No. 4 Boston U. (16-16 / 10-8) at No.1 Navy (26-6 / 17-1)
Sunday, March 8  I  2 p.m.  I  Alumni Hall  I  Annapolis, Md.
Patriot League Tournament Semifinal

TV / CBS Sports Network  I  Jason Knapp, Mo Cassara, Hailey Sutton
Radio / WNAV  I  Matt Sabados, Mike Heary

Five Starting Notes
•    Navy and Boston are meeting in the postseason for the third year in a row and the fourth time in five seasons.
•    This is both the second time the teams are meeting in the semifinals and the second tournament game to be played in Annapolis (2022).
•    Navy's Aidan Kehoe leads the NCAA this season in field goal percentage (73.5%) and Boston's Ben Defty ranks second (68.8%). 
•    Navy has won 14 games in a row and Boston has posted an 8-1 record in its last nine games.
•    Navy's 26 wins this year ties the team for second for the most in a year by a Navy squad.

Game Information
•    Navy and Boston U. survived and advanced in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Tournament and now will meet Sunday at 2 p.m. in Annapolis in the semifinal round.
•    The CBS Sports Network will televise the game in Alumni Hall between the top-seeded Mids and the fourth-seeded Terriers.
•    WNAV will provide radio coverage of the tilt.

Attending the Game
•    Only those vehicles driven by someone with a Department of Defense (DoD)-approved identification card will be allowed onto the USNA.
•    Fans without DoD approved vehicle access to the USNA must park outside of The Yard and ride the fan shuttle bus, which starts at noon.
•    The shuttle bus will depart from and return to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (550 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, Md., 21401).  Enter the blue / west parking lot through gate 5 off of Taylor Avenue.  There is a $10 per vehicle parking fee.  The free fan shuttle bus will leave from and return to the Blue Angel jet.  
•    Everyone ages 18 and over must have a valid picture ID (i.e.: State issued driver's license with REAL ID or a U.S. government issued passport). Visitors ages 17 and younger without a valid picture ID must be accompanied by an adult. Foreign passports are not permitted for general access.

A Look Back
•    Navy battled back from an eight-point second-half deficit with a 15-0 run as part of a 28-15 game-closing spurt that gave the Mids a 74-69 victory over Bucknell, Thursday night in the quarterfinal round of the Patriot League Tournament.
•    The lead between the top-seeded Mids and the eighth-seeded Bison bounced back-and-forth seven times in the opening eight minutes.
•    Bucknell then used a 12-0 run to take a 31-23 lead.  Navy was able to close to within three points several times over the rest of the frame, and went into the locker room down 39-36 at the break.
•    The Bison held a 20-14 edge on the glass and gained a 12-3 lead in second-chance points.
•    Bucknell soon took 42-36, 47-39, 49-41 and 54-46 leads in the early part of the second half.
•    Mike Woods scored the next six points, Cam Cole hit a pair of triples and Jordan Pennick added a trey of his own to give the Mids a 61-54 lead with a little more than five minutes left to play.
•    Bucknell winnowed the margin down to four points several times, then it was a 70-67 game with 34.5 seconds remaining.
•    Woods found Jinwoo Kim for a breakaway layup, then a pair of foul shots by Austin Benigni secured the result.
•    Navy was a little better on the glass after halftime as it led Bucknell 14-13.
•    The Mids shot 56.5 percent from the floor in the second half and limited Bucknell to a 40.7 effort after halftime.
•    Five Mids scored in double figures, led by Cam Cole with a career-high tying 16 points as he drained three second-half treys and scored 11 points after halftime.
•    Woods also had a solid final 20 minutes as he was 5-5 from the field to score 10 of his 12 points in the second half.
•    Kim also made four triples in scoring 14 points.
•    It was the first game this season in which Navy's junior class outscored the senior class (42-32).

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 
Southern Conference - East Tennessee State
Summit League - North Dakota State

•     This is the sixth time in which one school has seen their men's and women's teams each win outright Patriot League regular season titles.

