| Current: | 2023–24 Army Black Knights men's basketball team |
| Army Black Knights | |
| University: | United States Military Academy |
| Conference: | Patriot |
| Location: | West Point, New York |
| Coach: | Kevin Kuwik |
| Tenure: | 1st |
| Arena: | Christl Arena |
| Capacity: | 5,043 |
| Nickname: | Black Knights |
| Ncaachampion3: | 1923, 1944 |
| Ncaachampion2: | 1944 |
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The Army Black Knights men's basketball team represents the United States Military Academy in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball. Army currently competes as a member of the Patriot League and plays its home games at Christl Arena in West Point, New York.
Bob Knight, the coach with the most wins in NCAA men's basketball history, began his head coaching career at Army from 1965 to 1971 before moving on to Indiana. One of Knight's players at Army was Mike Krzyzewski, who later was head coach at Army before moving on to Duke and becoming the winningest men's basketball coach in NCAA Division I history.
Since its inception in 1903, Army retrospectively has been awarded two national championships, has made eight NIT appearances, has refused two NCAA tournament invitations, in 1944 and 1968, and has an overall 49.7% winning percentage.
The Black Knights were retroactively named national champions by Premo-Porretta for 1923 and by the Helms Athletic Foundation for 1944,[1] when they went undefeated (15–0),[2] but declined an invitation to the NCAA tournament due to World War II. The 1944 squad was captained by Edward C. Christl, who earned a posthumous Distinguished Service Cross during World War II and for whom the Black Knights' home arena is named.[3]
Head coach Bob Knight turned down the 1968 NCAA tournament invitation in favor of the NIT,[4] because he believed the Black Knights had a better chance of winning the NIT with Lew Alcindor and UCLA playing in the NCAA tournament. Further, Madison Square Garden was close enough to West Point to allow the Corps of Cadets to be attend the games, and Army had participated in the NIT seven times in 10 years, including four of Knight's five seasons as head coach. They would go on to lose their first game of the 1968 NIT to Notre Dame.[5]
The Black Knights are one of only three original major programs that were playing college basketball in 1939, when the inaugural NCAA tournament was held, that are still active Division I programs and one of 34 eligible teams to have never participated in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament .[6] [7] Army shares this distinction with William & Mary and The Citadel. St. Francis Brooklyn was a major program in 1939, and never made an NCAA tournament appearance but discontinued athletics in 2023,[8] and is no longer eligible for the tournament.
The Black Knights have played in the National Invitational Tournament eight times[9] and also played in the 2016 edition of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), their first appearance in a postseason tournament in 38 years, losing to NJIT in the first round.
See main article: List of Army Black Knights men's basketball seasons.
In 119 seasons, the Black Knights have a record of 1262–1276.
The Black Knights have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) eight times. Their combined record is 13–10.
| First Round | Temple | L 66–79 | ||
| First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | St. Bonaventure Duquesne Bradley NYU | W 64–62 W 67–65 L 52–67 W 60–59 | ||
| First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | St. Louis Western Kentucky St. John's NYU | W 70–66 W 58–54 L 60–67 W 75–74 | ||
| First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Manhattan San Francisco BYU Villanova | W 71–66 W 80–63 L 60–66 L 65–76 | ||
| First Round | Notre Dame | L 58–62 | ||
| First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Wyoming South Carolina Boston College Tennessee | W 51–49 W 59–45 L 61–73 L 52–64 | ||
| First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals 3rd Place Game | Cincinnati Manhattan St. John's LSU | W 72–67 W 77–72 L 59–60 W 75–68 | ||
| First Round | Rutgers | L 70–72 |
The Black Knights have appeared in one CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Their record is 0–1.
| First Round | NJIT | L 65–79 |
The Black Knights have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Their record is 0–1.
| First Round | Bellarmine | L 67–77 |
| 1902–04 1908–11 1913–14 | 41–14 | ||
| No coach | 1904–06 | 10–8 | |
| 1906–07 | 9–5 | ||
| B.H. Koehler | 1907–08 | 9–3 | |
| 1911–13 | 19–6 | ||
| 1914–16 | 16–9 | ||
| Arthur Conrad | 1916–17 | 3–8 | |
| Ivens Jones | 1917–19 | 11–9 | |
| Joseph O'Shea | 1919–21 | 30–7 | |
| Harry Fisher | 1921–23 1924–25 | 46–5 | |
| Van Vleit | 1923–24 | 16–2 | |
| 1925–26 | 11–6 | ||
| Leo Novak | 1926–39 | 126–56 | |
| Valentine Lentz | 1939–43 | 31–31 | |
| 1943–45 | 29–1 | ||
| Stewart Holcomb | 1945–47 | 18–13 | |
| 1947–51 | 33–35 | ||
| 1951–53 | 19–17 | ||
| 1953–54 | 15–7 | ||
| 1954–58 | 39–47 | ||
| George Hunter | 1958–63 | 63–48 | |
| 1963–65 | 40–15 | ||
| 1965–71 | 102–50 | ||
| Dan Dougherty | 1971–75 | 31–66 | |
| 1975–80 | 73–59 | ||
| 1980–82 | 12–41 | ||
| 1982–90 | 92–135 | ||
| 1990–92 | 10–46 | ||
| Mike Conners | 1992–93 | 4–22 | |
| 1993–97 | 36–72 | ||
| Pat Harris | 1997–2002 | 42–96 | |
| 2002–09 | 59–140 | ||
| 2009–16 | 102–112 | ||
| 2016–2023 | 98–112 | ||
| 2023– | 0–0 |
The following Army players were named NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans:
The following Army players were named Academic All-America:
The following Army players and coaches have been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Award: Outstanding Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Coach of the Year
Patriot League Men's Basketball Coach of the Year
Patriot League Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year
Patriot League Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year