Army’s five-game losing streak was snapped Wednesday against Bucknell shortly after Jackson Furman buried a go-ahead 3-pointer from the right wing in overtime. Furman’s shot gave the Black Knights an 87-84 lead with less than one second to play.
It was Army’s first victory in 2026 as it improved to 8-12 overall and 2-5 in Patriot League play.
Things won’t get much easier as the Black Knights travel to face Navy, who sits atop the league standings.
The Midshipmen (14-6, 6-1) have won their last two games and 10 of their last 11. Their only loss during that span came to American by 14. Navy defeated Holy Cross, 85-68, on Wednesday.
Army at Navy Odds
As of this writing, Navy is a 10.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM against Army while the Over/Under is at 143.5 points.
The Moneyline for Navy is -650 and +470 for Army.
Army at Navy on TV
The matchup between Army and Navy will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Today’s game tips off at 1:30 p.m. ET.
Army at Navy Prediction
I predict Army covers the 10.5-point spread, but Navy wins. I also predict this game goes over 143.5 points.
The Black Knights love to let the ball fly. They’re not scared to pull up from 3 early in the shot clock if it’s open, but they’re willing to move the ball around and find open shots from the outside. Their 647 3-point attempts are by far the most in the league and the ninth-most in the country.
In conference play, Army is shooting 35.2% from the perimeter and averaging a league-best 78.6 points per game. Per KenPom, they get an offensive rebound on 34% of misses, which is the most in the conference, which sets up for more opportunities from 3-point range.
Six-foot-1 junior guard Ryan Curry paces the Cadets with 14.9 points and five assists per game. He leads the Patriot League in 3-point attempts (65) and makes (24) during conference games and is converting at a 37% mark.
Furman and Jaxson Bell are both averaging 11.3 PPG and shooting over 40% from the field and nearly 40% from the outside.
The bad news for Army is that it’s facing the best 3-point defense in the league and, statistically, the best defense overall.
RELATED: College Basketball Odds to Win the 2026 National Championship
Navy is holding opponents to 64.6 PPG and 40.7% from the field, including a mere 26.1% from the outside. It plays an aggressive defense and applies a ton of pressure, often making it difficult for offenses to get any penetration or even get set up.
This means the Black Knights will likely find it difficult to get open looks. I expect them to adapt, though, and use more screens and cuts to try and get to the basket.
The Midshipmen like to utilize a lot of screens themselves to try and get guys going toward the rim and to also open up the lane for 6-foot-11 senior Aidan Kehoe and establish one-on-one opportunities. Kehoe is averaging 15.1 PPG while shooting at a 72.2% clip, which is the best mark in the country. He’s also leading the league with 10.6 rebounds per game.
I don’t expect Army’s defense to pose any problems for him, or for the rest of the Midshipmen offense.
The Black Knights allow an adjusted defensive efficiency of 121.2 and an effective field-goal percentage of 58.1%. Those are both the worst marks in the league.
Senior guard Austin Benigni leads the Midshipmen with 18.7 PPG and 4.3 APG. He’s shooting 41.8% from the field and 48.6% from the outside.
I expect Army will show up and compete, but the duo of Kehoe and Benigni will be too much offensively for the Black Knights, and Navy’s defense will, for the most part, keep Army at bay.
