This game will actually be part of an opening night Doubleheader with the Women tipping off at 5pm and Men slated for a 7:30 tip time

42nd matchup of GW vs Navy, the last game was in 2023, we won 79-77 in OT 

GW lost the opening game of the 2020/21 season to Navy, a 78-71 loss. 

Navy won 26 games last year under 1st year Coach Jon Perry, including 17-1 in league play.   

They finished the year with a competitive 82-72 game at #1 NIT seed Wake Forest on the road.



 

Last edited by The Dude (10/18/2026 12:55 am)

Navy won their league last year but picked 5th this season.

American is picked to win the league.  Navy does have the Defensive player of the year pick Cole and a few all league picks including Cam Cole.  

https://www.basketunderreview.com/patriot-preview-2026-2027/

Antxon Iturbe's Nephew is a 3rd Team all league pick

 

PKGW2 wrote:

To FQs point - the one thing about playing an Academy early in the season is that they are not impacted by roster turnover as much as other schools. Their players know each other and their system - they are not at the same talent level , but may play with a more team oriented cohesive stylus than other D1 schools.

It's a fair point and a potentially tricky game for exactly this reason.

However, even with this in mind, it's going to be hard to tolerate a home loss to Navy.  Or anyone on our home OOC schedule with the possible exception of Harvard.  The talent discrepancy is too great to even begin to try to rationalize.  Aside from Ferrum who is not in Division 1, all of these other home opponents have KenPom's in the 200's.CC has talked frequently about being in the "at-large discussion" by the time conference play starts.  He's undoubtedly thinking about BC and the team's MTE games when he thinks about this, but this notion needs to also include no really bad losses.  It was Delaware a season ago, and this team can ill afford another Delaware in 2026.

I’m just glad the little guy Benigni graduated. Feel like he gave us trouble both times we played them recently.

Navy Midshipmen
Date: Monday November 2nd, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Venue: Charles E. Smith Center (Washington, DC)
TV: ESPN+
Ranks: 274th (KenPom), 310th (Bart Torvik), 244th (Haslametrics), 243rd (EvanMiya), 286th (Sports Illustrated)
2025-26 Record: 26-8, 17-1 (1st in Patriot)
2026-27 Projected Record: 18-14, 10-8 (4th in Patriot)

Head-to-Head: 22-19. A 79-77 overtime victory in 2023 at home snapped a two game losing streak in the series, marking GW's first win against the Midshipmen since 2009. GW went into halftime with a five point lead behind an efficient offense (50% shooting from the field) and a stingy defense (Navy was a dismal 26% from the floor). Despite holding Navy under 40% from the floor in the second half as well, GW was unable to put the game away in regulation. Poor FT shooting proved to be costly, as the Revs went an awful 8-18 from the charity stripe in the second 20 minutes to keep the visitors in the game.

Thankfully, MBB was able to get a few shots to go at the basket in overtime to put the game away, but of course fans were treated to more mediocre FT shooting (60%) which kept things interesting. Despite attempting nine more FTs than the Mids for the game, GW made four fewer than them which just about sums up the struggles. Navy's bench also outscored GW's 39-16 and somehow won the points in the paint battle as well. I lost track of the number of times Benigni got into the paint and either finished or got fouled.

Garrett finished with a double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds), while JB also added 18. Jun chipped in with 14 points of his own, but was just 6/14 from the line. Of course the thing most people remember about the game is Stretch Akingbola's 11 blocks, which broke the GW single game record for most blocks in a game. I would imagine that record holds for a while.

Offensive Efficiency: 279th (KenPom), 346th (Bart Torvik), 273rd (Haslametrics), 276th (EvanMiya)
Defensive Efficiency: 278th (KenPom), 222nd (Bart Torvik), 216th (Haslametrics), 192nd (EvanMiya)
Pace: 299th (KenPom), 301st (Bart Torvik), 289th (Haslametrics), 299th (EvanMiya)
Offensive ShotQuality Rank: 241st
Defensive ShotQuality Rank: 223rd
Rim & 3 Rate: 79% (249th)

