Navy (2-2 / 0-0 Patriot League) at No. 18 / 20 North Carolina (4-0 / 0-0 ACC)
Tuesday, Nov. 18  I  7 p.m.  I  Smith Center  I  Chapel Hill, N.C.

Five Starting Notes
•    Despite the series dating back over a century, this is just the second time Navy and North Carolina will face each other in Chapel Hill (1935-36).
•    Navy is playing at the home of an ACC team for the second year in a row (at Virginia Tech).  The Mids previously played at Virginia and at Louisville during the 2021-22 season.
•    North Carolina is the first nationally-ranked opponent for Navy since it beat No. 25 / 25 Virginia at the start of the 2021-22 season.
•    The last two games played in the series took place in the NCAA Tournament.  The Tar Heels defeated the Mids in the first round of the 1998 tournament and Navy beat North Carolina in the first round of the 1959 postseason.
•    Navy is playing a game in North Carolina for the first time since playing at Campbell in 2023-24 and will return to the state next week to play in a tournament at UNCW Nov. 26-29.

Game Information
•    Navy makes the first of two trips in back-to-back weeks to the state of North Carolina when it plays Tuesday night at North Carolina at the Roy Williams Court at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill.  
•    Tip for the game being televised on the ACC Network, streamed through the network on ESPN and carried locally on the radio by WNAV is set for 7 p.m.

A Look Back
•    Navy evened its record at 2-2 on the season with a 97-64 victory over Washington (Md.) Friday night at Alumni Hall.
•    It was a back-and-forth game in the early going.  The Shoremen scored five-straight points to take a 24-23 lead but the Mids responded by scoring the next 25 points to take control.
•    Six Mids scored in double figures led by a career-high tying 20 points from Aidan Kehoe.
•    Navy was credited with 24 assists on its 34 made field goals and shot 59.6 percent for the game.

North Carolina Preview
•    North Carolina ended the 2024-25 season with an overall record of 23-14 and tied for fourth place in the ACC with a 13-7 record.  
•    The Tar Heels fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
•    North Carolina has posted a 4-0 record this season with all four games thus far being at home.  The best win for the Tar Heels this season was an 87-74 victory over -- at the time -- No. 19 / 19 Kansas.
•    North Carolina was ranked 18th by the AP and 20th by the coaches in the respective national polls that were released on Nov. 10.

Series History
•    Navy and North Carolina first met on Feb. 11, 1920.  The Mids registered a 37-24 victory in that inaugural game played in Annapolis.
•    Navy holds a 14-6 lead in the overall series.  
•    The teams last met in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament when North Carolina defeated Navy, 88-52, in Hartford, Conn.
•    The prior game played to that was a 76-63 win by Navy in the first round of the 1959 NCAA Tournament in Madison Square Garden.
•    This is just the second time in which the Mids are playing North Carolina in Chapel Hill.  The lone previous game in the series to be played there was a 39-25 victory by the Tar Heels on Feb. 8, 1936.
•    At the time of that game, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in his first term as the President of the United States.
•    The first stock car race (241 of 250 miles completed) at the Daytona Beach and Road Course was held on that same day and was won by Milt Marion.
•    A gallon of gas cost 19 cents and a gallon of milk cost 47 cents.
•    The number one song in the U.S. that week was Pennies from Heaven by Bing Crosby.
•    While the teams have only faced each other only once in Chapel Hill, they also played a pair of games against one another in nearby Raleigh (1950-51, 1953-54).
•    North Carolina also took part in the second edition of the Veterans Classic. The consensus No. 1 Tar Heels posted a 91-67 victory over Temple in that November 2015 games played in Annapolis.

Navy vs. Ranked Teams
•    North Carolina was ranked 18th by AP and 20th by the coaches in the respective polls that were released on Nov. 10.
•    It will be Navy's first game against a ranked team in four seasons (Nov. 9, 2021, at Virginia).
•    Navy had lost 19 games in a row against ranked teams (March 23, 1986, to Dec., 29, 2019) until it won its last game, a 66-58 win over No. 25 / 25 Virginia on Nov. 9, 2021.

