Patriot League basketball: 2018 Conference Tournament preview

Key Patriot League teams

Team to beat: Bucknell

This isn’t even close as to who the favorites are, with the top two contenders for Conference Player of the Year both coming from the Bison. Besides Thomas and Foulland, senior Stephen Brown gives opponents another talented player to worry about. He averages 14.3 ppg and 4.3 apg (leads team) as the third option, which is better than the top player for most of these teams.

This is the top scoring and rebounding team in the Patriot League, while playing solid defense. It’ll take a strong effort from the other teams to beat them.

Biggest threat to Bucknell: Colgate

Not only did this team place second to the Bison, they also were the most competitive opponent for them in both regular season matchups. Against the Raiders, Bucknell only averaged 64 ppg, and unable to fully initiate their offense. It’ll be hard to outscore Bucknell, which makes Colgate a serious threat to get a win.

Potential surprise team: Lehigh

Already with a win over Bucknell, the Mountain Hawks have the confidence to do it again. Of all teams, Lehigh is the only one who could a shootout, with five guys averaging at least 9.0 ppg. The only problem is that this is also the worst defensive team, making them vulnerable to an early exit.