Jan. 17, 2012
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GAMEDAY INFO
Navy (3-14, 0-3 PL) vs. American (11-7, 2-1 PL)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 • 7:00 pm (ET)
Annapolis, Md. • Alumni Hall (5,710)
Radio: WNAV (1430 AM, 99.9 FM, wnav.com)
Announcers: Pete Medhurst, Michael Heary
Video Streaming: NavySports.com (Navy All-Access)
Gametracker: NavySports.com
Tickets: 1-800-US4-NAVY or at the Alumni Hall box office one hour prior to tip.
Series / Streak: Tied, 37-37 / American, win-1
Last Meeting: February 23, 2011 (American 69, Navy 58)
SECURITY REGULATIONS
Fans are reminded that only those vehicles with a Department of Defense sticker affixed to it will be allowed to drive onto the grounds of the USNA. All other visitors to The Yard have the option of either finding parking in downtown Annapolis and walking through the Academy's gates, or else parking at nearby Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium's blue side ($5 per vehicle) and riding the free shuttle bus to and from Alumni Hall.
GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
• Navy Basketball Family Night -- Get 4 GA Tickets, 4 Hot Dogs and 4 Coca-Cola products for only $24! Package can be purchased at the Alumni Hall Ticket Office on game night!
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
The Navy men's basketball team looks to turn things around on Wednesday night as local rival American comes to Alumni Hall for a 7:00 pm tipoff. The Midshipmen (3-14 / 0-3 PL) are coming off a 75-62 setback to Army on Saturday, while American (11-7 / 2-1 PL) defeated Holy Cross, 67-54, at home on Saturday afternoon. The Midshipmen are looking for just their fifth win in 24th meeting against the Eagles since American joined the Patriot League prior to the 2001-02 season. The game will be broadcast by WNAV (1430 AM, 99.9 FM, wnav.com) with Pete Medhurst and Michael Heary calling the action courtside beginning with the Navy Basketball pregame show at 6:45 pm. Live stats and video (Navy All-Access) will be provided on NavySports.com and as always, fans can receive text message updates via Navy's official Twitter page (@NavyAthletics).
NAVY NOTEBOOK
• Over the last five games, Navy has committed just 62 turnovers (12.4 per game), while dishing out 71 assists (14.2 per game) on 107 made field goals. Navy boasts an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.15 (71-to-62).
• Despite taking care of the ball, opponents have taken advantage of Navy's miscues, turning those 62 turnovers into 76 points (1.23 points per turnover). Meanwhile, Navy has turned 69 opponent turnovers into just 52 points (0.75 points per turnover).
• Opponents have averaged at least 1.00 points per possession in eight straight games and in 12 games overall. Over the last eight games, opponents have scored 560 points on 477.2 possessions for an average of 1.17 points per possession. The standard average is about 1.00.
• Navy recorded just nine turnovers in back-to-back games against Lafayette and Holy Cross. Its the first time since Feb. 26 to March 4, 1994 (3 games) that Navy has had single-digit turnovers in back-to-back games. The Mids then had 19 turnovers against Army last Saturday, having more turnovers than the previous two games combined.
• In Navy's three wins, the Midshipmen are shooting 52.5 percent from the field and have 56 assists against 46 turnovers for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.22 while averaging 76.7 points per game. In the 14 losses, Navy is shooting 39.9 percent from the field, have 164 assists against 202 turnovers (0.81 ratio) and are averaging just 57.4 points per game.
• Navy has failed to reach 70 points in a game since the second game of the season, when it scored 88 against Penn State Altoona on Nov. 13.
• When opponents shoot better than Navy, the Mids are just 1-14 with the lone win coming against Mount St. Mary's.
• In the previous seven seasons (2005-11), Navy was 56-18 (.757) when attempting more free throws than its opponent. This year so far, Navy is just 3-7 (.300).
• When Navy is outrebounded, the Midshipmen are 0-11. When outrebounding its opponent, Navy is 3-3.
