A conference series that began nearly four decades ago will be continued Saturday when the Navy (11-10, 4-5) and American (13-7, 5-4) men's basketball teams meet at 2 p.m. in Alumni Hall.

Five Starting Notes
1 – Navy and American will be meeting for the eighth time in the last three seasons.  The teams met four times during the 2021 COVID-adjusted schedule season and played three times last year.
2 – The only opponent Navy has played more games against than American is Army.  The Mids and the Black Knights have played 138 times and Saturday's game against the Eagles will be the 101st game in the series.
3 – This year marks the 22nd season in which the Mids and the Eagles are members of the Patriot League and the 30th season in which they are members of the same conference.
4 – Navy ranks 312th nationally with an average of 64.2 possessions a game.  American ranks 348th with an average of 62.7 possessions a game.
5 – Saturday's game is the middle game of a five-game stretch in which the Mids will play four games away from Annapolis.  Following the end of this span (Feb. 4 at Holy Cross), Navy will play four of its last six games in Alumni Hall with one of the two remaining road games being at American.

Game Day Info
•    The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
•    The game will be carried on WNAV (AM-1430, FM-99.9, www.wnav.com, Audacy app).
•     Live statistics will be available through NavySports.com.

Attending the Game
• Fans without a Department of Defense ID card must park outside of the USNA and either walk through the gate one visitors center or ride the shuttle bus.  Shuttle bus service begins one hour prior to the start of the game.  It will depart from and return to the blue (west) parking lot at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (550 Taylor Ave., Annapolis, MD, 21401).

Last Game - Navy 63, Bucknell 46
•    Bucknell took an 11-4 lead with 10 minutes left in the half, but the Mids outscored the Bison 46-12 over the next 20 minutes to take a 50-23 lead.
•    The Bison did not make their first field goal of the second half until almost eight minutes of the second half had elapsed.
•    Navy made 16 second-half field goals whole Bucknell made six.  The Bison were 13-19 from the foul line in the second half compared to the 2-2 effort by the Mids.
•    Navy held a 42-14 edge in points scored in the paint.
'•    Sean Yoder was 3-3 from three-point range and 4-4 from the field in all in scoring 11 second half points.  He ended the game 7-8 from the floor to score 17 points.
•    Tyler Nelson had 10 rebounds eight points, four assists, two steals and one block.

About American 
•    American makes the short drive to Annapolis with an overall record of 13-7 and a Patriot League record of 5-4.
•    The Eagles began league play with four-straight wins, then suffered four-straight losses before defeating Army, 63-61, Wednesday night.
•    American has posted a 3-1 record in league games decided by five or fewer points.

Series History
•    The series began Feb. 2, 1929, when Navy defeated American, 46-21, in Annapolis.
•    Saturday's game will be No. 101 in the series.
•    Navy holds a 51-49 edge in the series, which includes a 34-21 lead in games played in Annapolis.  The Eagles lead Navy, 12-11 in games played in Alumni Hall.
•    American leads Navy, 28-16, in Patriot League regular season games played between the teams.  This includes a 12-10 leads in games played in Annapolis, all of which were played in Alumni Hall.
•    The teams also met annually for eight years (1984-91) as members of the ECAC South Conference / Colonial Athletic Association.  The Mids held an 8-6 advantage over the Eagles in regular season games between the teams and an 8-7 lead overall during that era.
•    Navy has won the last seven games in the series, which includes four wins in a row in Annapolis.

Miscellaneous Game Records
•    The Mids have tallied a 140-95 record against teams located in Washington, D.C.
•    Navy has posted a 10-15 record in games played on Jan. 28.  This includes a 4-4 record in Patriot League regular season games played on the date.

Up Next
•    Navy returns to the road for the first of two games away from Annapolis Wednesday when it plays at Lafayette.
•    The Leopards head into a Saturday game at Colgate with an overall record of 7-15 and a league record of 5-4.  Lafayette has posted a 5-1 record over its last six games.

2023 Alumni Game
•    The men's basketball alumni game returns to Annapolis Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in Alumni Hall.  
•    Men's basketball alumni attending Saturday afternoon will be recognized during halftime of the Navy-American game.

Men's Basketball Alumni Expected to be in Attendance
Edward Alade - 2017
Ben Biles - 2008
Hassan Booker - 1998
Tilman Dunbar - 2016
Chris Harris - 2019
Mike Heary - 1998
Josh Hill - 2001
Richard Njoku - 2022
James Norris - 1996
Cliff Rees - 1988
Matt Sladky - 1998
Greg Sprink - 2008
Derric Turner - 1989
Mark Veazey - 2011
Brian Walker - 1997
Mike Wall - 1999
Tony Wells - 1986
Kylor Whitaker - 1986
Calvin White - 2007

Navy Relying on Long-Range Shot
•    Through games of Jan. 26, Navy ranks ninth nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.392) and 48th in three-point field goals made per game (8.7).
•    The Patriot League ranks second in the NCAA for three-point field goal percentage this season.