Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Colgate
Men's Basketball Prepares to Battle Top Patriot League Teams Colgate, American
January 29, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (11-9, 5-3) looks ahead to one of its toughest weeks of the season, squaring off against the top two teams in the Patriot League, the Colgate Raiders (9-11, 6-2) and the American Eagles (12-9, 6-2).
First, the Black Knights will wrap up the month of January at home on Wednesday, taking on the Colgate Raiders. The Patriot League preseason favorites are currently tied at the top of the league with American. Army will also hope to avenge a 59-71 loss in Hamilton from earlier this season inside Christl Arena on Wednesday night.
Then, Army will begin the month of February on the road on Saturday as they head to Washington D.C. to take on American University. The Eagles are also at the top of the Patriot League and have won four of the last five games when the two programs have faced off.
The Wednesday night matchup against Colgate is slated for a 6 p.m. tip-off, while tip-off against American in Washington D.C. is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday. Both games will stream live on ESPN+ and the Varsity Sports Network.
ARMY STORYLINES:
LAST GAME: Army's win streak was snapped by its biggest rival, Navy in their most recent matchup on Sunday. In a 53-66 loss, the Black Knights finished shooting 31.1 percent from the field and 23.3 percent from the three-point line. The Midshipmen outrebounded the Black Knights, 57-35, proving to be a huge difference-maker. Josh Scovens led the Black Knights with 12 points. The two teams will face off again on February 15 in Annapolis, where Army will aim for revenge and win its second straight Star Game.
SCOVENS HEATING UP: sophomore Josh scovens led the Black Knights in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game. He scored a season-high 25 points in Army's win at Holy Cross while shooting 55.6 percent from the floor with four rebounds, three assists and one steal. He also led Army with 12 points on Sunday against Navy.
SENIORITY: Senior Jalen Rucker has made an impact in his final season playing for the Black Knights. Rucker not only leads the team but also the entire Patriot League averaging 18.4 points a game and with 1.7 assists per game.
PAINT PRESENCE: Senior AJ Allenspach is one of the biggest role players inside the paint in the Patriot League. Allenspach boasts a league-best 71.8 shooting percentage from the floor while being second in the league with 8.0 rebounds a game. Allenspach has also earned four double-doubles this season.
SHOOTERS SHOOT: Jalen Rucker is the Patriot League's active career scoring leader and ranks 26th among active NCAA DI players, averaging 15.6 points per game through 105 career contests at West Point. The Baltimore, Md. native is averaging 18.4 points per game this season, including matching the League's single-game high with 34 points in the Black Knights' three-OT win against Le Moyne.
OFFENSIVE MINDED: Army West Point is the Patriot League leader in scoring offense (74.9 ppg) while also ranking in the top half of the nation, as well as leading the league in scoring margin (+0.9). The Black Knights also lead the league in assists per game (15.2), also good to be among the top 100 in the nation.
FAST START: When the Black Knights have gotten off to a quick start this season, they are hard to stop. Army West Point is 10-0 this season when they take a lead into the locker after the first 20 minutes of first-half play.
FOR THE STAR: The Black Knights will have a chance to get revenge on the Navy Midshipmen on February 1 in Annapolis on February 15 in their next matchup, serving as the annual Star Series game. The Black Knights will look to retain the Star Series bragging rights for the second consecutive season. Last year, the Star Game took place inside Christl Arena in West Point, where Army escaped a thriller with a 69-67 overtime win.
History with Colgate
- Colgate leads the series, 75-64
- Current Streak: Colgate, 10 wins
- Last Army win: Jan. 3, 2021, 75-73 (OT)
- Last Colgate win: Jan. 2, 2025, 71–50
- Last Five Meetings: Colgate leads, 5-0
- Jan. 2, 2025 (Hamilton): ARMY 59, COLGATE 71
- Jan. 31, 2024 (Hamilton ): ARMY 55, COLGATE 74
- Jan. 17, 2024 (West Point): ARMY 56, COLGATE 64
- March 5, 2023 (Hamilton): ARMY 74, COLGATE 91
- Feb. 15, 2023 (Hamilton): ARMY 86, COLGATE 93
Scouting the Raiders
- The Colgate Raiders are 9-12 overall and 6-2 in Patriot League play this season. The Raiders only losses in league play came on the road at Bucknell and American.
- The Raiders took a 71-59 win over the Black Knights to open league play on January 2 in Hamilton, New York. Raider forward Jeff Woodward tied his season and career high of 17 points in the game against the Black Knights.
- Woodward continues to lead the way for the Raiders this season, boasting a team-high 14.3 points per game alongside averaging a team-high 7.5 rebounds a game.
- Two other Raiders average double-digits, with Nicolas Louis-Jacques scoring 12 points a game and Jalen Cox adding 10 points a game. Cox also holds a team-high four assists and 1.5 steals a game.
History with American
- American leads the series, 35-17
- Current Streak: American, 3 wins
- Last Army win: Jan. 11, 2023, 72-60
- Last American win: Feb. 28, 2024, 73–51
- Last Five Meetings: American leads, 4-1
- Feb. 28, 2024 (West Point): ARMY 51, AMERICAN 73
- Jan. 13, 2024 (Washington D.C.): ARMY 60, AMERICAN 79
- Jan. 25, 2023 (Washington D.C.): ARMY 61, AMERICAN 63
- Jan. 11, 2023 (West Point): ARMY 72, AMERICAN 60
- Feb. 19, 2022 (Washington D.C.): ARMY 67, AMERICAN 83
Scouting the Eagles
- The American Eagles are 12-9 overall and 6-2 in league play this season. Similar to Colgate, their only two losses came on the road at Navy and at Boston University.
- The Eagles are undefeated at home so far this season during league play and are also on a five-game winning streak heading into Wednesday night's action.
- Current reigning Patriot League Player of the Week Matt Rogers leads American averaging 16.4 points a game while also grabbing a team-high 5.5 rebounds a game.
- Elijah Stephens adds 11.1 points and a team-best 3.8 assists a game. Colin Smalls adds 10.7 points a game and Greg Jones scores 10.3 points a game for the Eagles.