Navy vs. Nationally-Ranked Teams by Venue
W-L    Site
3-18    Home (0-3 in Alumni Hall)
3-32    Road
5-18    Neutral 

North Carolina's and Navy's Ben Carnevale
•    Ben Carnevale served as the head coach at both North Carolina and at Navy.
•    He compiled an overall record of 52-11 in his two years (1944-45 to 1945-46) at Chapel Hill, with his latter team posting a 30-5 overall record, winning the Southern Conference regular season title with a 13-1 record and advancing to the championship game of the NCAA Tournament.
•    Carnevale then took over at Navy starting with the 1946-47 season.  He remained on The Yard for 20 years through the 1965-66 season.
•    The Mids tallied a 257-160 record under Carnevale and made five NCAA Tournament (1947, 1953, 1954, 1959, 1960) and one NIT (1962) appearance.
•    Carnevale's Navy teams defeated North Carolina four times (39-35 on Jan 25, 1947; 60-49 on Dec. 28, 1950; 86-62 on Dec. 28, 1953; 76-63 on March 10, 1959).  The last of those four games was in the first round of the 1958 NCAA Tournament.
•    Beyond coaching, he was the chairman of the USOC for basketball from 1964-68 and served as a committee member for 20 seasons.
•    Prior to coaching, Carnevale served in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a gunnery officer.  His ship was torpedoed off the coast of Africa in December 1942 and he spent more than five days at sea in a lifeboat before he was rescued.  He later was awarded the Purple Heart.
•    Carnevale was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970.

On This Date
•    Navy has posted a 4-6 record in games played on Nov. 18.

Against This State 
•    Navy has posted a 65-70 record against teams located in North Carolina.

In This State 
•    Navy has tallied a 24-36 record in games played in North Carolina.
•    The Mids will play three games at UNCW Nov. 26-29.

Navy vs. ACC
•    The Mids have compiled a 91-110 record against teams currently in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
•    Navy has posted an 10-41 record against current ACC teams when the game was played on the road.

North Carolina vs. Patriot League 
•    North Carolina has posted an 8-0 record in home games played against current teams in the Patriot League.
•    This includes a 5-0 record in games played in the Dean E. Smith Center.

Navy vs. 2025 NCAA Tournament Teams
•    The Mids will play games this season against 2025 NCAA Tournament teams Yale, North Carolina and UNCW.  
•    This is just the third time since Navy joined the Patriot League in 1991-92 in which it will play as many as three non-league games against teams that appeared in the previous year's NCAA Tournament (2006-07, 2021-22). 

A Look Ahead
•    Navy is back in Alumni Hall Saturday when the Mids play host to NJIT at noon.

Veterans Classic
•    Nov. 7 saw Navy play host to the 12th edition of the Veterans Classic.
•    This year's games had Tulsa defeating Rhode Island, 82-65, and Yale beating Navy, 97-68.
•    Traditionally held on or around the Veterans Day holiday weekend, the event pays tribute to veterans of all our armed forces.
•    The three visiting teams immerse themselves in the USNA on Thursday through tours of ship simulators, helicopters, and ships.  They then eat lunch in King Hall with members of the Brigade of Midshipmen.
•    Veterans of all service branches are honored during the course of the doubleheader.

Perry Has Successful Debut as Head Coach
•    Jon Perry entered the 2025-26 season having been part of 366 Navy games in his 12 years as an assistant coach to Ed DeChellis.  Navy's Nov. 3, 2025, game at Presbyterian marked his first as the head coach of the Mids.
•    Navy posted a 76-55 victory in Perry's debut as the head coach.
•    Navy compiled an 82-64 overall record and a 53-32 mark against Patriot League foes over the last five years and put together a winning record against league opponents in six of the last nine years (80-67 record in league games during this span).  
•    The Mids reached the championship game of the 2022 and '25 Patriot League Tournaments after they won their division in 2021, placed second in the league in 2022, tied for second in 2023 and tied for third in 2025.
•    Additionally, the 2024-25 season was Perry's 23rd of either playing for or coaching alongside DeChellis.
•    Perry was named the 20th head coach of the program on April 2, 2025. 
•    Over the last 100 seasons, Navy head coaches have posted a 7-4 record in their debut game.