P.L. M&W Teams Winning Outright R.S. Titles
2000-01     Holy Cross
2002-03      Holy Cross
2004-05      Holy Cross 
2007-08     American
2016-17     Bucknell
2025-26     Navy

Navy in Mid-Major Poll
•    Navy has recently started to appear in several mid-major polls, and also receive votes in the AP Poll.
•    College Insider Mid-Major Top-25 Poll 
    Feb. 23 - 22nd
    March 2 - 19th
•     Mid-Major Basketball Top 25-Poll
    Feb. 23 - Received Votes
    March 2 - 23rd
•     Mid-Major Basketball Power 25
    Feb. 23 - 25th
    March 2 - 22nd
•    Associated Press Polls
    Feb. 23 - 1 vote
    March 2 - 3 votes

Boston U. Preview
•    The Terriers have posted an overall record of 16-16 this season, which includes a 5-11 record on the road.
•    Boston received the fourth seed in the postseason with its 10-8 record in league play.  The Terriers posted a 4-5 record in league road games.
•    After starting the Patriot League season with a 3-7 record in its first 10 games –– which included two losses to Navy –– Boston has since posted an 8-1 record through its 75-73 win over American Thursday night in the quarterfinals.

Series History
•    The Navy-Boston U. series dates back to the 1959 NCAA Tournament when the Terriers defeated the Mids, 62-55 in overtime, in a regional semifinal round game played in Charlotte, N.C.
•    The teams have split the 30 games played to date with each winning 15.  
•    Boston holds a 7-6 advantage in games played in Annapolis.  
•    Navy and Boston are meeting in the postseason for the third year in a row and the fourth time in five years.  Each team has won two tournament games.
•    The only prior game to both be played in the semifinal round and at Navy was in 2022 when the Mids won an 85-80 overtime game.

Series Trends
•    The team leading at halftime has posted a 9-2 record in the last 10 games and a 22-6 record since the teams have been fellow members of the Patriot League.
•    The team making more three-point field goals has compiled a 16-7 record in the last 28 games (five ties).
•    The team grabbing more rebounds has tallied a 4-6 record in the last 10 games and a 17-9 record in the last 28 games (two ties).
•    The team committing fewer turnovers has posted a 2-4 record in the last seven games (one tie) and a 12-15 record in the last 28 games (one tie).
•    The home team in the Navy-Boston U. series has posted a 10-4 record in the last 14 games.  This is after the home team had compiled a 2-12 record in the first 14 games when the teams initially became fellow members of the Patriot League.
•    The team grabbing more offensive rebounds has posted a 1-7 record in the last eight games and a 6-11 record (one tie) in the last 18 games.

Navy 82, Boston U. 77 (Dec. 31)
•    Navy led for the final 26 minutes of an 82-77 victory over Boston University Dec. 31 in the Patriot League opener for both teams.
•    The Terriers sliced a 35-30 halftime deficit down to one point at 37-36 in the early moments of the second half.  Navy answered by taking leads of 45-38, 50-41 and 57-45 before building a 65-49 lead with five minutes remaining.
•    Boston was able to chip away late and it was a 79-74 game with 24.3 seconds left.  The Mids were 3-4 from the foul line down the stretch to seal the win.
•    Navy was led by Austin Benigni with 27 points and eight assists and by Aidan Kehoe with 15 points and 15 rebounds.  Jordan Pennick also tallied 18 points.
•    The Mids held a 37-28 lead on the glass and were 22-30 from the foul line in contrast to the 10-12 effort by Boston.

Navy 58, Boston U. 50 (Jan. 28)
•    Boston scored the first 14 points of the game, but Navy rallied from that early deficit to post a 58-50 victory at Boston om Jan. 28.
•    Navy drew to within two points late in the first half before going into the break trailing 27-21.
•    The Mids started the second half on a 7-0 run to take a 28-27 lead.
•    Boston soon took a 33-28 lead, but Navy scored the next 15 points to build a 43-33 advantage.
•    Back came the Terriers and it was a 49-47 Navy lead with four minutes left.  The Mids scored the next seven points in a span of 65 seconds to finally build a cushion.
•    Navy attempted only two free throws in the game, and those came with 28.1 seconds left.  Boston was 6-9 from the foul line.
•    The Mids shot 54 percent from the field after halftime and held Boston to a 32-percent effort.
•    Austin Benigni totaled 14 of his 20 points in the second half and also finished with five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.

