Army West Point Athletics
Men's Basketball to Face Elon in First Round of the College Basketball Invitational
March 16, 2025 | Men's Basketball
WEST POINT, N.Y. — Army West Point men's basketball will begin their Purple College Basketball Invitational campaign in Daytona Beach, Florida on March 23 with a matchup against the Elon University Phoenix.
The Sunday matchup with a tip-off set for 2 p.m. 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.
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.
Army returns to Daytona Beach after making their first appearance in the CBI in 2021. The Black Knights played Bellarmine in the first round of play, ultimately falling 67-77.
This postseason tournament invite comes after the Black Knights finished the season 16-15 overall and 10-8 in conference play. The 10-8 finish in Patriot League play tied for our best finish in League play in program history. This will also be the Black Knights' first postseason appearance under second-year head coach, Kevin Kuwik.
The Black Knights were also the only team in the Patriot League this season to earn a win over a Group of Five school in the 2024-25 season. They earned a 78-75 win over the UTSA Roadrunners (American Conference) on December 29 to close out non-league play.
Army also earned wins this season over the Patriot League Tournament Champions and NCAA Tournament qualifier American as well as Regular Season Co-Champion, Bucknell. The win against the American Eagles came at home in West Point, 76-69. The win against the Bison was a double overtime thriller, with Army winning 116-110, with the 116 points being the most points scored in a game in program history.
Two Black Knights also finished the regular season 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.
Tickets for the Purple CBI are available through the Purple College Basketball Invitational's website.
The game will also stream live on FloCollege and the Varsity Sports Network.