DeChellis Staying Busy
•    Ed DeChellis retired following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.  He had spent the last 14 seasons as the head coach of the Mids after he previously served as the head coach at East Tennessee State (1996-97 to 2002-03) and Penn State (2003-04 to 2010-11).
•    DeChellis was named to the NABC Tournament Advisory Committee, a group of former men's basketball coaches who will provide season-long feedback to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.
•    Fellow members of the committee are Scott Davenport, Fran Dunphy, Jeff Jones, Phil Martelli, Norm Roberts, Tubby Smith and Gary Waters.

About the 2025-26 Navy Team
•    Navy returns from the 2024-25 season:
    * all 5 starters
    * 14 of 19 letter winners
    * 18 of 26 players

•    Navy leads the NCAA with 86.6 percent of its scoring back from last year.

Most Returning Scoring – NCAA
1. Navy – 86.6%
2. Purdue – 79.6%
3. VMI – 78.5%
4. Harvard – 77.2%
5. Boston U. – 73.6% 

•    Navy is one of nine teams in the country that returns at least 65 percent of its points, rebounds and assists from last season.

Navy Atop Preseason Polls
•    The Mids placed first in the 2025-26 Patriot League Preseason Poll of head coaches.

2025-26 Preseason Patriot League Poll - Men
1. Navy, 79 points (7 first-place votes)
2. Boston U., 73 (2)
3. Colgate, 64 (1)
4. American, 47
5. Bucknell, 44
6. Loyola, 39
7. Lafayette, 36
8. Lehigh, 30
9. Holy Cross, 23
10. Army West Point, 15

•    Additionally, senior guard Austin Benigni was named the Patriot League's Preseason Player of the Year.

2025-26 Preseason All-Patriot League Team - Men
Greg Jones, American, Jr., G
Kyrone Alexander, Boston University, Jr., G
Jalen Cox, Colgate, Jr., G
Jacob Theodosiou, Loyola Maryland, Jr., G
Austin Benigni, Navy, Sr., G (Player of the Year)

•    Not to be outdone, the Navy women's team also placed first in the preseason poll and junior guard Zanai Barnett-Gay was named the preseason player of the year.

2025-26 Preseason Patriot League Poll - Women
1. Navy, 71 points (2 first-place votes)
2. Army, 68 (2)
3. Loyola, 63 (3)
4. Holy Cross, 60 (2)
5. Lehigh, 57 (1)
6. Colgate, 34
7. Bucknell, 33
8. Boston U., 32
9. Lafayette, 21
10. American, 11

2025-26 Preseason All-Patriot League Team - Women
Fiona Hastick, Army, Jr., G/F
Anne Bair, Colgate, Sr., G
Kaitlyn Flanagan, Holy Cross, Sr., G
Lex Therien, Loyola, Gr., F
Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy, Jr., G (Player of the Year)

Lots of TV Time
•     Navy has been selected to appear on the CBS Sports Network a minimum of five times during the regular season.
•    The Mids will appear on the network Nov. 7 against Yale, Jan. 12 at American, Feb. 9 at Bucknell and both games against Army (Jan. 24 in Annapolis and Feb. 21 at West Point).  
•    Navy's Feb. 28 home game against Colgate also could be chosen to be televised by the network.
•    Navy previously played five regular season games on the network during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns.  Including postseason games, the Mids were on the CBS Sports Network seven times during the 2021-22 season and five times during the 2016-27, 2018-19 and 2024-25 seasons. 
•    The Mids enter the season having appeared on the network 70 times since its inception as College Sports Television (CSTV) in 2004-05.
•    Also, Navy's Veterans Day game at Penn State will be aired on the Big Ten Network in what will be the second time (Nov. 27, 2020, at Maryland) in which the Mids appear on the network since it was launched in the fall of 2007.  
•    Additionally, the team's Nov. 18 game at North Carolina (7 p.m.) will be carried by the ACC Network.  Navy's two previous appearances on the network –– which began during the fall of 2019 –– were during the 2021-22 season when the Mids won a 66-58 game at Virginia and played at Louisville.

