With the new year on the horizon, sports fans are already gearing up for March Madness, the pinnacle of NCAA basketball. Teams have a grueling season that begins at the very start of November, running all the way to the beginning of March, where teams compete for their Conference Championship title. From here, 68 teams make it into the “Big Dance”, the NCAA March Madness Basketball tournament. The tournament is composed of the automatic qualifiers, the champions of each conference, and at-large bids, teams who were strong enough throughout the regular season but did not win their individual tournament.
Right in our backyard, the U.S. Naval Academy has a men’s and women’s basketball program, both of which compete in the Patriot League. Conference play begins right at the end of December, meaning we are currently in the middle of non-conference play. This is the perfect time to get a quick recap of both teams, preview their upcoming slate, and give you all the information on how to attend games!
The men currently sit at 6-5, picking up a 61-56 win against Air Force on December 7. Austin Benigni, a senior from Texas, has been critical to the program during his time as a midshipman. He has had four games of over 25 points, shooting an impressive 89.3% thus far. The women are 5-4, with their most recent result being a hard-fought 61-67 loss to Iona. Zanai Barnett-Gay, the 2024-25 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, has continued her prowess on the court. The junior has scored at least 16 points in seven of the nine games on the season, with four games of 10 or more rebounds and an equal four double-doubles. The women have not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since the 2012-13 season, bowing out in the first round to the University of Kentucky. On the men’s side, the midshipmen last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in the 1997-98 season, exiting in the opening round.
Both programs play their home games at Alumni Hall, located just inside the U.S. Naval Academy Yard. Those looking to attend a game will need to park off-campus and enter via the visitor’s entrance at Gate 1, or the shuttle service offered from the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Those over 18 must have a government-issued photo identification card. The shuttle bus will begin service one hour prior to the start of the event and run one hour after the end of the game. While there is no fee to park, the shuttle will cost $10. Single game tickets can be found on the Navy Athletics website, with prices being $10 per ticket.
Patriot League Conference play will begin on December 31, with both sides taking on Boston U. Throughout conference play, each team will play each other in a “home-home” fashion, meaning each school will play each school twice, once at home and once away, yielding an 18-game conference play slate, all of which will culminate in the conference playoffs, beginning on March 3, with the final taking place on March 11, 2026.
As both Navy teams enter a critical stretch of the season, there’s no better time to be part of the action and show your support for the Midshipmen. Fans can follow all Patriot League matchups online or attend home games at Alumni Hall to catch the Midshipmen in action. Updated schedules, ticketing details, and game day information are available on the Navy Athletics website. Their next games are on Friday, December 19, at 5 PM against Coppin State and Sunday, December 21, at noon against Rosemont. As the road to the Patriot League Tournament unfolds, each contest will play a key role in determining postseason positioning, with both sides striving to make a return to March Madness.
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