• Navy is shooting 51.3 percent (267-of-520) from inside the three-point line this year.
• Navy remains stuck on win No. 1,298 in program history, still needing two wins for 1,300. The Mids own a 1,298-929 record (.583).
• J.J. Avila (16) and Jordan Sugars (10) have accounted for 25 of Navy's 43 double-figure scoring performances this year. The duo has scored 477 of Navy's 1,034 points this year (46.1 percent).
• The duo of J.J. Avila and Jordan Sugars have scored 117 of Navy's 194 points in three Patriot League games. The duo is averaging 39.0 points per game between them, and has accounted for 60.3 percent of Navy's scoring in league play.
• In Patriot League play, the duo of Avila and Sugars is shooting 38-of-77 (.494) from the field, 9-of-27 (.333) from three-point range and 32-42 (.762) from the free throw line. The rest of the team is shooting 25-of-75 (.333) from the field and 16-of-22 (.727) from the free throw line.
• J.J. Avila has scored in double-figures in 13 straight games, averaging 17.3 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game and 2.5 assists per game during that span. He is shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 77.8 percent from the free throw line in the last 13 games.
• After a five-game slump (Nov. 30 to Dec. 22) in which he averaged just 5.6 points per game and shot 20.0 percent (9-of-45) from the field, Jordan Sugars has responded by averaging 18.2 ppg while shooting 26-of-62 (.419) from the field, 12-of-32 (.375) from three and 27-of-36 (.750) from the free throw line in the last five games.
• According to BBState.com, Navy ranks 308th nationally in possessions / game, which takes into account the pace of play that a team plays. It is a stark contrast to what Navy played under previous head coach Billy Lange. Under Lange, Navy ranked 13th (2011), 21st (2010), 55th (2009),ninth (2008), 270th (2007), 37th (2006) and fifth (2005) in possessions / game, averaging well over 70.0 possessions per game in those years. This year's team is averaging 64.0 possessions per game, compared to 74.2 possessions per game a year ago.
NAVY-AMERICAN SERIES HISTORY
• Wednesday's game marks the 75th meeting between the two teams, with each team winning 37 previous meetings. Navy is just 3-7 against American at Alumni Hall and is just 4-19 against the Eagles during the Patriot League era. Three of the four wins have come since the 2007-08 season, but American has won six of the last seven contests.
• Navy is just 3-7 against American at Alumni Hall, but included in that total are two of more impressive wins of the last five years. Navy dominated the Eagles, who lost twice to Bucknell and once to Navy last year in league play, by a 72-53 margin in late January. The other was an 83-68 decision in the 2007-08 season against an American team that won the Patriot League regularseason and tournament titles. Navy swept the Eagles during the 2007-08 season, the only time Navy has accomplished that.
• In the 19 losses to American since the 2001-02 season, Navy has reached 70 points just three times, and two of the three came in overtime games.
LAST YEAR VS. THE EAGLES
• The two teams split last year's meetings with each team winning on their home court. The Midshipmen topped the Eagles, 72-53, on Jan. 26, in a game delayed an hour-and-a-half by a freak snowstorm that blew into the area. Navy led by six at halftime, then would stretch the lead to as many as 26 in the biggest Navy victory in the series since Jan. 17, 1987 (96-60). J.J. Avila scored 24 points with five rebounds and three assists and Jordan Sugars added 15 points. Vlad Moldoveanu led American with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
• American won the second meeting, 69-58, after holding off a furious Navy rally. The Mids trailed 34-25 at halftime and 50-34 with 11 minutes left when the Mids embarked on a 21-9 run to cut the AU lead to 59-55 with 2:55 to play. The Eagles then outscored Navy 10-3 for the final margin. Greg Brown led Navy with 16 points, while Moldoveanu had 28 points and nine rebounds. American was 11-of-21 from three-point range.
# GO NAVY #
