The Navy Midshipmen take on the Bucknell Bison in Lewisburg, PA. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network.
Navy is favored by 6.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -315. The total is set at 134.5 points.
Here’s my Navy vs. Bucknell prediction and college basketball picks for February 9, 2026.
Navy vs Bucknell Prediction
My Pick: Navy -6.5 (Play to -7.5)
My Navy vs Bucknell 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. Bucknell Odds
| Navy Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -110 | 134.5 -110 / -110 | -315 |
| Bucknell Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -110 | 134.5 -110 / -110 | +250 |
- Navy vs Bucknell spread: Navy -6.5
- Navy vs Bucknell over/under: 134.5 points
- Navy vs Bucknell moneyline: Navy -315, Bucknell +250
Navy vs Bucknell College Basketball Betting Preview
Navy Basketball
Navy comes into this one off a massive conference win on Saturday against American University. The Midshipmen were in quite a battle for 35 minutes, but they used a late surge to pull away to gain firm command of first place in the Patriot League standings.
Navy is the best team in the Patriot League this season by a wide margin, which has the Mids looking poised to wrap up the one-seed in the conference tournament in the coming weeks.
The offense has been very consistent this season and is led by a pair of seniors who have as much experience in the Patriot League as anyone. Austin Benigni averages 18 points per game and leads the Mids with 108 assists. Benigni has full command over the offense and he can score in a variety of ways for Navy.
Aidan Kehoe is an exquisite post presence, and he averages a double-double, with 15.2 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest. Kehoe positions himself well on offense to collect rebounds and get easy put-backs off of errant shots, but he can also pass the ball effectively out of the painted area.
Jinwoo Kim and Donovan Draper provide consistency in the starting five, and both are capable of scoring 15-20 points at any given time.
The defense has been rock solid for this veteran Navy group, leading the Patriot League in overall efficiency, 3-point defense and defensive free-throw rate. Navy can ramp up the pressure and overwhelm conference opponents, as it leads the Patriot League in steals while also protecting the rim exceptionally well.
This is a dangerous bunch come NCAA Tournament time — if Navy can win the Patriot League Tournament, something that has evaded it for some time.
Bucknell Basketball
Bucknell has struggled through an 8-17 season that's seen the Bison drop five of their last seven games in league play. A tough non-conference saw Bucknell lose nine of 10 games before the Christmas break, as the Bison were simply overmatched in that portion of their schedule.
Bucknell doesn’t figure to threaten to win the Patriot League this season, but six teams are within one game of third place in the conference, with the Bison being one of them.
Offensively, the Bison are led by freshman Amon Dorries, who averages 15.2 points per game. The versatile post player can score the ball in the painted area and does well to get to the foul line, but he can also step out and shoot the 3-ball.
Pat Curtin and Achile Spadone each average 11 points per game, while Jayden Williams runs the point and is a solid facilitator. Bucknell has been hampered by injuries and doesn’t have as much post size since Ruot Bijiek went out with injury. Reserve players have also missed time, forcing Bucknell to continue to remain thin in the frontcourt.
The Bucknell defense has been mediocre, per Patriot League Standards, but the injuries have caused this group to struggle rebounding or defending the post.
Bucknell can't keep its opponents off the glass or the charity stripe, and I would envision that this becomes a problem against Navy.
Navy vs. Bucknell Betting Analysis
I'm going to lay it with the Middies.
Navy is going to have opportunities to shred Bucknell in the post on both ends of the floor. Bijiek led the Bison in scoring in the first matchup between these two (76-55 Navy win), but he also collected six boards and blocked two shots.
His absence will be huge for the Bison in this game. Bucknell has been relying on 6-foot-4 Spadone in the post, so I can't envision it being able to appropriately defend against what Navy wants to do offensively.
This is the third game in five days for the Bison, all against the top three teams in the Patriot League standings. Depth could be an issue for the Bison, given the injuries and lack of available players in the frontcourt.
Kehoe is shooting 74% from the floor this season, which leads all players in college basketball. Benigni has exceptional control of the offense, and Navy has so many options at its disposal.
I struggle to see how Bucknell keeps this game close, so I'm going Navy.
My Pick: Navy -6.5 (Play to -7.5)
