The 2008–09 VMI Keydets basketball team represented the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

during the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Keydets were coached by

Duggar Baucom Robert Franklin "Duggar" Baucom (born September 21, 1960) is an American college basketball coach, most recently the head men's basketball coach at The Citadel Bulldogs basketball, The Citadel. Baucom was hired as the Citadel's head coach followin ...

in his 4th year at VMI, and played their home games at Cameron Hall. It was VMI's 5th season in the

Big South Conference The Big South Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. Originally a non-football conference, the Big South began sponsoring football in 2002 as part of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Th ...

and the Keydets' 101st season of basketball. VMI opened the year with an upset over the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

Rupp Arena Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Central Bank Center (formerly Lexington Center), a convention and shopping facility o ...

on November 14, 2008, by a score of 111–103. After losses to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and

Jacksonville State Jacksonville State University (JSU) is a public university in Jacksonville, Alabama. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in six academic schools leading to bachelor's, master's, education specialist, and doctorate degrees ...

to drop their record to 4–2, VMI then went on a ten-game winning streak and won their first six conference games before falling to

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

91–80, in what was the first sellout in the 27-year history of Cameron Hall. After finishing the regular season with a 22–7 mark, VMI cruised through their first two Big South tournament games, beating

Coastal Carolina Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...

96–76 in the quarterfinals and besting Liberty 78–58 in the semifinals. The Keydets ultimately fell to Radford 108–94 in the Big South Championship game, ending their season at 24–8. The 24 wins in a season were the school's second-most all-time, trailing only the 1976–77 team who 26 wins en route to a Sweet 16 appearance.

Roster

Schedule

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2009 Big South Conference men's basketball tournament The 2009 Big South Conference men's basketball tournament took place March 3–7, 2009. It was won by the Radford Highlanders. Format The quarterfinals were held on campus sites, with the higher seed playing host in each game. The semifinals ...

2008–09 VMI Basketball Schedule
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2008-09 VMI Keydets basketball team VMI Keydets basketball seasons Vmi VMI Keydets basketball team VMI Keydets basketball team