Navy Midshipmen vs Holy Cross Crusaders Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Navy Midshipmen vs Holy Cross Crusaders

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: Hart Center in Worcester, MA

TV: ESPN+

The Holy Cross Crusaders (6-8) will play the Navy Midshipmen (9-5) at Hart Center on Saturday.

The Navy Midshipmen faced Boston and took home the win by a score of 82-77 in their last contest. With respect to personal fouls, the Midshipmen ended up finishing with 12 while Boston accumulated 28 personal fouls. They converted 9 out of their 24 shots from long range. Boston finished the game shooting 83.3% at the charity stripe by burying 10 of their 12 shots. Additionally, Boston collected 28 rebounds (4 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't have a block. Boston distributed 12 dimes and had 3 steals in the game. When it comes to defense, Navy allowed the other team to go 49.2% from the floor on 29 out of 59 shooting. They also recorded 15 dimes in this contest as well as forcing 8 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In the matter of rebounding, they earned 36 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. From the free throw line, the Midshipmen knocked down 22 of 30 attempts for a percentage of 73.3%. Navy wrapped up the game having earned a 47.2% field goal percentage (25 out of 53) and made 10 of their 25 three-point attempts.

Austin Benigni is a player who was a major factor for this game. He finished the game shooting 61.5% from the field and recorded 8 dimes. He was on the court for 40 mins played and also pulled down 4 boards. He left the arena with 27 points on 8 of 13 shooting.

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Navy will enter this matchup with a win-loss mark of 9-5 on the season. They average 73.7 points per contest (271st in the country) while shooting 45.1% from the field. The Midshipmen are hitting 33.8% on shots from beyond the arc (89 of 263) and 75.6% from the charity stripe. As a team, Navy is grabbing 36.8 boards per game and has accounted for 205 assists for the year, which is 152nd in D-1 in terms of passing. They lose possession via turnover 12.1 times per contest and as a group they are committing 15.5 fouls every game.

On defense, the Midshipmen are able to force 12.9 turnovers per game while drawing 20.5 fouls. They are 94th in college in allowing assists with 162 conceded on the season. The Midshipmen defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 41.6% (323 of 776) and they relinquish 31.0 boards per game as a group. They surrender 30.8% on shots from distance while they are 27th in the nation in points per game from their opponents (65.4).

In their last game, the Holy Cross Crusaders went home victorious with a score of 65-58 when they played Bucknell. The Crusaders were able to corral 25 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards for a total of 31 in the matchup. They coughed up the ball 11 times, while earning 4 steals in this matchup. Bucknell had 18 personal fouls for this contest which got the Crusaders to the free throw line for a total of 26 tries. They were able to knock down 20 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 76.9%. In reference to 3-pointers, Holy Cross buried 1 out of their 9 attempts (11.1%). At the conclusion of this game, the Crusaders ended up going 22 out of 46 from the field which gave them a percentage of 47.8%. The Crusaders allowed Bucknell to bury 24 of their 59 attempts from the floor which had them sitting at 40.7% for this game. They shot 30.8% from three-point range by shooting 8 out of 26 and walked away from this one shooting 2 of 5 from the free throw line (40.0%). In reference to cleaning the glass, Holy Cross permitted Bucknell to collect 29 overall (10 on the offensive glass).

Declan Ryan ended up being important for the Crusaders for this game. He recorded 14 points in his 20 minutes of playing time, but didn't get an assist. He made 7 out of 11 for this game giving him a field goal percentage of 63.6%, and had 5 rebounds.

Holy Cross has a record of 6-8 for the year. On the offensive side of the court, the Crusaders are connecting on 42.7% from the floor, which is 299th in Division 1. Holy Cross has scored 926 pts for the season (66.1 per contest) and they average 31.8 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 11.3 times per game (344th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.4 times per contest. The Crusaders are responsible for committing 14.1 personal fouls per game and they connect on 69.3% from the free throw line.

The Holy Cross defense concedes 32.4% on three-point shots (105 of 324) and their opposition makes 72.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 13.7 dimes and 34.9 total boards per game, which is ranked 214th and 205th in college hoops. The Crusaders are ranked 163rd in college hoops in points given up per game with 72.2. They are forcing their opponents into 11.6 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 47.8% from the floor (333rd in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Holy Cross

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