Navy Earns 4 Major Patriot League Awards
•    Navy was well represented when the Patriot League announced its major awards and all-league teams earlier this week.
•    Austin Benigni was named the Patriot League Player of the Year, becoming the second Mid to earn the honor.
•    Benigni also was named to the league's first team.  He is the fourth Mid to have earned multiple first-team all-league accolades.
•    He is the third Mid to earn three all-league awards.
•    Aidan Kehoe was selected as not only the league's defensive player of the year, but also received all-league honors (first team) honors for the first time.
•    Head coach Jon Perry and his assistants were named the Patriot League Coaching Staff of the Year.
•    Perry is fourth Navy head coach to earn the laurel.
•    Donovan Draper was named to the all-defensive team for the second time. He is the third Mid to be on the team for a second time.
•    Benigni also was named this year's Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  
•    A computer science major with a 3.47 cumulative grade-point average, he is the first Mid in 25 years to win the award and the fifth in the league to be named the player and scholar-athlete of the year in the same season.

Patriot League Tournament History
•    Navy is competing in its 35th Patriot League Tournament.

Navy's Patriot League Tournament Records
23-31     Overall
3-1    First Round
9-23    Quarterfinal
8-2    Semifinal
3-5    Final
16-5    Home
4-19    Road
3-7    Neutral
6-5    Quarterfinals in Annapolis
4-0    Semifinals in Annapolis
2-2    vs. Boston U.
1-0    vs. Boston U. in Annapolis
1-0    vs. Boston U. in Semifinals
1-0    vs. Boston U. in Semifinals in Annapolis 
7-2    as No. 1 seed (fifth time, including 2026)
4-3    vs. No. 4 seed
2-0    vs. #4 seed in semifinal
•    Navy is the No. 1 seed for the fifth time and playing the No. 4 seed for the eighth time.

Pertinent Boston Patriot League Tournament Records
12-11     Overall
2-6    Road
0-2    Road Semifinal
1-1    as the No. 4 seed (second time: 2025, 2026)
1-2    vs. the No. 1 seed
0-1    vs. the No. 1 seed in semifinal 

Mids Earn Another First Round Bye
•    Navy earned a first round Patriot League Tournament bye for the ninth time in the last 10 years (2017-26). Colgate ranks first in this span with no first round games, followed by Navy with one.
•    Navy has reached at least the semifinal round of the league tournament five times in this 10-year span.

Service Assignments Announced
•    Seniors at the USNA learned of their service assignments upon graduating from Navy this spring during lunch on Thursday, Nov. 20.
•    Those entering the Navy will do so with the rank of Ensign and those entering the Marine Corps will be 2nd Lieutenants.
•    The seniors on the men's basketball team received the following assignments:

Austin Benigni - Naval aviation (pilot)
Cam Cormany - Naval aviation (flight officer)
Donovan Draper - Navy information warfare
Aidan Kehoe - Navy surface warfare (nuclear)
Sam Krist - Marine Corps ground
Mike Woods - Navy surface warfare

•    Mike Woods selected the USS Fort Lauderdale for his first ship assignment.  LPD 28 (landing platform dock) is an amphibious transport dock ship based in Norfolk, Va.
•    Aidan Kehoe selected the USS Essex for his first ship.  LHD 2 (landing helicopter dock) is an amphibious assault ship with a home port of San Diego.

11th 20-Win Season
•    Navy's Feb. 9 win at Bucknell was the team's 20th of the season.  This is the 11th 20-win campaign in program history and the most by a Navy team that did not have David Robinson on the roster.

•    Navy's 26 wins this year ties it for second place for the most in a season.

Navy Sets School Mark for Most PL Wins
•    With 17 wins, Navy set the school record for the most Patriot League regular season victories 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 also recorded the second 17-1 record (Colgate, 2023-23) by a league team.

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.

PL W-L Records, 2021-22 to 2025-26
1.    70-20    Colgate
2.    58-32    Navy
3.    49-41    Boston
4.    47-43    Lehigh
5.    44-46    American
6.    40-50    Army
7.    39-51    Bucknell
    39-51    Lafayette
9.    34-56    Loyola
10.    30-60    Holy Cross

Home in Alumni Hall
•     Alumni Hall has been home to the Navy basketball teams since the 1991-92 season.
•    The Mids have compiled an overall record of 301-190 record in the facility.  This includes a 147-112 record in Patriot League regular season games.
•    Navy has compiled a 16-5 record in league tournament games played in the venue.
•    There have been 61 future NBA players to play in Alumni Hall since it opened.

