Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
American
Men's Basketball to Square Off Against American
February 19, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball (15-11, 9-5) will battle the top team in the Patriot League at Christl Arena on Wednesday, taking on the American Eagles (17-10, 11-3).
Wednesday marks the second time the two teams have faced off this season. American makes the return trip to West Point after the Black Knights faced off against the Eagles in Washington D.C. on February 1, where American escaped an Army rally to take a 71-68 win.
The Wednesday night matchup against American at Christl Arena is slated for a 6 p.m. start, with the game airing live on ESPN+ and The Varsity Sports Network.
ARMY STORYLINES:
LAST GAME: Army West Point men's basketball saw its second loss of the season to the Navy Midshipmen, 54-61. The Black Knights finished the game shooting 38 percent from the floor and 28.6 percent from the three-point line. Jalen Rucker led the Black Knights with 18 points while adding three rebounds, two assists and one steal.
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 third place in the standings, a half-game back from second place Bucknell and two games back from league-leading 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 FORCE: The Black Knights still have one of the top offenses in the Patriot League, holding the best scoring offense in the Patriot League (75.1 ppg). The Black Knights also average a league-best scoring margin (+1.2 ppg) and average league-high in assists per game (14.9 apg).
HANDLE WITH CARE: In terms of turnovers, the Black Knights are among the best in limiting their turnovers and forcing other teams to commit turnovers. Army leads the league in turnover margin (+1.27), least turnovers per game (10.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.45).
SENIOR STATUS: Jalen Rucker has had a historic senior season. Rucker now sits sixth all-time on Army's scoring list. as well as sits in 26th on the NCAA Div. I active career scoring list (15.7 ppg). Rucker averages a league-best 18.2 points per game this season and a league-high 1.6 steals a game.
STELLAR SOPHOMORE: Josh Scovens has made his impact felt his sophomore season, averaging 16.1 points per game, good for second on the team and fifth in the Patriot League. Also, Scovens is second in the league in blocks per game, averaging 1.2 a game. Scovens had a team-high 22 points in Army's win over Loyola Maryland on Wednesday.
PAINT PRESENCE: AJ Allenspach has also had a strong senior campaign. In his first year as a starter, Allenspach averages 10.3 points a game and a team-high 7.3 rebounds a game, also good for second in the Patriot League. Allenspach also averages a league-high 69.2 percent shooting percentage.
CURRY COOKING: Ryan Curry is first on the team and fourth in the league in assists a game, averaging 3.8 assists per game. He is also third on the team and tied for 11th in the league in points per game, averaging 12.4 points a game.
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 American
- American leads the series, 36-17
- Current Streak: American, 4 wins
- Last Army win: Jan. 11, 2023, 72-60
- Last American win: Feb. 1, 2025, 71-68
- Last Five Meetings: American leads, 4-1
- Feb. 1, 2025 (Washington D.C.): ARMY 68, AU 71
- Feb. 28, 2024 (West Point): ARMY 51, AU 73
- Jan. 13, 2024 (Washington D.C.): ARMY 60, AU 79
- Jan. 25, 2023 (Washington D.C.): ARMY 61, AU 63
- Jan. 11, 2023 (West Point): ARMY 72, AU 60
Scouting the Eagles
- American is 17-10 this season and 11-3 in Patriot League play. The Eagles are riding a three-game winning streak, with wins over Lehigh, Lafayette and Loyola Maryland. Their last loss came against Bucknell in Lewisburg, Pa., 49-71.
- In their last matchup against American, Army saw a 68-71 loss to the Eagles, nearly coming back from a 17-point second-half deficit to take the win.
- Matt Rogers leads the Eagles averaging 17.1 points a game, while also averaging a team-best 5.8 rebounds a game.
- Elijah Stevens directs the offense with a team-best 3.7 assists a game while averaging 11.1 points a game. Greg Jones and Colin Smalls also average 10.4 points a game.