Strengths (2025-26 Season);
Scoring Defense: 64.3 PPG (6th; 1st in Pat)
Three Point Percentage Defense: 29.7% (7th; 1st in Pat)
Fouls Per Game: 14.4 PF/G (12th; 1st in Pat)
Field Goal Percentage Defense: 40.7% (27th; 1st in Pat)
Winning Percentage: 76.5% (28th; 1st in Pat)
Rebound Margin: +5.7 RPG (29th; 1st in Pat)
Scoring Margin: +10.3 PPG (29th; 1st in Pat)
Field Goal Percentage: 47.5% (48th; 3rd in Pat)
Assists Per Game: 16.1 APG (53rd; 1st in Pat)
Assist/Turnover Ratio: 1.4 AST/TO (70th; 2nd in Pat)
Three Point Percentage: 35.8% (70th; 3rd in Pat)
Defensive Rebounds Per Game: 25.9 DRPG (76th; 1st in Pat)
Steals Per Game: 7.6 SPG (95th; 2nd in Pat)
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 53.5% (100th; 3rd in Pat)

Weaknesses (2025-26 Season):
Bench Points Per Game: 17 PPG (292nd; 4th in Pat)
Three Pointers Per Game: 6.6 3PM/G (292nd; 10th in Pat)
Three Point Attempts Per Game: 18.4 3PA/G (329th; 10th in Pat)

Projected Lineup:
#2 G Cam Cole (Senior; Bristow, VA) - 6.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.6 apg; 43% FG, 39% 3-PT, 76% FT per 19.1 mpg/34 GP at Navy last season
#21 G Jordan Pennick (Senior; Reisterstown, MD) - 7.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.4 apg; 36% FG, 31% 3-PT, 75% FT per 24.6 mpg/34 GP at Navy last season
#10 G Jinwoo Kim (Senior; Overland Park, KS) - 9.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.8 apg; 40% FG, 41% 3-PT, 84% FT per 30.4 mpg/34 GP at Navy last season
#7 G David Burnett (Junior; Albany, GA) - 1.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg; 52% FG, 25% 3-PT, 46% FT per 6.1 mpg/19 GP at Navy last season
#11 F Jerry Ashley Jr. (Sophomore; Cape Coral, FL) - 1.1 ppg, 1.3 rpg; 67% FG, 50% FT per 3.3 mpg/9 GP at Navy last season
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#18 G Justin Nordin (Freshman; Knoxville, TN)
#6 G Akim Iscandari (Freshman; Bowie, MD)
#5 G Luke Mayberry (Freshman; Jacksonville, FL)
#22 F Drew Timmons (Freshman; Covington, LA)
#17 F Sean Griffin (Freshman; Coatesville, PA)
#3 G Julian Gabbidon (Senior; Harrisburg, PA) - 1.1 ppg; 60% FG, 100% FT per 1.4 mpg/7 GP at Navy last season
#20 G Sam Pitrof (Freshman; Racine, WI)
#24 G Matt Gaffney (Sophomore; Wakefield, MA) - 0.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg; 100% FT per 1.8 mpg/4 GP at Navy last season
#25 C Charlie Crane (Freshman; West Des Moines, IA)
#42 F Cooper Jackson (Junior; Lewisville, NC) - 0.9 ppg, 0.5 rpg; 63% FG, 60% FT per 2.9 mpg/17 GP at Navy last season

Key Losses:
Austin Benigni (Graduated; The Woodlands, TX) - 18 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.3 spg; 42% FG, 44% 3-PT, 88% FT per 36.1 mpg/34 GP
Aidan Kehoe (Graduated; Montvale, NJ) - 15.2 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.2 bpg; 73% FG, 47% FT per 33.5 mpg/34 GP
Donovan Draper (Graduated; West Palm Beach, FL) - 8.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2.1 spg; 46% FG, 12% 3-PT, 79% FT per 26.9 mpg/32 GP
Mike Woods (Graduated; Upper Marlboro, MD) - 6.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.6 apg; 46% FG, 29% 3-PT, 78% FT per 22.4 mpg/34 GP

Preview:
Life can be so cruel sometimes. The Navy Midshipmen were three seconds away from punching their first ticket to the Big Dance since 1998. Austin Benigni had just made a layup to put the Mids up by 2, and ESPN gave the home team a 95.1% chance to cut down the nets. Sadly, Boston U's Chance Gladden had other plans, burying a 40-foot jump shot to take down the top seed in the Patriot. While that was a crushing way to end the year (Navy technically played one more game in the NIT and fell to Wake Forest in the first round), it shouldn't take away what was a banner year in Annapolis.

Navy steamrolled through the Patriot, finishing with a 17-1 record. They had a +19.5 net rating in league games, which ranked in the 97th percentile per CBB Analytics. Their lone blemish came on the road to American in mid-January. That marked their best ever finish in conference play in program history. They've actually dropped only one conference game in a year four other times in their history. The last one was fairly recent - back in 2020-21 when they finished 12-1 in the league in a COVID-shortened year. That was the year they defeated GW by 7 in the season opener at Alumni Hall. It also happened in 1999 and twice in the 1980s when they were in the CAA. Those 80s teams were both nationally ranked and were seeded 7 and 8 in the NCAA tournament.