Happy Anniversary
•     The 2025-26 season marks 40 years since the 1985-86 Mids advanced to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.
•    Behind then-junior David Robinson, Navy compiled a 30-5 overall record and defeated Tulsa, Syracuse and Cleveland State in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Duke in the regional final.  
•    Robinson was the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year and earned multiple All-America accolades.  He averaged 22.8 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.9 blocks per game.  He recorded 207 blocks on the year, which bettered every team in the country except for the 213 by eventual national champion Louisville.
•    The 30 victories remains a service academy record.

Woods to Captain Mids
•     Mike Woods will serve as the captain of the men's basketball team for the 2025-26 season.

Service Assignments Announced Soon
•     Seniors at the USNA will learn of their service assignment in either the Navy or Marine Corps over lunch on Thursday, Nov. 20.

Navy in the NCAA Rankings
•     Navy as a team and several of its players are scattered through the NCAA statistical rankings release the morning of Monday, Nov. 17.

Team
Effective FG Pct.    92nd    55.8%
Field Goal Pct.    46th    50.5%
Free Throw Pct.    77th    75.5%
Individuals
>> Austin Benigni
Assists    82nd    20
Assists / Game    90th    5.0
Steals    29th    11
Steals / Game    30th    2.75
>> Donovan Draper
Defensive Rebounds / Game    41st    6.75
>> Aidan Kehoe
Field Goal Pct.    18th    72.7%

Navy Good Again on the Offensive Boards 
•    Navy has been very good over the last number of years at winning the offensive rebound margin.
•    The Mids are +1,051 in offensive rebounding margin over the last 12 seasons.

Benigni Scores 1,000th Point
•    Austin Benigni became the 27th Mid to score 1,000 career points during Navy's Jan. 18, 2025, game at Bucknell.
•    He reached the milestone in his 81st career game.  That ranks him 12th for the fewest games needed to score 1,000 points.
•    Benigni is in 14th place for the most career points by a Mid with 1,359 points.  

Navy Career Scoring List
1.    2,669    David Robinson, 1984-87
12.    1,388    Hank Kuzma, 1975-78
13.    1,366    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91
14.    1,359    Austin Benigni, 2023-pres.

Donovan Draper's Double-Doubles
•    Though he has played a little more than only two full seasons, Donovan Draper ranks ninth at Navy with 15 career double-doubles. 

Draper's Steals and Rebounds
•    Donovan Draper spent the 2021-22 academic year as a football player at the Naval Academy Prep School.  He then was wide receiver at Navy on the 2022-23 team.
•    Draper, who was an all-county basketball player in high school, joined the Navy basketball team in the spring of 2023.
•    After going 994 days between his last high school basketball game and first as a Mid, he made an immediate impact as he ranked among the Patriot League and NCAA leaders in multiple statistical categories (steals, offensive rebounds, total rebounds).
•    He ranks among the Navy career leaders in steals and steals per game.

Kehoe on the Boards
•    Aidan Kehoe set a Navy record in 2024-25 for the most offensive boards by a Mid in a season.
•    Kehoe also ranked third at Navy for the most defensive rebounds in a season with his effort last year.
•    He ranks among the Navy career leaders in offensive rebounding average.

Kehoe Shooting
•    Aidan Kehoe ranked second at Navy for the highest field goal percentage in a single season in 2024-25.

Highest Field Goal Pct. / Season (Min. 200 FGA)
1.    .644    David Robinson, 1985
2.    .621    Aidan Kehoe, 2025
3.    .620    Will Kelly, 2016

•    Kehoe also ranks among the Navy leaders for career field goal percentage.

Highest Field Goal Pct. / Career (Min. 300 FGA)
1.    .625    Evan Wieck, 2017-20
2.    .618    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.
3.    .613    David Robinson, 1985-88