Navy men’s basketball coach Billy Langenever likes suffering a loss like he did Thursday in a 68-40 loss to Holy Cross.
But if it were to happen, Lange said he prefers it happens in a week where the team has a short break between games so the players don’t have time to dwell on it. Such is the case for Navy, which hosts Army today in the 106th meeting between the two service academies. The 1 p.m. game is the “Star Game” in the overall athletic competition between the two schools and will be televised regionally on CBS.
Navy (13-13, 3-8 Patriot League) has dominated Army (13-13, 5-7) in the Star Game series, having won 23 of the last 26 games between the two. Navy also leads the overall Star Game series, 49-34, including a 29-12 mark in Annapolis. However, Army defeated Navy in the first game between the two schools this season, 53-50, on Jan. 21 in West Point, N.Y.
Lange said this week has been difficult for his young team. The game against Holy Cross (20-7, 11-1) was moved from Wednesday night to 4 p.m. Thursday because of the winter storms.
“First thing, Holy Cross is a great team and deserved to win,” Lange said. “But we had five players taking exams until after noon, and then had to turn around and play Holy Cross at 4. We’re a young team, and I don’t anticipate that being a distraction a year from now. But right now, that’s part of the growing process.”
Army has not fared well since last playing Navy. The Black Knights have lost six straight games since then, including a 64-49 defeat at American Wednesday. Still, Army can sweep Navy for the first time in 15 years.
Navy’s women’s basketball team can accomplish the same feat when they host the Black Knights at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Midshipmen (10-15, 4-7) upset Army, 49-44, on Jan. 21 in West Point. Army (21-5, 8-3) lost at American, 58-54, on Tuesday.
