Navy (23-6 / 15-1) at Loyola (11-18 / 7-9)
Wednesday, Feb. 25  I  7 p.m.  I  Reitz Arena  I  Baltimore, Md.

Video / ESPN+  I  Gary Lambrecht, Jim Chivers
Radio / WNAV  I  Matt Sabados, Mike Heary

Five Starting Notes
•    The last eight games in the series that were played in Baltimore have been decided by single digits, with the last four games being determined by a total of 11 points.
•    Loyola plays at the fastest pace in the Patriot League (68.6 poss. / 40 min.) and Navy ranks ninth (65.2). 
•    In league games, Loyola ranks first in blocks (3.63 bpg) and Navy is second (3.44 bpg), while the Mids lead the league in rebounding (37.0 rpg) and the Greyhounds are second (35.8 rpg).
•    Loyola has made more three-point field goals than Navy in each of the last 10 games in the series.  The Greyhounds have made 84 triples and the Mids 50 in this span.
•    Navy had recorded more points in the paint in 10-straight games until Saturday when both the Mids and Army finished with 20 such points. 

Game Information
•    Navy starts the last week of the regular season with its final road game of the year Wednesday night when the Mids head to Baltimore to play Loyola.
•    The 7 p.m. game will be streamed through ESPN+ with WNAV providing audio coverage.

Mid-Major Top-25 Poll
•    Navy appeared in this week's College Insider Mid-Major Top-25 Poll for the first time this season.  The Mids were ranked 22nd in the poll that was released on Feb. 23.  Navy was ranked 24th in the Jan. 18, 2021, poll in what is believed to be the only other time the Mids were ranked since its inception in 1999-00.
•     The Mids also are ranked 25th in this week's MidMajorBasketball.com Top 25-Rankings.

A Look Back
•    Navy built a 21-point first-half lead and, despite seeing it dwindle to eight points in the second half, came away with an 81-63 victory at Army on Saturday in the annual Star Game between the academy programs.
•    Navy took 21-10, 35-19 and 43-22 leads in the first half. Army scored the last five points of the frame and started the second half with an 8-0 and 14-3 run to make the score 46-38.
•    After an exchange of baskets (48-40), Navy went on a 6-0 and 11-2 run to regain a 59-42 lead with nine minutes remaining.  The Mids would seal the game when a 6-0 spurt gave them a 65-45 cushion.
•    The difference in scoring was at the foul line as Navy was 32-40 and Army was 13-17.  Navy also held a 36-24 lead on the glass and an 11-1 edge in fast break points.
•    Five Mids scored in double figures.  Leading the way were Austin Benigni with 27 points and Aidan Kehoe with 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Mids Earn First Outright PL Title Since 1997
•    Navy's Feb. 18 win over Lehigh earned the Mids the outright 2026 regular season title in the Patriot League.  
•    This is the sixth time in which Navy has earned at least a share of the Patriot League title (last was in 1990-00) and the ninth time in which the Mids have at least shared a conference crown.
•    Navy has previously won outright titles in 1985-86 (CAA), 1986-87 (CAA) and 1996-97 (Patriot League).

Atop the Standings 
•     The Navy men's and women's basketball teams are each in first place in the Patriot League.  Navy is one of eight schools to have both men's and women's teams have at least a share of first place.

Men's and Women's Teams in First Place
Atlantic Coast Conference - Duke
Big South Conference - High Point
Big West - UC Irvine
Mid-American Conference - Miami (Ohio) 
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference - Howard
Patriot League - Navy 
Summit League - North Dakota State
West Coast Conference - Gonzaga

Loyola Preview
•    Loyola heads into its final home game of the regular season with an overall record of 11-18 and a home mark of 8-5.
•    The Greyhounds have posted a 7-9 record in league games, which includes a 5-3 record at home.
•    Loyola lost a 101-98 overtime game at Colgate Saturday to drop its second game in a row.  The back-to-back losses were on the heels of the Greyhounds posting a 3-1 record in their previous four games.
•    Five of Loyola's losses in league play have been in games decided by single digits.  Also, the Greyhounds have posted a 2-1 record in league overtime games.

Series History
•    Navy and Loyola first met 116 seasons ago when the Mids won a 36-10 game in Baltimore.
•    Navy leads the all-time series by a count of 39-13.  This includes a 12-8 lead in games played at Loyola and a 9-8 edge in games played in Reitz Arena.
•    The teams have been fellow members of the Patriot League since the 2013-14 season.  Navy holds an 18-8 lead in league regular season games, but the teams have split the 12 prior games that have been played in Baltimore.

