Army basketball rolls along

Who would have thought that both Army basketball teams would be in the running for an NCAA berth? Yes, it’s almost March and the Army’s men and women’s hoopsters are both in the hunt for spot in NCAA’s March Madness.

Head coach Zach Spiker has accomplished what few of his predecessors have. With a 69-62 Wednesday night win over former nemesis Holy Cross, the Black Knights have secured Army’s first non-losing season since Ronald Reagan was president.

The win over the Crusaders was the fifth in a row for the red-hot Army team which now has secured a home game in the upcoming Patriot League basketball tournament quarterfinals.

Army can further enhance its postseason prospects by winning at Lehigh on Saturday night. A win there would ensure Army a winning season and possibly move the Black Knights up to a No. 2 seed in the conference tourney, depending on how other games turn out.

Hopefully the 15-13 Cadets can pull off the unthinkable and win the conference tournament and get to the Big Dance. If they do they’ll make a lot of fans in Black & Gold very happy along with former Army greats like Bobby Knight and Mike Krzyzewski.

We absolutely cannot forget our Army women. They have put together an impressive 21-7 (10-3 PL) record and are the only team to defeat league leading Navy twice.

The Black Knight women have used a combination of young and veteran players to put together an impressive campaign. Plebe guard Kelsey Minato leads the team scoring 16 points per game. Meanwhile senior guard Anna Simmers tallies 12 ½ points per game and leads the team in assists.

The women will host Lehigh on Sunday at Christl Arena. A Black Knights victory coupled with a Navy loss at Bucknell will make Army the regular season league champions. Army will have no worse than a No. 2 seed in the tournament regardless of what happens on Sunday.

If the women can get back to the NCAA you have to think that the spirit of Maggie Dixon will be smiling down upon the Black Knight women.

Let's hope that Bobby, Mike and the sweet soul of Maggie do a lot of smiling in the coming days.