Navy Announces 2014-15 Men’s Basketball Schedule

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Head coach Ed DeChellis has announced the Navy men’s basketball program’s 2014-15 schedule. The Mids will play 18 Patriot League conference games and 12 non-conference games. Navy will play 15 games at Alumni Hall.

Navy will open the 2014-15 season by hosting the inaugural ‘Veterans Classic at the Naval Academy’ on Friday, November 14. Tennessee will face VCU at Alumni Hall at 6:30 PM and Navy will host Michigan State at 9:00 PM. Both games will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.

Michigan State (29-9, 12-6 Big Ten) won the Big Ten Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight before falling to eventual national champion UConn. This will just be the second time that Navy has hosted a Big Ten team and the first since hosting Ohio State in 1932. Navy defeated Michigan State in overtime on Nov. 29, 1986, 91-90 in the only other meeting in series history. Then-senior David Robinson had 43 points and 16 rebounds.

Navy will begin competition in the four-game Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament on Sunday, November 16 by playing a campus site game at Notre Dame. Notre Dame (15-17, 6-12 ACC) struggled in its first season in the ACC last year and had its first season with a losing record since 1999.

Navy will meet Northeastern in the Springfield Bracket of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday, November 22 at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Navy will then face either Manhattan or Binghamton in the championship or consolation game of the Springfield Bracket on Sunday, November 23.

Northeastern (11-21, 7-9 CAA) is led by 2014 CAA Defensive Player of the Year and all-league second-team honoree Scott Eatherton (15.9 ppg). Eatherton ranked fourth in the NCAA with his 19 double-doubles and was 10th in the country with 10.2 rebounds per game last year.

Manhattan (25-8, 15-5 MAAC) won the MAAC Tournament Championship last season before falling to fourth-seeded Louisville in the NCAA Second Round. Navy has defeated Binghamton (7-23, 4-12 America East) in each of the last two seasons.

Navy will open a three-game homestand by hosting Division III member Penn State Harrisburg on Wednesday, November 26 in Alumni Hall. This will be Navy’s first game against Penn State Harrisburg (8-17, 5-11 Capital Athletic Conference).

The Mids will welcome Saint Francis U on Saturday, November 29. Saint Francis U (10-21, 7-9 Northeast) edged Navy, 60-57, in an early-season matchup last year on Veterans Day. Navy’s rising junior Will Kelly had 12 points and 10 rebounds against the Red Flash.

Navy closes the three-game homestand by hosting Penn on Wednesday, December 3. Navy and Penn (8-20, 5-9 Ivy League) will meet for the 82nd time in series history and only Army (120 games) has faced Navy more than Penn.

The Mids will play at The Citadel on Saturday, December 6. Navy posted a 79-74 win over the Bulldogs (7-26, 2-14 SoCon) in Annapolis last season.

After playing one military college in The Citadel, Navy will renew the series with another as VMI travels to Alumni Hall for a game on Tuesday, December 9. VMI (22-13) led the nation in scoring in its last season in the Big South. The Keydets will play in the SoCon in 2014-15.

Navy will close its non-conference slate with a pair of games against in-state opponents. Navy will play at Maryland Eastern Shore onSaturday, December 13 and following a break for final exams, Navy will host Towson on Monday, December 22.

Maryland Eastern Shore (6-24, 4-12 MEAC) will be under the direction of first-year head coach Bobby Collins. Collins was the head coach at Division II Winston-Salem State for the past eight years. Navy defeated UMES last season, 67-59.

After its impressive turnaround of going 1-31 in 2012 to 18-13 in 2013, Towson (25-11, 13-3 CAA) took another step forward last year with its 25 wins and run to the postseason CollegeInsider.com Tournament Quarterfinals.

Navy will open its 24th season of Patriot League play at home against Loyola on Wednesday, January 31. Navy will play at Loyola in its regular season finale on Saturday, February 28. Loyola (11-19, 6-12 PL) tied for seventh place in its first season in the Patriot League in 2014. In two very close games last year, Loyola defeated Navy in overtime, 63-57, in Baltimore and also escaped Annapolis with a two-point win (67-65).

Navy will play at Lafayette on Saturday, January 3 and the Leopards will travel to Annapolis for a game on Saturday, January 31. Lafayette (11-20, 6-12 PL) and Navy split the 2014 season series. Navy won in Annapolis, 79-71, and Lafayette earned the win in Easton. The Leopards played the majority of their conference games without all-league player Seth Hinrichs (16.4 ppg), who will return for his senior season.

Navy will host Boston University on Wednesday, January 7 and the game in Boston will be played on Wednesday, February 4. Boston (24-11, 15-3 PL) won the Patriot League Regular Season Championship in its first season in the league. The Terriers played in the NIT after falling to American in the conference tournament championship.

The Mids will play at Army on Saturday, January 10 this season and the Army-Navy Star Game will be contested in Annapolis on Saturday, February 7. Navy defeated Army (15-16, 10-8 PL) in the 2014 Star Game at West Point, 79-57, to extend its Star Series lead to 54-37. Worth Smith had 23 points and eight rebounds and Navy’s 22-point margin of victory was its largest in the Star Series since 1999.

Navy will play at Bucknell on Wednesday, January 14 and the Bison will make the return trip to Annapolis on Wednesday, February 11. The Mids snapped an eight-game losing streak to Bucknell (16-14, 11-7 PL) last season with a 62-61 win over the visiting Bison in Alumni Hall. Navy built a 16-point second-half lead and held off a furious Bucknell rally.

Colgate will travel to Annapolis for a contest on Saturday, January 17 and the Mids will make their annual trek to Hamilton, N.Y. on Saturday, February 14. Although Colgate (13-18, 6-12 PL) and Navy split during the regular season as each team won on its home court, it was the Raiders who eliminated Navy in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament with a 57-51 win in Hamilton.

Navy will play at Lehigh on Wednesday, January 21. The Mountain Hawks will play at Navy on Wednesday, February 18. Navy and Lehigh (14-18, 7-11 PL) had two very hard-fought games last season but Lehigh was able to come out with two wins. Lehigh edged Navy in overtime, 68-66, in Annapolis and then won in Bethlehem, 72-65.

Navy and Holy Cross will first meet in Worcester, Mass. on Saturday, January 24 before facing each other in Annapolis on Saturday, February 21. Holy Cross (20-14, 12-6 PL) posted its first 20-win season since 2007 and advanced to the league semifinals as the No. 3 seed. Holy Cross swept the season series with Navy.

Navy will host defending Patriot League Champion American on Wednesday, January 28. The Mids will play at American on Wednesday, February 28. American (20-13, 13-5 PL) won its first Patriot League Tournament Championship since 2009 before falling to Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament Second Round. American swept the season series with Navy.

The 2015 Patriot League Tournament begins on Monday, March 2 with two first-round games. The league quarterfinals will be playedWednesday, March 4 and the semifinals are Saturday, March 7. The Patriot League Championship is Wednesday, March 11. All 10 teams will qualify for the tournament and all games will be played at campus sites.

Navy’s television and radio schedule will be released at a later date.