Patriot League basketball: 2018 Conference Tournament preview

Bucknell dominated both the regular season and conference tournament of the Patriot League last season. Will the results be the same this season?

The regular season has concluded in the Patriot League, and the champion was exactly who you expected. Bucknell won the regular season title with a 16-2 record, four games ahead of second place Colgate.

Of all the 32 conferences in D-1 basketball, the Bison’s winning of the Patriot League was the likeliest bet. That’s because the entire starting lineup from last season’s championship team returned, including Nana Foulland the returning Conference Player of the Year.

But it was another Bucknell player who took the Patriot League by storm. Senior forward Zach Thomas became one of three players this season to lead their conference in both scoring (21.0 ppg) and rebounding (9.1). He’s dropped 30+ points a few times, including a 36 point, 13 rebound game against Lehigh.

That left the other teams fighting for second place in the league. In the preseason polls, Boston University was pegged to be the top contender. But it was actually Colgate who took the second position, with a 12-6 league record. Right behind was the Boston, along with Navy and Lehigh. Holy Cross, Lafayette, Army and Loyola (Maryland) were under .500 in the Patriot League, but were competitive. At 3-15, American University round out the rear.

There seems like no point in even a preview right, considering that Bucknell should win this tournament easily. But not so fast, as the Bison have not had it easy. They suffered losses to both Lehigh and Boston University, as well as having three other conference games going into overtime.

So who’s the toughest matchup for Bucknell, and what’s the implications for the NCAA Tournament? Find out in the 2018 Patriot League  Conference Tournament preview.