Though they won’t make that coveted first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Army Men’s Basketball will play on. The Black Knights received an invitation to the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) at Daytona Beach’s Ocean Center. This tournament bid is a worthy consolation prize following the Black Knights’ resurgent year. Army went 16-15 and 10-8 in Patriot League play. This CBI appearance marks Army’s first postseason appearance since a 2021 appearance in this same tournament.
Army postseason appearances have been rare over the past 40 years. In fact, the Black Knights have appeared in college basketball’s postseason just twice since 1978. This kind of futility contrasts sharply from the days when the team became a fixture in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) back in the 1960s and 1970s. Army appeared in the once-iconic Madison Square Garden Tournament eight times from 1961 to 1978, reaching the semifinals no less than five times. After a first-round exit in 1978, however, the Black Knights did not reach the postseason again until 2016.
The 2015-16 Army Men went 19-13 in the regular season and 9-9 in the Patriot League. The Black Knights had a quality win over Monmouth, which beat UCLA, Notre Dame, and Rutgers that year. The Hawks were one of the First Four Out of the NCAA Tournament and reached the NIT.
This resume landed Army a spot in the CollegeInsiders.com Tournament. Unfortunately, the Black Knights’ luck ran out in the first round with a 79-61 loss to NJIT. Thankfully, the team would not have as long a gap for their next postseason appearance.
COVID-19 made for a strange year for everyone, including Army. The Black Knights took advantage of the weird conditions in the 2020-21 season to emerge as a Patriot League contender. Army went 12-9 in the regular season with signature wins over MAC power Buffalo, who reached the NIT, and LaSalle. That glorious LaSalle win was Army’s first over an Atlantic 10 opponent since 1977-78, and friends, I myself was one of 100 Cadets in attendance for it. Army finished 7-7 in Patriot League play that year, though they only played Navy, Holy Cross, Colgate, and Boston University due to pandemic travel restrictions.
After a semifinal exit in the Patriot League tournament, the Black Knights earned a spot in an abbreviated eight-team College Basketball Invitational. Once again, Army exited in the first round, losing 77-67 to Bellarmine.
This context brings us to today. The Black Knights now look to exorcise past postseason demons and win their first postseason game since 1970. The College Basketball Invitational is a known springboard for mid-major programs. Several teams have made the NCAA Tournament the year after playing in the CBI. High Point appeared in the CBI last year and won the Big South Tournament this year. Perhaps more notably, Florida Atlantic made the Final Four the year after appearing in the CBI. The Army Men’s team therefore has a chance to build some momentum and make a little history through this next tournament invitation. Although not the Big Dance, this CBI appearance is well worth celebrating.
Army will play Elon this Sunday, 23 March, starting at 2:00 pm on FloCollege Sports.
Go Army! Beat Elon!!!
