PatriotMBB Notebook (.PDF)

PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S BASKETBALL WEDNESDAY MATCHUPS (HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN)
The 36th season of Patriot League play continues on Wednesday, with five League matchups available on ESPN+.
•Army West Point hosts Loyola Maryland at 6 p.m. in the 26th meeting between the two programs. The Black Knights hold a one-game, 13-12 advantage in the series after sweeping last season’s regular-season meetings.
•Lehigh hosts Holy Cross at 6 p.m. in search of its first League win. The Mountain Hawks have won eight of the last 10 meetings between the two programs.
•Bucknell travels to Navy for a 7 p.m. tip, having won its last two games at Alumni Hall. The Mids upset the top-seeded Bison, 83-77, in the 2025 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Semifinals in their last meeting.
•Lafayette hosts Boston University at 7 p.m., with the Leopards and Terriers splitting their last six games. Each team protected its home floor during the 2024-25 season.
•American hosts Colgate at 7 p.m. in a battle of 2-0 teams in League play. The Eagles have won the last three matchups, including a 72-62 victory in the 2025 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Semifinals. 
For more information on Patriot League men’s basketball dates, times and coverage links, visit the men’s basketball composite schedule on the League’s official website - www.PatriotLeague.org.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE STATISTICAL LEADERS
•SCORING: 1. Lehigh Jr. G Nasir Whitlock (18.9 ppg); 2. Navy Sr. G Austin Benigni (17.5 ppg); 3. Lafayette So. G Caleb Williams (17.3 ppg).
•REBOUNDING: 1. Navy Sr. C Aidan Kehoe (9.7 rpg); 2. Lehigh So. F Hank Alvey (7.1 rpg); T3. Sr. F Donovan Draper (6.5 rpg); T3. BU So. F Ben Defty (6.5 rpg).
•ASSISTS: 1. Colgate Jr. G Jalen Cox (5.4 apg); 2. Army Jr. G Ryan Curry (5.0 apg); 3. Navy’s Benigni (4.6 apg).
•STEALS: 1. Colgate Jr. G Jalen Cox (2.1 spg); 2. Loyola Jr. G Jacob Theodosiou (2.0 spg); 3. Navy Sr. F Donovan Draper (1.9 spg).
•BLOCKS: 1. Colgate Fy. F Ayomi Odetoyinbo (2.1 bpg); Lehigh So. F Hank Alvey (1.9 bpg); Loyola Jr. F Jonas Sirtautas (1.9 bpg). 
 
2025-26 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Standings (as of January 6, 2026)

School	PL	PL Pct.	Overall	Overall Pct.
Navy	2-0	1.000	10-5	.667
American	2-0	1.000	9-6	.600
Colgate	2-0	1.000	8-7	.533
Army West Point	1-1	.500	7-8	.467
Holy Cross	1-1	.500	6-9	.400
Bucknell	1-1	.500	4-11	.267
Lafayette	1-1	.500	4-11	.267
Boston University	0-2	.000	5-10	.333
Lehigh	0-2	.000	4-11	.267
Loyola Maryland	0-2	.000	4-11	.267

ONLINE SCHEDULE | STATs (.XML) | STATS (.PDF) | NCAA RANKING SUMMARY
 
BENIGNI REACHES EXCLUSIVE CLUB
Navy Sr. G Austin Benigni surpassed 400 career assists on Jan. 3 in the Mids’ win vs. Holy Cross to become the seventh Patriot League men’s basketball student-athlete to reach 1,500 points and 400 assists. Benigni's 1,574 career points ranks 35th in Patriot League history, while his 403 assists are 28th. 
Patriot League 1,500-Point, 400-Assist Club
Austin Benigni, Navy (2022-pres.) 1,574 pts, 403 asts
Tucker Richardson, Colgate (2018-23) 1,740 pts, 626 asts
Jordan Burns, Colgate (2017-21) 1,666 pts, 503 asts
Sa’eed Nelson, American (2016-20) 2,116 pts, 521 asts
Tommy Funk, Army (2016-20) 1,544 pts, 728 asts
Nick Lindner, Lafayette (2013-17) 1,509 pts, 519 asts
Marquis Hall, Lehigh (2006-10) 1,514 pts, 566 asts
 
KEHOE AMONG NCAA DI FG PCT. AND DOUBLE-DOUBLE LEADERS
Navy Sr. C Aidan Kehoe is fourth in NCAA DI in field-goal percentage, connecting at a 70.6 percent (89-of-126) clip from the field through 15 games. Kehoe has been an efficient scorer throughout his career in Annapolis, finishing among the League leaders, shooting 62.1 percent last season. The senior center is also 23rd in NCAA DI with six double-doubles.
 