Series Trends
•    Nine of the last 13 and 16 of the last 21 league regular season games played between the teams have been determined by single digits.
•    The last eight games played at Loyola have been decided by single digits.  This includes one-point games in 2022 and 2025 and a two-point decision in 2023.
•    The last four games played in Baltimore have been decided by a total of 11 points.
•    The team leading at halftime has posted a 17-4 record over the last 23 games (two games tied).  However, the team trailing at halftime won both 2025 games.
•    Loyola has made more three-point field goals than Navy in each of the last 10 and 11 of the last 12 games.
•    Since Loyola joined the Patriot League, the team making more three-point field goals has posted a 15-12 record (one game tied).
•    The team grabbing more rebounds has compiled a 15-6 record over the last 21 games.
•    The team committing fewer turnovers has posted a 3-9 record over the last 12 games, as well as a 13-12 record over the last 28 games (three games tied).

Navy 87, Loyola 71
•    Six players scored in double figures as Navy posted an 87-71 victory over Loyola Jan. 31 in Alumni Hall.
•    Navy used a 15-3 and 22-6 run to turn an 11-8 deficit into 23-14 and 30-17 leads.  Loyola closed to within four points at 36-32 before the Mids took a 44-36 lead at the break.
•    The Mids scored those 44 points with Austin Benigni missing his only field goal attempt and being held scoreless.
•    The Greyhounds scored the opening basket of the second half (44-38), then the Mids went on an 11-2 run to take a 55-40 lead.  The lead grew to 68-52 only to have it cut to 68-58 and then 72-64.
•    The Mids scored the next seven points to finally separate from the Greyhounds.
•    Loyola was 8-17 from three-point range in the first half, but just 4-13 in the second half.
•    Navy shot 65.5 percent from the floor, which is a new school record for a Patriot League game.
•    Aidan Kehoe was 11-11 from the floor to tie the league record and fall one made basket short of tying David Robinson's Navy record for the most made field goals in a game without a missed shot.
•    Navy also held a 50-24 lead in points scored in the paint and a 36-24 advantage on the glass.
•    Emmett Adair (28) and Braeden Speed (24) accounted for 52 of Loyola's 71 points.

A Look Ahead
•    Navy will honor its seniors prior to Saturday's regular season home finale against Colgate (4 p.m.).

Navy Leading in Assist Percentage
•    Navy has been credited with 275 assists on its 428 made field goals during the Patriot League season.  That's an assist percentage of 64.3 percent, which leads the league and is one of the best in Navy history.

11th 20-Win Season
•    Navy's Feb. 9 win at Bucknell was the team's 20th of the season.  It is the 11th 20-win campaign in program history.
•    The 23 wins this year ties the team (1999-00) for the most in a non-David Robinson season.

Navy Sets School Mark for Most PL Wins
•    With 15 wins, Navy has set the school record for the most Patriot League regular season wins since the league went to an 18-game season starting with the 2013-14 season (not including 2020-21).
•    The 2021-22 team held the prior mark with 12 wins.

Navy Second in PL Wins Over Half Decade
•    Navy ranks second in the Patriot League for league regular season wins over the last five seasons.
•    Colgate leads all teams with a 70-18 record and Navy is second at 56-32.

Mids Well Ahead in Points in the Paint
•    Navy has scored more points in the paint in 13 of its 16 (one tie) Patriot League games this season.  The Mids are averaging just over nine more paint points a game than their foes.
•    Navy has posted a 22-1 record this season as a whole when it scores more points in the paint.

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 +1,091 in offensive rebounding margin over the last 12 seasons.
•    The Mids are +1,032 in second-chance points over the last 12 years.
•    Aidan Kehoe had 15 second-chance points in Navy's double overtime win at Lehigh on Jan. 17 and 12 in Navy's Feb. 9 game at Bucknell.
•    Navy has scored on 37 of the 55 (67.3%) possessions in which Kehoe has grabbed at least one offensive board since the start of the Patriot League season.  The Mids have scored 64 points off of his offensive rebounds in league play.

500-Point Seasons
•    Austin Benigni scored 526 points during his 2023-24 sophomore season and 638 points in 2024-25 as a junior to became the fourth Mid to have scored 500 points in multiple seasons.  
•    He has scored 525 points in 2025-26 to join David Robinson as the only Mids with three 500-point seasons.

Benigni Surpasses 1,800 Points
•    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  (12th fewest games needed to score 1,000 points).
•    He then reached the 1,500-point plateau during Navy's Dec. 19, 2025, game against Coppin State, surpassed 1,600 points Jan 10 against Lafayette, scored his 1,700th point Jan. 24 against Army and posted his 1,800th point Feb. 18 against Lehigh.
•    Benigni ranks among the Navy scoring leaders for both all games (third, 1,836) and Patriot League games (first, 1,042).
•    He is tied for 13th place in Patriot League history in career points.
•    Benigni is in third place at Navy with 89 games of scoring in double figures and tied for third place with 40 career games with 20 or more points.  

3-Point Progression
•    One of the reasons behind Benigni's scoring success this season has been his improved three-point shooting.
•    He made 59 three-point baskets in his first three seasons and has made 51 this season.

