #231 | conf | -3.3 | 39% |
| Sat Feb 13 | vs | Samford #190 | conf | -4.8 | 35% |
| Thu Feb 18 | at | Furman #110 | conf | -12.8 | 15% |
| Sat Feb 20 | at | The Citadel #345 | conf | -2.7 | 41% |
| Wed Feb 24 | at | UNC Greensboro #246 | conf | -8.2 | 25% |
| Sat Feb 27 | vs | Western Carolina #152 | conf | -6.0 | 31% |
Projected margin is from VMI's side, with home court where the game is not neutral (N). Games are the schedule as posted; tournaments and late additions appear as they are listed. Predictions are as of 2026-10-26 and reflect the roster as the model has it on that date.