2024 Patriot League Conference Tournament
The Patriot League Men’s Basketball Tournament is set to begin on Tuesday, March 5th and will be played entirely on campus sites. Sometimes playing in big arenas can make tournaments better, but this one benefits from being played in more intimate settings. The students are such a big part of this tournament, and it should make for yet another fun year.
This year, the Colgate Raiders enter as the top-seeded team. That’s familiar territory for the Patriot League, as Colgate has won this tournament three years in a row and has also claimed four of the last five championships. But this is college basketball, so nothing is a given. That said, we should be in for some fun basketball over the next few days. Keep reading for our picks and predictions on how this tournament will play out.
How to Watch the Patriot League Conference Tournament
When: March 5-13
Where: Campus sites
Format: Seeding based on record in conference; top-two seeds get a bye in the opening round
Watch: ESPN+ and CBSSN; Championship Game on CBSSN at 6:00 pm ET on Mar. 13
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Patriot League Conference Tournament Bracket
Patriot League Conference Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds
1. Colgate Raiders (-250)
2. Boston University Terriers (+600)
3. Lafayette Leopards (15-1)
4. American University Eagles (+750)
5. Bucknell Bison (25-1)
6. Lehigh Mountain Hawks (12-1)
7. Navy Midshipmen (90-1)
8. Army Black Knights (150-1)
9. Holy Cross Crusaders (500-1)
10. Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (250-1)
(Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)
Favorite To Win Patriot League Conference Tournament
After going 16-2 in conference play, it’s fitting that Colgate is the betting favorite. The Raiders were a cut above everybody in the Patriot League this year, and their defense was a big part of that. This season, KenPom and Bart Torvik had Colgate as a borderline top-100 defensive team. And the reason for that is that the Raiders have the 35th-best EFG% defense in college basketball. They also have the 17th-best 3PT% defense in the nation. And on top of all of that, they guard at a high level without fouling. When you combine that with the fact that this team plays the right way offensively — the Raiders are 62nd in the nation in EFG% — you’re looking at a team that should win this tournament and has first-round upset potential in March Madness. Colgate can shoot the heck out of the 3-ball (36.4% 3PT).
Patriot League Conference Tournament Darkhorse
It’s hard to find a darkhorse in a conference like this, as Colgate really is head and shoulders above the competition. However, if you’re looking for a payout higher than 10-1, Lafayette is probably your best shot. The Leopards are one of the only two teams that beat the Raiders during the regular season, so they’ll at least have some belief if the two do clash down the line. Lafayette also has the potential to play smothering defense, as the team was 53rd in the nation in EFG% defense and 40th in 2PT% defense. The latter is important considering nobody in the conference outside of Colgate shoots the 3 all that well.
Players to Watch in Patriot League Conference Tournament
Colgate has a few tremendous players in its starting lineup, including Braeden Smith, Ryan Moffatt and Keegan Records. Smith runs the show for the Raiders, and he averaged 12.2 points, 5.8 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game this year. He has picked up right where he left off as a freshman, and his steady hand is crucial in this lineup. Moffatt is one of the best shooters in the conference. He can really get hot from deep and has the ability to swing games instantly. However, Records is the best of the bunch and is probably the best in the entire Patriot League. The 6-foot-10 senior can do it all on the court, as evidenced by the 17 points and 13 rebounds he had in a close loss to the Syracuse Orange earlier in the year. He’s one of the more impressive two-way contributors at the mid-major level.
American’s Matt Rogers and Elijah Stephens are two of the more dangerous players in this conference. Rogers is a 6-foot-9 forward with the ability to shoot the 3, and he had nine 20-point games this season. One of those was a 23-point performance in a win over Colgate on February 25th. Stephens, an undersized point guard that makes up for it with tremendous ability, had 17 points in that win. He’s a very good table-setter for the Eagles, and he knows when to attack as a scorer.
For second-seeded Boston, Miles Brewster is the key piece. Brewster is averaging 10.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game on the year, and he is shooting 41.2% from deep. Brewster is also fourth in the conference in BPM. He’s just extremely efficient and plays off his teammates very well. But Boston does have a lot of solid players scattered throughout its rotation, and the Terriers have different guys stepping up every night.
Lehigh also has some firepower in Tyler Whitney-Sidney and Keith Higgins Jr. The Mountain Hawks will be a tough draw because of those two. They were expected to be a contender in the conference this year, so they’ll look to this tournament to right that. Higgins Jr. was actually first in the conference in BPM this season. Forward Dominic Parolin can play, too.
Betting Pick to Win The Patriot League Conference Conference Tournament
It’s hard to suggest anything other than Colgate here. The Raiders are just the best team in this conference, by far. And while the price might be hard to swallow, the implied probability of 71.4% feels about right. However, if you’re not willing to lay the juice, I’d suggest going with American. The Eagles had the best adjusted offensive efficiency in the conference and are the only other team in the Patriot League that had a winning record this season. They also happened to beat Colgate 66-64 when they met in Washington, D.C. on February 25th. That win should go a long way in giving American confidence if the two teams meet in the semifinals.
For more conference tournament previews, check out our 2024 College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide.
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