The Army Black Knights head to Baltimore to face the UMBC Retrievers on Friday night in non-conference college basketball action. UMBC enters with a solid 6-4 overall record and a 4-1 record at home, while Army sits at 4-7 and has struggled away from West Point. Before this contest begins in Baltimore, you can find my breakdown of this contest below, including my Army vs UMBC prediction.
UMBC has been solid at home this season, going 4-1 inside Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena and holding a winning record overall. Their offense has been efficient, shooting 47.4% from the field and led by forward Jah’Likai King, who averages 14.8 points and 4.7 rebounds. The Retrievers are aiming to bounce back after a close loss to Buffalo in their last outing, where they allowed 83 points in what was their first home loss of the 2025-26 college basketball season.
Army’s season has been difficult, with a 4-7 record and challenges protecting the paint and defending the perimeter. They recently put up a program record for made three-pointers in a blowout win over Gallaudet and scored 111 points. But that was against a non-Division I opponent and the Black Knights need to prove themselves against tougher competition here. Ryan Curry has been the key scoring option for the Black Knights, averaging 13.3 points and dishing out 5 assists per game. However, Army’s road form has been a concern, as they are 1-3 on the road to begin this year.
It will be interesting to see if UMBC can drive the ball into the paint and take advantage of Army's lack of shot blocking. The Black Knights are averaging just 0.9 blocked shots per game as a team this year. Their lack of rim protection could mean some easy buckets at the cup for the Retrievers tonight.
Score Projection: Army 74 – UMBC 82
Win Probability: Army 38%, UMBC 62%
I'm taking the over in this contest between Army and UMBC to tip off the college basketball slate on Friday night. Both of these teams rank in the 300s in defensive efficiency out of 365 Division I college basketball teams, according to KenPom. We should see those defensive issues on both sides lead to a high-scoring and entertaining affair between teams from the Patriot League and America East.
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