The American Eagles and the Navy Midshipmen meet Thursday in Patriot League Tournament college basketball action from Navy Alumni Hall. American is 16-14 overall this year and took out Bucknell in tournament action on Tuesday. As for Navy, they’re sitting at 18-12 overall and coming off a loss to Colgate this past weekend. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
American Eagles
American hit a 13-9 run over their first 22 games this year. The Eagles closed out the regular season with a rough 1-6 stretch however, losing to Boston U, Holy Cross, Bucknell, Lehigh, Navy and Loyola MD.
In the tournament matchup versus Bucknell on Tuesday, the Eagles were ahead 34-29 going into the second half. American hit a 30-30 run from there and won it 64-59. Johnny O’Neil put up 19 points and Matthew Rogers added 14 points with 13 rebounds.
Navy Midshipmen
Over on the Navy side, they hit a .500 run most of the season, going 11-11 over their first 22 outings. The Midshipmen hit a 7-1 run in the next eight, beating Lafayette, Holy Cross, Bucknell, Army, Lehigh, Loyola MD and American before the Colgate loss.
In the Colgate matchup back on Saturday, the Midshipmen faced a 34-23 deficit going into the second half. Navy got better on a 37-30 run from there but still lost 64-60. Patrick Dorsey led the way on 18 points and Daniel Deaver doubled on 15 points and 12 rebounds.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably stay with Navy. The Midshipmen may have had their seven-game win streak halted by Colgate over the weekend, but they should still be in control here. Navy has scored 70 or more points in five of their last seven outings and a good offensive push will go a long way in this one. American managed a 73-69 road win when these teams met up back on January 28, but Navy was able to strike back with a 70-54 victory of their own on February 22 at Bender Arena. I like the Midshipmen to post another win/cover here.