Army Black Knights Enter Patriot League Action Seeded in Bracketology

The Army Black Knights women’s basketball team enters Patriot League action with an opportunity to make the NCAA Tournament.

Army freshman Reese Ericson, left, pulls up on her dribble against Navy on Saturday. ALLYSE PULLIAM/For the Times Herald-Record / Allyse Pulliam / USA TODAY NETWORK

With Patriot League action set to begin on Thursday, the Army West Point Black Knights women’s basketball remains one of the favorites to win the league and, potentially, reach the NCAA Tournament in March.

The latest edition of ESPN’s bracketology dropped just before the start of conference action and Army drew the Patriot League’s automatic bid, which would come by winning the Patriot League’s postseason tournament.

The Black Knights wouldn’t get an easy draw if the tournament started now. Army, projected as a No. 15 seed, would face No. 2 seed UConn in a first-round game in Storrs, Conn.

Army (8-2) enters league play with the best winning percentage in non-conference action. But, the Black Knights will get a gauge for where they are right away as they face Colgate on Thursday. The Raiders (10-3) are the only team in the league to win 10 or more games in non-conference.

Lehigh (9-3), Navy (8-3) and Holy Cross (7-4) are the only other teams in the league with at least seven wins in non-conference.

The Black Knights enter league action with an 85-36 win over Mount Saint Mary’s (NY) over the weekend. Army’s losses have come to Howard and Cornell. At one point, the Black Knights had won seven straight games.

The automatic awarded to the Patriot League tournament champion is the only guaranteed way for the conference to put a team in March Madness. There are 31 conferences that receive automatic bids, with the remaining 37 bids for the 68-team tournament going to at-large teams.

Army’s NCAA Tournament history is limited to three appearances, and the Black Knights haven’t been to the event since 2016, when it faced Syracuse in the first round and lost, 73-56.

Army lost to Maryland in 2014 and to Tennessee in 2006, both in the first round. All three appearances came after the Black Knights won their conference tournament.

Trinity Hardy enters the league slate as Army’s leading scorer with 14.6 points per game. She also averages 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.7 steals.

Fiona Hastick is just outside double figures at 9.1 points per game. She also averages 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals.

Camryn Tade (42%) and Reese Ericson (37%) are Army’s two best 3-point shooters. Both are averaging 8.8 points per game, with Tade also grabbing six rebounds per contest. Each averages more than two assists per game.

Kya Smith leads the team with 7.5 rebounds and pitches in 6.6 points.