I n one of the most respectful rivalries in college basketball, Army returns to Cameron Indoor Stadium Monday night. The schools are tied together through former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who is a 1969 graduate of West Point.
Rivalry might be too strong of a term, though. These teams have played 11 times, and Army has one once, in 1938, 88 years ago. The schools have very different missions. They both educate leaders, but Army's future leaders face far more sacrifice for far less material reward. The education West Point offers is very different, and that is reflected on the court. And that's at the heart of the respect Duke has for Army.
The Black Knights are coming off a tough season, having finished 11-21 in 2025-26. Army coach Kevin Kuwik has an interesting background. He served in ROTC at Notre Dame, then spent 10 years in the Army.
During his coaching career, he's worked for Tim O'Shea, Brad Stevens, Thad Matta, Archie Miller, and Bob McKillop. That should make for a pretty impressive basketball education.
Kuwik is moving into his third season at Army, finishing 10-22, 17-16, and 11-21.
The team's leader is Ryan Curry. He's a three-year starter, and he's probably the primary transmitter of the culture Kuwik and Army want to build. Curry averaged 13.3 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds last season.
His backcourt mate is likely to be 6-4 junior Kevin McCarthy, who averaged 7.9 points last year, and is ready to step up as a starter.
Jacen Holloway is a 6-4 junior wing who offers versatility and outstanding defense. Senior forward Tate Laczkowski, a 6-9 senior, will be the likely inside presence for Army.
The Dylans – junior Dylan Murans and sophomore Dylan Benner, both 6-7 – will come off the bench.
There are five freshmen on the roster, including 7-0 Parker Henderson.
You probably know that Duke has an immense advantage in both size and talent. It's possible that Henderson will be called upon, in his first game, to counter Pat Ngongba, JoJo Boumtje Boumtje, Cameron Williams, Maxime Meyers, and Drew Scharnowski.
The other guys on the roster are all superior athletes to anyone Army has. However, Army has something that Duke, and almost every Power Conference school has lost: continuity.
A win by Army would be an incredible upset, but if it were to happen, it would be because of Army's discipline and continuity, which almost guarantees some impressive plays Monday night by the Black Knights.
West Point might lose some players to transfer, but it's just not the same thing as we see in other schools. In a very real sense, they're not playing the same game, which is part of what makes this series so interesting.
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