Mids to Open 2023 at Home Monday Against Holy Cross
The Navy men’s basketball team (8-5, 1-0) will open the 2023 calendar year and home game of its league season on Monday with a 1 p.m. game in the Alumni Hall against Holy Cross (4-10, 1-0).
Five starting notes
1 – The Navy will open the home portion of its 32nd Patriot League season when it hosts Holy Cross. The Mids have won five games in a row at home in the league.
2 – Navy has already faced Holy Cross in its first league home game, with the Mids losing in 2012-13 and winning in 2015-16.
3 – Navy and Holy Cross have shared the regular season series in each of the last three years they have played, as well as six of the last seven seasons (Navy won both games in 2018) . Last year, the road team won both games for the first time in series history.
4 – Four of the last six games in the series have been decided by five points or less.
5 — Monday’s game is Navy’s second home since late November and first against an NCAA Division I opponent. Since hosting Mount St. Mary’s on Nov. 26, the Mids have played road games in Tennessee, Virginia (two), West Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts.
Match day information
• The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• WNAV will provide radio coverage of the game.
• Live stats will be available on NavySports.com.
Last game – Navy 75, Boston U. 58
• Boston U. took a 9-2 lead and quickly led 12-8. Navy responded with a 29-6 run that gave the Mids a 31-18 lead.
• Tyler Nelson scored 15 points in the first half.
• After taking an eight-point lead at the break, Navy’s advantage was reduced to 10 points on three occasions in the opening moments of the second half. The Terriers were able to come within three points at 45-42
• Both teams had empty possessions, then a four-point play from Sean Yoder sparked a short drive that gave the Mids a 54-44 lead with just under 10 minutes to play.
• It was a 56-52 lead for Navy when the Mids went on an 11-1 streak — seven points on free throws made — that took the cushion to 67-53 with 2:52 to go .
• Navy was 21-23 from the foul line in the game, including 14-16 in the second half.
• Nelson was 9-9 in the charity squad before scoring a career-best 25 points.
About Holy Cross
• The Crusaders enter the game with a 4-10 record this season. Holy Cross was 0-5 in real road games and 0-7 in all games played away from Worcester.
• Holy Cross opened the championship with a 60-58 victory over Bucknell at the Hart Center. That result snapped a four-game skid for the Crusaders.
Marine-Holy Cross Series
• Holy Cross holds a 46-27 all-time series advantage with Navy. The Mids lead the Crusaders, 18-17, in games played at Annapolis, which includes an 18-14 advantage in games played at Alumni Hall.
• Holy Cross leads Navy, 36-24, in Patriot League regular season games played between the teams. The Mids hold a 16-14 advantage in regular season league games played at Annapolis, which includes a 16-13 lead in league games played at Alumni Hall.
• Teams have split the two-game regular season series in each of the past three years (2019, 2020, 2022).
• The road team won both games played a year ago, with the Mids winning 70-56 at Worcester and the Crusaders winning 55-50 at Annapolis.
• The series dates back to the 1947 NCAA Tournament when Holy Cross won a 55-47 decision in a first-round game played in New York. Game 2 of the series also took place in the NCAA Tournament. The Crusaders defeated the Mids, 87-74, in another hard-fought first-round game in Philadelphia.
Dorsey versus Dorsey
• Monday’s match will feature Navy’s Patrick Dorsey against his brother, Holy Cross’ Nolan Dorsey.
• The siblings were on the same floor during a match last season.
• Patrick and Nolan each wear the number 21 in honor of their late father, Alan Dorsey, who wore this number when he played James Madison.
Miscellaneous Game Folders
• The Navy went 17-8 in games played Jan. 2. That includes a 4-2 record in Patriot League regular season games played to date.
• The Mids went 60-69 against teams in Massachusetts.
Navy in the league home opener
• Navy went 20-11 in its first Patriot League home game and 25-16 in its first home game of any conference campaign.
• The Mids have won their first home game of a Patriot League season in each of the last five years as well as in eight of the last nine seasons (2016-17 was the only loss in that span) .
• The Navy won its league-best home opener in eight straight years, from 1994-95 to 2001-02.
• Navy have hosted Holy Cross in the first home game of a two-time Championship season. The Crusaders won a 62-47 game in 2012-13 and the Mids posted a 65-60 win in 2015-16.
Following
• Navy hits the road again for Thursday night’s game at Colgate.
• The Raiders, who were once again selected as favorites to win the Patriot League this season, went 7-7 this season and won their league opener, 101-67, on Friday at Loyola.
• Colgate recorded a win over Syracuse and lost a road game to No. 15 Auburn in the pre-league season.
Navy wins league opener
• Navy’s victory on December 30 at Boston U marked the fifth straight season in which the Mids have won their league opener.
• The only other period in which Navy have won their league opener in four consecutive years was when they won six in a row from 1996-01.