Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Elon
Men's Basketball Prepares for CBI Opening Round Matchup with Elon
March 22, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (16-15, 10-8) will play in their first postseason tournament game since 2021 on Sunday, as they take on the Elon University Phoenix (17-15, 8-10).
The Sunday game will be the first time the two programs have faced off on the hardwood.
The Phoenix finished the regular season 17-15 with an 8-10 Colonial Athletic Conference record. Elon fell in the first round of the CAA tournament, falling to Drexel, 74-91.
The Sunday afternoon matchup against Elon is slated for a 2 p.m. start and will stream on FloCollege and the Varsity Sports Network.
ARMY STORYLINES:
WHAT HAPPENED THIS SEASON: Army finished the season 16-15 overall and 10-8 in conference play, tied for the best finish in League play in program history. The Black Knights were the only team in the Patriot League this season to earn a win over a Group of Five school this season. They earned a 78-75 win over the UTSA Roadrunners (American) on December 29 to close out non-league play. Two Black Knights finished with Patriot League All-League Honors. Jalen Rucker was named to the Patriot League All-League First Team, and Josh Scovens was named to the Patriot League All-League Second Team.
LAST GAME: Army saw its Patriot League tournament run cut short, falling to the Colgate Raiders in Hamilton, New York, 55-84. Jalen Rucker led the Black Knights with 22 points while adding four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Ryan Curry was the only other member of the Black Knights to score in double digits, scoring 10 points alongside a team-high five rebounds and three assists.
CAUSING A RUCKUS: Senior guard Jalen Rucker was named to the Patriot League All-League First Team this season after averaging 17.7 points a game, 3.1 assists per game and 1.3 steals a game this season. This is Jalen Rucker's third All-League selection and second All-League First Team selection of his career. Rucker is also the first player since Mark Lueking (1993-96), to earn Patriot League All-League First Team honors twice in their career.
RETURN TO DAYTONA: This will be Army's second appearance in the CBI in the program's history, with the first time being in the 2020-21 season. This will be the Black Knights' eleventh postseason tournament appearance in program history, with eight appearances in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), one appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) and now two appearances in the CBI. The Black Knights played Bellarmine in the first round of play in 2021, ultimately falling 67-77.
BREAKING THE DROUGHT: If Army wins Sunday afternoon's matchup, it will be the first time in 55 years that the program earns a postseason tournament win. The last time the program did so was in 1970 under head coach Bob Knight at the National Invitational Tournament. Army saw a third-place finish at the NIT that season, with wins over Cincinnati, Manhattan and Louisiana State (LSU).
CHEF (RYAN) CURRY: Sophomore guard Ryan Curry has also had a strong season for the Black Knights. Curry finished the season averaging 12.5 points a game, the 13th most a game in the league. He also averages a team-high 3.6 assists a game, good for being fifth in the league in that category. Earlier this season, he scored a career-high 30 points in a double overtime thriller against current No. 1 seed Bucknell.
PACKING THE PAINT: Senior forward AJ Allenspach has also made a statement in his senior season and his first as a starter for the Black Knights. Allenspach finished the season averaging 11.0 points a game and a team-high 7.2 rebounds, also fifth in the league. He also averages a league-high 69.9 percent shooting percentage from the floor.
IN THE RECORD BOOKS: The Black Knights finished the season 10-8 in league play, which is now tied for the most Patriot League play wins in program history. The program has had three other seasons not including this season where the team has earned 10 wins in Patriot League play (2013-14, 2019-20, 2022-23).
AMONG THE BEST: Jalen Rucker currently sits at 1,825 points in his career, which is the sixth most career points scored by a player in Army's program history. Rucker reached the sixth place spot on January 15 in a home win against Lafayette, where Rucker finished with a 29-point performance.
A CHANCE AT HISTORY: AJ Allenspach also has a chance to break the Army program records for career field goal shooting percentage and season field goal shooting percentage. The current record is held by Kevin Ferguson who shot 62.7 over his career and 64.3 in a single season. Allenspach currently averages 63.2 percent over his career and 69.6 percent over this season.
FAST START: The Black Knights are 14-1 when they take a lead into the locker room. Their only loss when having a lead was at Navy, when they held a 28-26 lead at the half.
History with Elon
- This is the first-ever meeting of these two teams in program history.
Scouting the Phoenix
- Elon finished the regular season 17-15 with an 8-10 Colonial Athletic Conference record. Elon fell in the first round of the CAA tournament, falling to Drexel, 74-91.
- The Phoenix are under third-year head coach Billy Taylor, who holds a 38-58 record in his tenure in Elon, North Carolina. Coach Taylor does have a history with the Black Knights, coaching for Lehigh for five years starting in 2004, holding a 10-2 record over Army at the time.
- The Phoenix and the Black Knights shared one common opponent this season, the Navy Midshipmen. In the matchup, Elon earned a 69-63 win over Army's rival.
- In the season, TK Simpkins led the Phoenix with 16.4 points a game alongside 3.1 rebounds a game and 2.6 assists a game. His brother, TJ Simpkins, led the team with 2.9 assists a game alongside 14.6 points a game. Both are in the transfer portal, so neither will make an appearance in the CBI.
- Two of Elon's other leading scorers will still be in action. Nick Dorn, who averages 15.2 points a game, and Sam Sherry, who averages 14.5 points a game and 7.2 rebounds a game.
- Elon's leading rebounder is Matthew Van Komen, averaging 8.2 rebounds a game while also averaging a team-high 2.4 blocks a game.
