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Patriot League Basketball: 2022 Conference Tournament preview and prediction

By Daniel Benjamin

Colgate Raiders players celebrate during the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday, March 19, 2021, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Mandatory Credit: Albert Cesare/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports
Colgate Raiders players celebrate during the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament against the Arkansas Razorbacks on Friday, March 19, 2021, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. Mandatory Credit: Albert Cesare/IndyStar via USA TODAY Sports /
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Patriot League Basketball Nelly Cummings Colgate Raiders (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Patriot League Basketball Nelly Cummings Colgate Raiders (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Top Contenders: Colgate, Navy, and Boston University

Colgate is the unquestioned favorite to capture the Patriot League crown and the conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid due to their shooting and balance on offense. The Raiders have also been pretty solid defensively during league play and are an excellent defensive rebounding team despite size being an issue. Free throw shooting, depth, and turnovers are the defending champions’ biggest issues.

Can Navy score enough to capture its first Patriot League title since 1998? Despite being severely undersized, the Midshipmen rely heavily on its prowess on the defensive end. Their ability to put the ball in the hoop is a major issue as the Middies are just 1-8 in games that they have given up at least 69 points. They ranked 329th in the nation in scoring, topping 70 points nine times, with six of those occassions coming in league play. 3-point shooting, Free throw shooting, and fouling are major concerns. The keys for Navy will be to control the pace, not foul, and force turnovers.

Boston University is the most experienced and tallest team in the tournament. The Terriers are an excellent rebounding team and protect the ball well, but they play too much 1-on-1 on that end of the floor (i.e., do not move the ball). Interior defense is a major issue, as is fouling. Turnovers, winning the rebound battle, and not fouling are the keys for BU.

Darkhorse: Lehigh

Being the fourth seed may not be really a dark horse, but the Mountain Hawks had to close out the regular season strong to earn the seed. Lehigh has a lot of issues, such as stopping the other team from scoring, offensive rebounding, forcing turnovers, and fouling.

But they can really shoot it, so if the Hawks can limit turnovers and get hot from beyond the arc, Lehigh could possibly earn its first NCAA bid since New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum was a member of the program in 2012. The Mountain Hawks have beaten Colgate (home) and Navy (road) this year.