The Midshipmen did bring back a lot last year (they led the nation in minutes continuity), but incredibly the success came under a first year head coach in Jon Perry. The West Virginia native got the job after Ed DeChellis decided to hang it up after 14 years as head of the program. Granted, Perry has been at the Naval Academy since 2013 as an assistant so he was familiar with the roster, but nobody could have predicted the way last season unfolded. Navy improved by nearly 60 spots on KenPom from their preseason rank. The month of November was a bit up-and-down, but the potential was evident when they fell to #18 North Carolina by just 12 in Chapel Hill.

Perry did not dramatically shift the offensive system, as Navy continued to play fairly slow. The team just simply executed better on all fronts compared to the end of the DeChellis era. You could point to their 24th ranked assist percentage as a key factor, but otherwise they were the same fundamentally strong team that they have been for the last decade plus. Unlike their rivals Army, the Midshipmen did not have a three-point centric offense (314th in 3PA%). They attacked the tin frequently, ranking 82nd in free throw rate despite being the seventh shortest team in effective height, per KenPom.

The real difference maker last year was the defense, where Navy stifled their opponents in the halfcourt, primarily playing man-to-man. The Midshipmen were disruptive along the perimeter (84th in defensive turnover percentage), cleaned up the glass well (49th in DR%) and did this all without fouling much (13th in defensive free throw rate). Now they did benefit greatly from some very favorable three point shooting variance which is unlikely to continue this year. Despite opponents taking 46% of their shots from deep against Navy (343rd in country) they made only 30% from behind the arc (7th nationally).

It's a bit of a reset year for Navy as program pillars Benigni, Aidan Kehoe, and Donovan Draper all graduated this offseason. Benigni was at the heart of everything the team did offensively, leading the Patriot in minutes (30th nationally), free throws made (36th), and free throw percentage (39th), while also ranking second in points per game (91st) and finishing third in assists (97th). Kehoe was the bookend up front, leading the nation in field goal percentage while dominating the glass on both sides. He was top 10 nationally in both defensive and offensive rebounding. Draper was the perfect glue guy that was a pest defensively, using his mobility to lead the Patriot League in steals per game (24th nationally).

There's still a lot of continuity to be found on this year's team, but the pieces are a lot more unproven. Jinwoo Kim, Jordan Pennick, and Cam Cole is a solid nucleus to start from though. Kim is a proven marksman from deep, having posted back-to-back years shooting over 40% from long range. The Kansas native was not as effective inside the arc or getting to the line, so I do wonder whether Perry alters Navy's identity this year with Kim leading the charge. After being efficient for much of February and March, a 1-7 shooting day from Kim in the PL championship game came at the worst time but does serve as motivation for him going into this year.

Pennick was a 20 game starter for the Midshipmen last year. His shot diet was not too dissimilar from Kim's last year, although he's a more streaky shooter and was a net negative on both sides of the ball. At just 6 feet tall, he can be picked on defensively. Among the Navy players that played at least 500 possessions, Kim and Pennick actually rated out as the two worst defenders (-1.3 DBPR) per EvanMiya. Navy will need more from both to avoid falling too far down the Patriot standings. It's worth mentioning that Pennick hasn't suited up for either of Navy's exhibition games so far. A freshman would likely replace him in the starting lineup if he cannot go.

Cole may actually be the most important returner of the trio despite never starting a game over his three year Navy career. He was Navy's most impactful defender when he was on the court. The Mids allowed just 93.4 points per 100 possessions with Cole on the court, which ranked in the 99th percentile per CBB Analytics. Offensively, he's grown to be more efficient every year in college and last year he shot a career best 38.5% from three.

There's two questions however with these guards. All three used fewer than 17% of possessions in 2025-26. How will their play translate playing a main role for the first time in their careers? The second bigger question is who will be responsible for setting up the offense with Benigni no longer on the roster. My guess would be Cole, but then there's the worry of too much being on his plate. The only other option Perry has is letting a freshman go through growing pains.

Three additional players bring depth to the backcourt. David Burnett should be an asset defensively with his 6'4", 200 lb frame. He's at his best getting to the bucket, shooting over 58% on two point attempts although the sample size isn't particularly large. Pairing him with Kim and/or Cole should create at least some driving lanes for him to operate. Julian Gabbidon was seldom used in 2026 but he's 4-4 from the FT line in his career - that has to count for something! Matt Gaffney has some upside entering his second year of CBB, but at just 5'11" there will be some defensive limitations.

