American vs Army Odds, Spread & Picks (Jan. 11)

• The American Eagles take on the Army Black Knights on Wednesday, January 11th
• Despite ranking 254th in Division I in scoring, the Eagles own a 12-3 record
• See the American vs Army odds below, as well as our best bet and prediction for this game

Some teams excel in crunch time, while others fold. Through the first half of this college basketball season, the American Eagles (12-3, 8-6 ATS) have displayed calmness under pressure and the ability to win the tight games. The Eagles, are coming off a couple victories and are 5-2 in games decided by five points or less this year.

On Wednesday, January 11th, they look to extend their perfect record in Patriot League play when they host the Army Black Knights (9-8, 7-8 ATS). Tipoff is schedule for 6:00 pm ET at Christi Arena in West Point, New York.

Despite their conference leading 12-3 record, the Eagles are 1-point underdogs in the college basketball odds for this contest. Check out more of the American vs Army odds below, as we also offer up our best bet and pick.

American vs Army Odds

Odds as of January 10th from  Barstool Sportsbook. Get the Barstool Sportsbook promo code to bet on this game.

Since the holiday break, American have a spotless 4-0 record, while Army are coming off their first loss since Christmas, losing a heartbreaker 77-75 at home to Colgate when Coleton Benson missed a three-point attempt to win it at the buzzer.

American Limiting Opposition Scoring

This season, the Eagles have developed a reputation for a plodding, but efficient offense and a defense that keeps the opposition at bay. In their last two games, both victories, American allowed 74 and 68 points, the latter in an overtime win. Previous to that, they hadn’t allowed more than 64 points in their last eight games.

So far this campaign, American has allowed an average of 62.9 points, placing them 40th overall in the nation. This is partly due to their slow and steady style of play. According to KenPom, they have an adjusted tempo of 63.9 which ranks 328th in the country, limiting the amount of touches opponents get on offense.

So American
* Won at Georgetown
* Won at GW
* Just drew its biggest crowd since 2009
* Has won 12 of its last 13
* Might be the best men's college basketball team in D.C.?
Here's @JFeinsteinBooks https://t.co/xUb3uHVHiv

— Dan Steinberg (@dcsportsbog) January 9, 2023

In spite of that turtle like pace, the Eagles shoot a great percentage from the floor, allowing them enough buckets to win 80% of their games so far. Once again, turning to KenPom, they rank 186th in adjusted offensive efficiency, but 6th in Division I with a 56.8 effective field goal percentage.

When you factor in terrific 37.1% shooting as a team from beyond the arc that puts them amongst the top 50 teams in the country, you can understand the reasons why the Eagles have had such great success through the first two months of this season.

Army Black Knights Money at Night

Hovering around .500 all year against the spread, for some reason, Army have stood out during night games. It’s in stark contrast to their performance during the day, as the Black Knights are 6-2 ATS at night versus 1-6 ATS during day contests.

It’s a quirky trend, but one to take note of when considering how to wager on this Patriot League battle. At home, the Black Knights sport a 5-2 record this year, with those defeats having come by a combined seven points.

Home court has been a definitive advantage when these two teams hook up with the host winning seven of the last 10 head-to-head matchups, including each of the last four.

American vs Army Recent Results

Jalen Rucker has been the facilitator for the Black Knights on offense leading the team with 16.1 points and 3.4 assists per game. The junior guard has been on fire so far this month, averaging 26 points on 67% shooting from the floor in three games in January.

1️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣

Jalen Rucker becomes the 37th member of the @ArmyWP_MBB 1,000 point club in just his junior season 💪

Fittingly, it came on a three-ball. Congrats, Ruck! #GoArmy pic.twitter.com/Fc6bMdDCff

— Army Men's Basketball (@ArmyWP_MBB) January 10, 2023

American vs Army Pick and Prediction

Don’t let the records fool you, these two teams are much closer than the standings indicate and that’s why the spread is so tight in the college basketball odds. KenPom has American ranked 185th in the nation with Army 60 notches below them, in 245th out of 363 Division I sides.

The Eagles are coming off a couple of very tight contests where they emerged victorious, while Army suffered a two-point loss to Colgate their last time out.

In their last two meetings at West Point, the Golden Knights defeated the Eagles by a combined 30 points. While we don’t expect that margin of victory in the American vs Army odds on Wednesday night, we do like the home side to deal the Eagles their first conference loss of the season.

Pick: Army Black Knights -1 (-104)