Perry On Several Awards Lists 
•    Jon Perry was announced this week as being a finalist for several award presented by CollegeInsider.com.
•    Jim Phelan Award / presented to the top head coach in Division I basketball.
•    Hugh Durham Award / presented to the top mid-major head coach in Division I basketball.
•    Joe B. Hall Award / presented to the top first-year head coach in Division I basketball.
•    He recently was announced as the Patriot League Coach of the Year.

Kehoe Named USBWA Player of the Month 
•    Aidan Kehoe was named the USBWA Oscar Robertson Mid-Major Player of the Month for February.

Navy Led League in Assist Percentage
•    Navy was credited with 314 assists on its 486 made field goals during the Patriot League season.  That's an assist percentage of 64.6 percent, which led the league and was one of the best in Navy history.

Balanced Offense
•    Navy had five players score in double figures in Thursday's quarterfinal round win over Bucknell.
•    It was the seventh time this year at least five Mids reached double figures.

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 +1,082 in offensive rebounding margin over the last 12 seasons.
•    Navy is +1,028 in second-chance points in this span.
•    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 43 of the 65 (67.2%) possessions in which Kehoe has grabbed at least one offensive board since the start of the Patriot League season.  The Mids have scored 77 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 576 points in 2025-26 to join David Robinson as the only Mids with three 500-point seasons.

Benigni Nears 1,900 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 and Patriot League games.
•    He also ranks 10th in Patriot League history in career points.
•    Benigni scored his 1,000th point in Patriot League regular season games Feb. 18 against Lehigh.
•    Benigni is in third place at Navy with 92 games of scoring in double figures and third place with 41 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 60 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 and attempted.

Active NCAA Career Leaders for FTM (D1 only)
Rnk.    FTM    Player, School
1.    610    Austin Benigni, Navy
2.    597    PJ Haggerty, Kansas State

Active NCAA Career Leaders for FTA (D1 only)
Rnk.    FTA    Player, School
1.    779    PJ Haggerty, Kansas State
2.    763    Freddy Hicks, Tarleton State
3.    754    Ezra Ausar, USC
4.    707    Austin Benigni, Navy
5.    702    Mark Mitchell, Missouri
•    He also ranks among the Navy and service academy leaders for the most foul shots made and attempted in a season and career.
•    Benigni ranks among the Navy and Patriot League leaders for career free throw percentage.

Benigni Leading in Points and Assists
•     Austin Benigni typically has led the Mids in either points or assists –– and occasionally both –– in a game, especially since the start of his 2023-24 season (40).
•     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 again 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.
•    He is the first Mid to have three seasons with both 400 points and 100 assists.
•     Benigni is one of seven 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 first in the Patriot League and 29th nationally with an average of 35:59 of playing time a game this season.
•    He has played all 40 minutes this season against Southeastern Louisiana, Air Force, both games against Boston, all 50 minutes at Lehigh and all 40 minutes of the quarterfinal round game against Bucknell.
•    He ranks among the Navy leaders for the most minutes played in a career.

Benigni Among Games Played / Started Leaders 
•     Austin Benigni has set the Navy record for the most career games played and is tied for fifth for the most career starts.

Kehoe's Shooting is Tops in the NCAA 
•    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.

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. 
•    Kehoe is tied for fourth place nationally for the most double-doubles this season.
•    Kehoe saw his streak of double-double games end at eight. That is one of the longest runs of double-doubles by a Mid.  

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 sixth at Navy and Kehoe eighth 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 third 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 and steals per game.
•    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 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.
•    Cole scored a career-high 16 points in Navy's regular season finale against Colgate.
•    He then matched that effort with 16 points in Navy's quarterfinal round victory over Bucknell.
•    Cole was especially effective in the second half as he hit two of his three triples in the half (and four in the game) during Navy's 15-0 run that boosted it to lead it would not relinquish.  He scored 11 of his points after halftime.