Halftime Report
Navy is on the road but looking no worse for wear. They have jumped out to a quick 36-27 lead against Bucknell.
Navy entered the matchup with three straight defeats and they're well on their way to making it four. Can they turn things around, or will Bucknell hand them another loss? Only time will tell.
Who's Playing
Navy Midshipmen @ Bucknell Bison
Current Records: Navy 5-13, Bucknell 7-11
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 4 p.m. ET
- Where: Sojka Pavilion -- Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
- TV: ESPN Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $35.00
What to Know
Bucknell is 2-8 against Navy since January of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. Both will face off in a Patriot battle at 4:00 p.m. ET at Sojka Pavilion. The Bison will be strutting in after a victory while the Midshipmen will be stumbling in from a loss.
Bucknell took a loss when they played away from home on Saturday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They managed an 86-82 win over Holy Cross. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Bison considering their 58-point performance the matchup before.
Bucknell got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Ruot Bijiek out in front who scored 14 points plus five rebounds. Bijiek had some trouble finding his footing against American on Saturday, so this was a step in the right direction. The team also got some help courtesy of Josh Bascoe, who scored 17 points along with five assists and two steals.
Meanwhile, Navy's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight defeat. They fell 73-66 to Colgate.
Austin Benigni put forth a good effort for the losing side as he posted 25 points in addition to eight assists. That's the most assists he has posted since back in January of 2024. Another player making a difference was Donovan Draper, who dropped a double-double on 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Bucknell's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-11. As for Navy, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 5-13.
Looking forward, Bucknell is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 4.5 points. They might be worth a quick bet since they've covered the spread the last three times they've played Navy.
Bucknell beat Navy 80-67 when the teams last played back in February of 2024. Will Bucknell repeat their success, or does Navy have a better game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Odds
Bucknell is a 4.5-point favorite against Navy, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 4.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 136.5 points.
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Series History
Navy has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Bucknell.
- Feb 07, 2024 - Bucknell 80 vs. Navy 67
- Jan 24, 2024 - Bucknell 71 vs. Navy 63
- Feb 08, 2023 - Navy 71 vs. Bucknell 65
- Jan 25, 2023 - Navy 63 vs. Bucknell 46
- Jan 26, 2022 - Navy 81 vs. Bucknell 63
- Jan 07, 2022 - Navy 73 vs. Bucknell 55
- Jan 03, 2021 - Navy 63 vs. Bucknell 60
- Jan 02, 2021 - Navy 78 vs. Bucknell 69
- Feb 12, 2020 - Navy 60 vs. Bucknell 59
- Jan 08, 2020 - Navy 60 vs. Bucknell 56