Postseason aspirations were the farthest thing from the Navy men?s basketball team?s mind on Dec. 17.
At that point of the season, Navy was 3-8 and coming off an 86-76 loss at San Diego State. However, Navy coach Billy Lange maintained that he was pleased with his team?s effort and expected a reversal of fortune soon.
Lange was right. Since that loss, Navy has won 12 of its next 16 games and has a realistic opportunity to win its first Patriot League regular season title since 2000. Navy has won five straight, including a 71-63 win at Army (11-15, 4-8) on Saturday. The Midshipmen (15-12, 8-4) are a game behind American (17-10, 9-3), which plays at Navy at 7 tonight at Alumni Hall.
Navy can clinch the regular season title by beating American and then winning at Colgate (14-13, 5-7) on Saturday. If Navy beats American tonight and the teams end up tied at the end of the regular season, then the Midshipmen would win the title ? and secure home-court advantage throughout the league tournament by sweeping the season series against the Eagles. Navy won at American, 77-66, on Jan. 30.
However, American has won six straight games including a 49-40 win at Army last Wednesday. The Eagles are led by guard Garrison Carr, who averages 18.3 points per game and has set a league record for three-pointers made in a season (111).
“What we?ve tried to do all season ? and we?re doing here against American ? is making sure we place the same emphasis on every game we play,” Lange said. “If we win Wednesday, then great. But, if we lose we understand it?s not the end of our season because we know we have more basketball to play.”
Regardless of the outcome of Navy?s final two games, the Midshipmen have secured at least one home game in the Patriot League Tournament, set for March 5-14 at campus sites. A big reasonfor Navy getting to this point is its ability to find different players to make big plays.
Among those is junior guard Clif Colbert, who is averaging 5.3 points and 2.6 rebounds a game after playing less than five minutes a contest as a sophomore. Colbert scored 11 of his 17 points against Army during a critical 21-8 run in the second half. He also hit a game-winning jumper with 0.4 second remaining as Navy defeated Lafayette, 82-80, on Feb. 16.
Colbert said he has had better looks at the basket this season as opposing defenses concentrate their efforts on stopping the backcourt trio of Chris Harris (14.4 ppg), Kaleo Kina (13.8 ppg) and Greg Sprink (20.9 ppg).
“I just try to take what the defense gives me,” Colbert said. “It?s just so important at this point in the season that we still try to take every game as part of a race and try not to look ahead to the finish line.”
