The Navy Midshipmen take on the American Eagles in Washington, DC. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Navy is favored by 1.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -115. The total is set at 139.5 points.
Here’s my Navy vs. American prediction and college basketball picks for January 12, 2026.
Navy vs American Prediction
My Pick: Navy -1.5 (Play to -2.5)
My Navy vs American best bet is on the Midshipmen to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Navy vs. American Odds
| Navy Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -108 | 139.5 -108o / -112u | -115 |
| American U Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -112 | 139.5 -108o / -112u | -105 |
- Navy vs American spread: Navy -1.5
- Navy vs American over/under: 139.5 points
- Navy vs American moneyline: Navy -115, American -105
Navy vs American College Basketball Betting Preview
Navy Basketball
Navy came ever so close to making the NCAA Tournament last season, but American sent it packing.
On Monday, the Midshipmen will look to exact revenge while maintaining their unbeaten conference record.
The Mids have ratcheted up the defense in 2025-26, ranking 115th in KenPom's defensive efficiency. The success stems from the Navy holding teams to 49% shooting on 2-pointers, while forcing turnovers at an 18% clip.
Don't sleep on Navy's offense, though. The emergence of 6-foot-11 center Aidan Kehoe in Patriot League play has allowed the Midshipmen to score 1.06 PPP or more in four straight games.
Kehoe scored 15+ points in all four games and is 34-for-39 from the field. He'll get the ball plenty in this matchup, with American's tallest starter being 6-foot-7.
It's not just the Kehoe show, as point guard Austin Benigni leads the team in points (17.6) and assists per game (4.6). Benigni lives at the foul line, tallying 7.0 free throws per game, and shoots 47% from deep.
Outside of that pair, Navy could be without its third-best player in Donovan Draper. He missed the last two games, and the Mids will miss his rebounding next to Kehoe.
That being said, you can ignore Navy's 225th ranking in offensive efficiency. That doesn't tell the story of what the offense's current production is.
American Basketball
American began Patriot League play with back-to-back wins and has since dropped two straight.
The glaring weakness in both games was American's terrible rim defense. Teams shoot 55% on 2s against the Eagles, and their two starting forwards are 6-foot-7. That's a major wart on this team moving forward.
Unless American forces a turnover — which it does 19% of the time — it probably won't get many stops.
On the flip side, gambling for steals leads to American fouling a ton. Facing a team like Navy — which draws fouls — could prove problematic for American.
Everything Duane Simpkins aims to do centers around the 3-point shot. American attempts 3s on 47% of its field goals, and everyone in the lineup is capable of hitting one.
That could also lead to a lot of variance with the Eagles, depending on whether they shoot well or not in a game.
The trio of Wyatt Nausadis, Geoff Sprouse and Matt Mayock can really shoot it. Sprouse is a veteran with plenty of experience in big games.
While I love Navy as the play, I'll lay out the main concern I have that American can exploit. For all the good that Kehoe does, he's a bit of a nightmare on defense.
With the tandem of dazzling freshmen Madden Collins and pick-and-popper Julen Iturbe — who starts at the five — the Eagles should try getting Kehoe to defend in space.
Collins could pick on the smaller Navy guards, and Iturbe can hit some 3s. That's the main path for American, but it'll have to play better than it has.
Navy vs. American Betting Analysis
I have to go with the Mids here.
American is one of the most 3-point reliant teams in the country, and it shoots just 34% from deep.
Nothing else the Eagles do offensively — besides Collins scoring inside — is effective. He's the only true scoring option inside the arc, but he shoots 21% from deep.
Stopping Kehoe will be too difficult for this shaky interior defense of American.
My Pick: Navy -1.5 (Play to -2.5)
