Patriot League Basketball: Bucknell, Colgate 2019 tournament favorites

Patriot League Basketball: Bucknell, Colgate conference tournament favorites

DETROIT, MI - MARCH 16: The Bucknell Bison leave the court after being defeated by the Michigan State Spartans 82-78 in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 16, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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MORGANTOWN, WV – NOVEMBER 15: Sa’eed Nelson #0 of the American University Eagles drives to the basket against Logan Routt #31 of the West Virginia Mountaineers at the WVU Coliseum on November 15, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

Players to watch

Rapolas Ivanauskas, Colgate: The Northwestern transfer has made a huge impact in his first season in the Patriot. He can score inside and outside while also being an imposing presence on the defensive end. Additionally, Ivanauskas is a solid rebounder.

The 6-foot-8 forward is producing 16.8 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 3-pointers. He is shooting 51.7% from the field and 43.8% from long distance.

Nate Sestina, Bucknell: The 6-foot-8 senior forward has made the most of time on the court. After being a role player off the bench for his first three seasons, Sestina ranks among the top players in the league in scoring (15.5), rebounds (8.4) and steals (1.0). He is also solid defensively overall.

Sa’eed Nelson, American: Arguably the best player in the league, the junior guard can do a little bit of everything. He is an outstanding scorer and a good shooter who is also a solid playmaker while being steady on the defensive end. The 6-2 point guard does struggle shooting the ball from deep and with turnovers.

Nelson, who ranks among the league’s top scorers since 1985-86, is averaging 19.5 points along with 5.7 boards, 5.2 assists, and 2.4 steals while shooting 50.9% from the floor. He has topped the 20-point mark on 16 occasions and the 30 point plateau once.

Jehyve Floyd, Holy Cross: The 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward is a load in the post. Floyd has really come into his own offensively, and not just scoring the ball, but it is on the defensive end where he really makes an impact as he swats away a league-high 2.2 shots a game (sixth most in the country). He is averaging 12.5 points a game– including 15.6 points a game against conference foes — along with 6.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 67.8% from the field. The Sayreville (NJ) native struggles from the free throw line, however, converting just 48.1% of his attempts.

Andrew Kostecka, Loyola: The 6-foot-4 junior shooting guard has improved each of his three years. He can do a little bit of everything but putting the ball in the hole is what he does best. The Germantown (MD) native leads the Patriot League with 666 points (21.3), which is 14th most in the nation.

Kostecka has put up career numbers across the board this year, averaging 21.5 points along with 4.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.5 triples, and 2.7 steals while shooting 52.1% from the floor and 37.2% from beyond the arc. He has scored at least 20 points on 16 occasions, which includes topping the 30 point mark four times.