The Patriot League coaches envisioned Navy?s men?s basketball team to be terrible this season, picking it to finish seventh in the eight-team league.
Four months later, this much is clear: they didn?t know what they were talking about.
That?s because the Midshipmen are a victory at Colgate ? or an American loss against Lafayette ? on Saturday away from clinching their first regular season title in eight years.
The emergence by Navy (16-12, 9-4) has it among a very small group of overachievers across the country. The only other team nationally to be in first place in its league after being predicted to finish lower than Navy in its preseason poll is the Missouri Valley Conference?s Drake (24-4, 14-3). The Bulldogs have soared to a top-20 ranking after being picked to finish ninth at season?s outset.
Norfolk State was predicted to be ninth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, but the Spartans (14-12, 10-3) are in second place ? and would win the regular season title if they wins their final two games and league-leading Morgan State (18-9, 12-2) stumbles once in its final two games.
If Navy, which extended its winning streak to six games with an 83-68 win against American (17-11, 9-4) on Wednesday, beats Colgate (15-13, 6-7), the Midshipmen will be the first team in league history to win the regular season title after being predicted to finish seventh in the coaches? preseason poll.
“I don?t believe in external motivation,” Navy coach Billy Lange said. “Your motivation just has to be to play for your institution and take great pride in your basketball program. We don?t listen to any of that.”
A victory by Navy at Colgate for the first time since 2002 or an American loss would give the Midshipmen home-court advantage throughout next month?s Patriot League Tournament. In the past 15 years, the team that hosted the final has won the tournament ? and the automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament ? 12 times.
If Navy wins the regular season title but not the league tournament, the Midshipmen would be guaranteed a spot in the National Invitation Tournament, a second-tier event composed of 32 teams that did not get picked for the NCAA Tournament.
Meantime, Colgate, led by junior forward Kyle Roemer (15.5 ppg), is in a four-way tie for third place after it won at Holy Cross, 63-55, on Wednesday. Colgate defeated Navy, 84-77, at Alumni Hall on Feb. 2.
Lange said a major factor in Navy?s longest winning streak in the Patriot League in seven years has been its ability to make critical plays in the final minutes of games. The Midshipmen have trailed in the second half in eight of their nine league wins despite leading or being tied in 21 of 28 games overall. Against American, Navy led 41-33 at halftime, but trailed 58-55 with 7:15 to play before ending the game on a 28-10 run.
“We?ve seen it all year,” Lange said. “It?s been unbelievable that every single game that we?ve played from the fourth game on has been the exact same game. Now, we obviously haven?t won them all, but you start to learn. You can?t get to this point without going through that point.”
Against American, senior guard Greg Sprink came through with the key plays down the stretch, scoring 13 of his 34 points in the final six minutes.
“It?s been a crazy year,” Sprink said. “Holy Cross and Bucknell have dominated the league since I?ve been here and this year you have to show up for every game because you never know what can happen.”