While Benigni got a lot of the attention last year, Kehoe had the best overall BPR on the team (+3.75, per EvanMiya) so the tougher challenge will be plugging that hole up front. I wonder if Perry takes a page out of his predecessor's playbook and goes a bit more zone this year to cover up limitations with both size and experience. It will compromise the rebounding, but that's a near guarantee to regress regardless. Cooper Jackson and Jerry Ashley Jr. should see some run, although both players are a few inches shorter than Kehoe and neither one is offensively-inclined. Jackson's best performance last year came in November against UNC, when he put up six points in just eight minutes of action. That alone points to some potential. Navy's metrics were pretty poor when he was on the floor, but I'll chalk some of that up to a small sample size. Ashley is further along defensively but is far from a finished product on offense. He has the mobility to take on the Draper role from last year. However, 80% of his points came against non-D1 competition last year, so he's still an unknown on that side of the ball. Tobi Raji, who played just two minutes all of last year, and Colin Pollock, who did not see action in his first year, are also both mysteries.

As always, there's a ton of freshmen on Navy's roster and your guess is as good as mine in terms of who will see minutes right away. Charlie Crane stands out the most just from a height perspective. The Iowa native is 6'10", and is by far the tallest player on the roster (no one else stands above 6'8"). Crane had three other D1 offers from Summit League schools - a league that generally does a good job of developing back to the basket bigs. He's not going to be Kehoe right away, but he definitely seems like a player that has an opportunity to develop over the course of the year.

In addition to Crane, six other freshmen saw action for the Midshipmen in their exhibition game against Coppin State on Saturday. Justin Nordin was a standout, leading all scorers with 20 points in the game. He is a capable three-level scorer who can light it up from behind the arc - probably Navy's best scoring option after Kim. In HS, Nordin averaged over 17 ppg, 4 rpg, 4 apg, and 2 spg while shooting 44% from deep and led Bearden (TN) to a 37-2 overall record. His brother currently plays soccer at UAB, a future opponent of GW's. Akim Iscandari was a two sport athlete in HS and was second-team all-state in Maryland. He stuffed the stat sheet in his senior year, putting up 16/6/5 with a near 2:1 assist to turnover ratio. Iscandari plays with a lot of swagger and will be a good piece for Navy this year and beyond. Sean Griffin committed to Navy over rival Army and a few D2s out of HS. He suffered an injury his senior year, which led to a prep year at the Peddie School. He brings a high basketball IQ to Annapolis and can play multiple positions on the floor. Drew Timmons was the 2025 Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year and like Griffin did a prep year in 2025-26. He's a versatile forward that won two state titles and is wired to score - Timmons almost finished his HS career with 3,000 points scored. Luke Mayberry got the start in the Coppin exhibition with Pennick sidelined. Although he's not much of a scorer and can be a bit loose with the ball at times, he's a savvy pass-first lead guard who quarterbacked a 27-3 Providence School squad in Florida that featured multiple D1 prospects. Sam Pitrof one-upped Iscandari by being a three-sport athlete at Racine Lutheran in Wisconsin. He's got great positional size and Perry has praised his leadership skills on the court.

Wayne Fletcher II, Marlon Williams, Bryce Reynierson, JP Baldwin, Dylan Gassaway, and RJ Roche round out the roster. Fletcher was a McDonald's HS All-American nominee and averaged 21.1 ppg two seasons ago. Williams and Reynierson were both team captains in HS. Baldwin is a jumbo wing from Mississippi. Gassaway is a potential multi-positional piece down the line with added development. Roche can help space the floor at 6-5.

Dictating the pace and controlling the glass will be the two keys to success for the Revs against Navy. This will honestly be a running theme for much of OOC play. With not a lot of returning production, I would be stunned if Perry doesn't continue to play on the slower end to minimize GW's possessions. The Midshipmen have generally been good on the glass at both ends the last few years, but whether that remains a strength without Kehoe is in doubt, especially in the first game of the season. They did a lot well in a 27 point exhibition win over Coppin, but rebounding wasn't one of those things (outrebounded by 2, they were also outrebounded by 5 against Mount St. Mary's). The lack of a seasoned ball handler could also provide opportunities for GW to generate takeaways and get out in the open floor. Looking forward to seeing how all the pieces fit together in game 1 of the new year.

Projected Score: GW 82, Navy 69. 89% chance to win (KenPom). Bart Torvik gives us a 96% chance at a W.

The season has officially started!!  My DMV fix is in.   Thanks as always for the in depth preview.  You are one-of-a-kind!!!