MCNAIR SHOOTING WITH DI’S BEST FROM DEEP
Boston U Jr. G Michael McNair is 23rd in NCAA DI in 3-point field-goal percentage, connecting on 45.2 percent (47-of-104) of his attempts through 15 games. McNair hit a League season-high seven 3-pointers in a loss at Penn State (Nov. 25). McNair is seventh in the Patriot League in scoring, averaging 15.0 ppg. Navy’s Austin Benigni (47.6), Loyola’s Troy Cicero (45.1) and Sam Springer (43.6) and Lafayette’s Caleb Williams (41.2) are the League’s top five from beyond the arc.
 
FIVE ROOKIES AMONG THE PL TOP 25 SCORING LEADERS
Five freshmen are among the Patriot League’s top 25 scorers. Colgate’s Andrew Alekseyenko, a four-time League Rookie of the Week, is ninth, averaging 14.2 ppg to lead all rookies. American’s Madden Collins (12.9 ppg) is 15th, while BU’s Chance Gladden (12.6 ppg) and Bucknell’s Amon Dorries (12.6 ppg) are 17th and 19th, respectively, and Army West Point’s Jackson Furman (10.5 ppg) is 23rd.
PL Rk. Name, School, PPG
9. Andrew Alekseyenko, Colgate , 14.2
15. Madden Collins, American, 12.9
17. Chance Gladden, Boston U., 12.6
19. Amon Dorries, Bucknell, 11.9
23. Jackson Furman, Army, 10.5
 
KEHOE AND DRAPER CONTINUE TO PACE THE PL ON THE GLASS
Sr. C Aidan Kehoe and Sr. F Donovan Draper finished first and third, respectively, in the Patriot League in rebounding last season to help the Midshipmen pull down 36.85 rebounds per game. The Mids’ forwards continue to pace the League in rebounding through 15 games of the 2025-26 season. Kehoe leads the League with 9.7 rebounds to rank 23rd in NCAA DI. Draper is third, averaging 6.5 boards per game and is 34th in League history with 658 boards.
 
JALEN COX LEADING THE RAIDERS
Jr. G Jalen Cox is delivering on his Preseason All-Patriot League expectations, ranking fourth in the League in scoring (16.7 ppg) and leading the PL in assists (5.4 apg) and steals (2.1 apg) through 14 games. His halfcourt heave as time expired lifted the Raiders to a 72-69 victory at Siena on Monday, Nov. 17. The game-winning buzzer-beater earned the No. 1 play during the Nov. 18 SportsCenter Top 10 Plays segment. Cox missed the Raiders’ 76-69 win vs. Army (Jan. 3) due to illness.
 
EAGLES’ DEFENSE LEADING TO OPPORTUNITIES AND WINS
American won five of its last seven games, including League-opening victories against Loyola (84-69) and Boston U. (64-62). The reigning Patriot League champions have let their defense set the tone, leading the League with 14.33 turnovers forced per game. American has posted a League-best 13.87 fastbreak points per game. AU also leads the League with a +3.0 turnover margin. Fr. G Madden Collins (1.7 spg), Jr. G Greg Jones (1.4 spg) and Fr. G Kade Sebastian (1.3 spg) all rank among the League’s top 10 in steals.  
 
ARMY WINS SIX OF LAST EIGHT BEHIND CURRY’S CONTRIBUTIONS
Army Jr. G Ryan Curry has averaged 17.5 points and 5.8 assists in the Black Knights’ last eight games to help the squad go 6-2 since Nov. 26. He scored 19 points in Army’s overtime win over Lehigh in the League season opener on Dec. 31 for their fourth straight win to help improve to 7-7 after a 1-6 start. So. G Jaxson Bell has scored 14.5 ppg during that stretch.
 
COLGATE ROOKIE LEADING PL IN BLOCKS
Colgate Fy. F Ayomi Odetoyinbo leads the Patriot League and ranks 26th in NCAA DI with 31 blocks (2.07 bpg). The first-year forward has blocked at least one shot in the Raiders’ last 11 games, including five blocked shots in two League games to help Colgate to a 2-0 start. 
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE PENFED CREDIT UNION MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Austin Benigni, Navy, Sr., G, The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands
*Benigni recorded 25.0 points, 6.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game to help Navy open League play 2-0 with wins against Boston University (82-77) and Holy Cross (65-58).
*The Preseason Player of the Year scored a season-high with 27 points and matching a career-high with eight assists in the Mids’ win against the Terriers.  
*He scored 14 of his 23 points in the second half to go along with five assists and four rebounds in a win against Holy Cross, helping him eclipse 400 career assists.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE PENFED CREDIT UNION MEN’S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Chance Gladden, Boston University, Fr., G, Raleigh, N.C./Ravenscroft
*Gladden scored 22.5 points on 53.3 percent (16-or-30) shooting, while averaging 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in losses against American and Navy.
*The freshman guard scored a career-high 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, and three rebounds against the Midshipmen in an 82-77 loss.
*He followed with a game-high 19 points, adding four rebounds, one block and one steal in a 64-62 loss against defending League champion American.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.