Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Navy
Men's Basketball Reignites Rivalry with Navy with Aim to Claim Star Series Win
February 14, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (15-10, 9-4) looks to earn a fourth straight win and retain the Alumni Trophy on Saturday as they head to Annapolis, Maryland as they take on the Navy Midshipmen (9-17, 6-7).
The Black Knights will have a chance to get revenge on the Navy Midshipmen after suffering a loss to Navy on January 26. This game will also serve 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.
The Saturday afternoon against Navy in Alumni Hall is slated for a 1:30 p.m. start, with the game airing live on CBS Sports Network and The Varsity Sports Network.
ARMY STORYLINES:
LAST GAME: The Black Knights completed the season sweep over Loyola Maryland, stealing a 64-60 win on the road in Baltimore. Josh Scovens lead the way with a game-high 22 points while shooting 75 percent from the floor and adding four rebounds, three blocks and two assists. Baltimore Native Jalen Rucker added 19 points, scoring the Black Knights's last six points to secure the win.
PATRIOT LEAGUE STANDINGS: With the Patriot League Tournament starting in less than a month, every league game matters more than ever. Currently, the Black Knights sit in second place in the standings, one game back from the league leader, American. In the tournament, the top six teams will receive a first-round bye and the team with the higher seed gains home-court advantage for each game.
OFFENSIVE MINDED: The Black Knights lead the Patriot League in three critical offensive categories. Army leads the league in scoring offense (75.9 ppg), scoring margin (+1.6 ppg) and assists a game (15.2 apg).
BALL HOGS: The Black Knights are also one of the best teams in causing as well as limiting their own turnovers. Army has the best turnover margin (+1.44) and best assist-to-turnover ratio (1.49) in the league. The Black Knights also average 6.64 steals a game.
STELLAR SOPHOMORE: Sophomore Josh Scovens also had a strong showing the past three games with three double-digit performances. Scovens was second in scoring against Holy Cross with 16 points alongside six rebounds and two blocks. Scovens also added 23 points with a season-high six assists and five rebounds. Most recently, he scored a game-high 22 points with four rebounds, three blocks and two assists.
SENIORITY: Senior guard Jalen Rucker has had an impactful final season. Along with leading the team, he also leads the league with 18.2 points a game and 1.6 points a game. Heading into this week, Jalen Rucker is also 23rd in the Div. I level in career scoring average with 15.7 points a game.
PAINT PRESENCE: Senior forward AJ Allenspach leads the league shooting 68.8 percent from the floor and is third in the league grabbing 7.4 rebounds a game.
CURRY COOKING: Sophomore guard Ryan Curry had a strong show last week, averaging 19.5 points. Curry also eclipsed a career milestone, scoring a career-high 30 points in Army's win over Bucknell. He leads the team averaging 3.9 assists a game and shoots a team-best 40.3 percent from the three-point line.
FAST START: When the Black Knights have gotten off to a quick start this season, they are hard to stop. Army West Point is 14-0 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 15 in Annapolis 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 Navy
- Navy leads the series, 86-56
- Current Streak: Navy, 1 win
- Last Army win: Feb. 10, 2024, 69-67 (OT)
- Last Navy win: Jan. 26, 2025, 66-53
- Last Five Meetings: Navy leads, 4-1
- Jan. 26, 2025 (West Point): ARMY 53, NAVY 66
- Feb. 10, 2024 (West Point): ARMY 69, NAVY 67 (OT)
- Jan. 20, 2024 (Annapolis): ARMY 53, NAVY 57
- Feb. 11, 2023 (Annapolis): ARMY 53, NAVY 70
- Jan. 21, 2023 (West Point): ARMY 71, NAVY 77
Scouting the Midshipmen
- Navy is 9-17 this season and 6-7 in Patriot League play. The Midshipmen have lost three of the last four, most recently winning at home against Lehigh.
- In their last matchup against Navy, Army saw a 66-53 loss to the Midshipmen, their only loss at home so far this season during Patriot League play.
- Austin Benigni leads the Midshipmen averaging 18.1 points a game, while also averaging a team-best 4.3 assists a game.
- Aidan Kehoe leads the league averaging 9.7 rebounds a game, while also averaging 9.6 points a game.
Parking Information for Alumni Hall
- Only those vehicles driven by someone with a Department of Defense (DoD)-approved identification card will be allowed onto the USNA.
- Fans without DoD approved vehicle access to the USNA must park outside of The Yard. The simplest way to do this is to park ($10 per vehicle) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (550 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, Md., 21401). Enter the blue / west parking lot through gate 5 off of Taylor Avenue. The free fan shuttle bus will leave from and return to the Blue Angel jet. The fan shuttle bus starts running at 9:30 a.m. and ends one hour after the conclusion of the second game.
- Fans also can park downtown and walk through the gate one visitors center (52 King George St., Annapolis, MD, 21402) or gate eight.
- Gate three will be open to pedestrians from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Whether a visitor rides the shuttle bus or walks through one of the USNA gates, everyone ages 18 and over must have a valid picture ID (i.e.: State issued driver's license, student I.D., or a government issued passport). Visitors ages 17 and younger who do not have a valid picture ID must be accompanied by an adult.
- The doors to the seating area at Alumni Hall will open at 10 a.m.