At the FT Line – Austin Benigni 
•    This is the third season in a row in which Austin Benigni ranks among the NCAA leaders in all three free throw shooting statistics.
•    He ranks among the NCAA's active career leaders in both free throws made (first, 602) and attempted (fourth, 697).
•    He also ranks among the Navy and service academy leaders for the most foul shots made and attempted in a season and career.

Benigni Leading in Points and Assists
•     Austin Benigni typically has led the Mids in either points (57) or assists (69) –– and occasionally both –– in a game, especially since the start of his 2023-24 season (40).
•     Benigni has totaled both 10 or more points and 5 or more assists in 35 career games.
•     Benigni became the third Mid to lead the team in total points and assists in multiple seasons since assists began being tracked with the 1972-73 season.
•    He leads the team in both statistics this year.
•     Benigni is the second Mid with 1,500 points and 300 assists in a career and the first 1,600 / 400 Mid.
•     He ranks among the Navy leaders for career assists with 460 (fifth).
•    He is the first Mid to have three seasons with both 400 points and 100 assists.
•     Benigni is one of five active players who have only played on the NCAA Division I level with both 1,800 points and 400 assists.
•     He is the second Patriot League player -- during each team's Patriot League era -- with 1,800 points and 400 assists. 
•     Benigni is one of three players to rank in the Patriot League's top-20 lists in both points and assists.
•     Benigni is one of three Mids to rank among Navy's top-10 statistical leaders in both career points and assists.

Benigni Among Minutes Played Leaders 
•     Austin Benigni enters the game ranked second in the Patriot League and ranked 35th nationally with an average of 35:45 of playing time a game this season.
•    He has played all 40 minutes this season against Southeastern Louisiana, Air Force, both games against Boston and all 50 minutes at Lehigh.
•    He ranks among the Navy leaders for the most minutes played in a career, just tow minutes behind David Robinson's second-place total of 3,797.

Benigni Among Games Played / Started Leaders 
•     Austin Benigni ranks among the Navy leaders for career games played (T-fourth, 125) and started (eighth, 101).

Kehoe's Shooting Among the NCAA Leaders
•    Aidan Kehoe ranks first among all NCAA Division I players in field goal percentage this season.
•    Kehoe has not only attempted the most shots of those who rank among the top-five in field goal percentage, he also has dished out the most assists. 
•    Kehoe ranked second at Navy for the highest field goal percentage in a single season in 2024-25, and he has thus far bettered that in 2025-26.
•     Kehoe currently holds the top mark for the highest field goal percentage in a season by a Patriot League player. at 73.8%.

Kehoe and Draper -- Double-Doubles
•    Aidan Kehoe and Donovan Draper each rank among the Navy leaders in career double-doubles, with Kehoe also ranking among the leaders for the most in a year. 

Most Double-Doubles - Career at Navy
Rnk.    No.    Player, Years
1.    74    David Robinson, 1984-87
-------------------------------------------------
4.    34    Kevin Sinnett, 1976-79
5.    24    Eddie Reddick, 1988-91
    24    Aidan Kehoe, 2023-pres.
6.    23    Hank Kuzma, 1975-78
8.    22    Chris Reddington, 1964-66
9.    21    Hassan Booker, 1995-98
10.    19    Jay Metzler, 1958-60
11.    16    Donovan Draper, 2024-pres.

Most Double-Doubles - Season at Navy
Rnk.    No.    Player, Years
1.    31    David Robinson, 1986
2.    21    David Robinson, 1987
3.    20    David Robinson, 1985
4.    18    Don Lange, 1954
5.    17    Don Lange, 1953
6.    16    Aidan Kehoe, 2026

•    Kehoe is tied for fourth place nationally for the most double-doubles this season.
•    Kehoe has posted double-doubles in each of the last six games.  
•    The last Mid with at least seven-straight double-doubles was David Robinson.

Draper and Kehoe -- Rebounds
•    Aidan Kehoe set a Navy record in 2024-25 for the most offensive boards by a Mid in a season.
•    Both he and Donovan Draper rank among the Navy leaders in Navy season and career leaders in multiple rebounding categories.
•    Draper now ranks seventh at Navy and Kehoe ninth for the most career caroms.
•    Draper and Kehoe are two of the eight Mids to have totaled both 800 points and 700 rebounds in a career.
•    This is the second year in a row in which Kehoe ranks among NCAA leaders in all three rebounding statistics.
•    He also ranks fourth nationally in total rebounds.

Draper's Steals
•    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 (sixth, 167) and steals per game (third, 1.82).
•    Draper is the third Mid to rank among Navy's top-10 players in both career rebounds and steals.

More Minutes for Cole
•    Cam Cole has moved into a more prominent role in the rotation since the start of the Patriot League season.
•    He has surpassed all of the career totals he had recorded through the start of this season.