While the other top conferences in NCAA basketball are still fighting through the remainder of the regular season, the Patriot League’s conference tournament is all set to begin on March 1, 2016. The Bucknell Bison once again reigned supreme during the regular season, but can they also capture the tournament – and that coveted automatic berth to the 2016 NCAA tournament?
Let’s check out the favorites, sleepers and long shot to claim the 2016 Patriot League tournament. Meanwhile, check out Monday’s main NCAA basketball attractions with our previews of Kansas vs. Texas and Syracuse vs. North Carolina.
March Madness News & Predictions
- 2016 March Madness Sleepers Predictions and Picks
- 2016 March Madness Longshots and Best Long Shots Picks and Predictions
- 2016 March Madness Preview
- 2016 NCAA March Madness Expert Picks
2016 Patriot League Conference Tournament Preview
Favorites
Bucknell Bison
The Bison ended the regular season strong with four-straight wins, and are favorites to win a third conference tournament title in six years. They certainly have the firepower to do so. Led by senior guard Chris Hass (17.3 PPG), Bucknell was No. 1 during conference play in scoring (78.8 PPG) and a very respectable No. 43 in the country.
Lehigh Mountain Hawks
Bucknell will receive some very stiff competition in the tournament from No. 2 seed Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks – 13-5 in the conference – ran the table in their last nine regular season games, which included a 15-point drubbing of Bucknell in Lewisburg on Feb. 10.
Sophomore Kahron Ross, who averaged just 11 PPG this season, has been on an absolute tear, putting up 16 PPG during their win streak. Meanwhile, reigning Pat League Player of the Year Tim Kempton Jr. could become the first repeat winner since 2000 after his stellar junior season (17.5 PPG and 9.3 RPG).
Sleepers
American Eagles
While Bucknell and Lehigh are the clearcut favorites, don’t sleep on the American Eagles from making another surprise run in the Patriot League tournament. The Eagles have reached the conference tournament final in each of the last two years. They won it all in 2014, and nearly repeated as a No. 6 seed last season, but they lost by two to Lafayette.
American plays at an agonizingly slow pace (61.7 possessions per 40 minutes, second fewest in the country behind Virginia) and defends the three-point line exceptionally well (30.5 percent, 14th-best in the country), which can turn their games into slugfests. If a couple of lucky bounces fall their way, and the Eagles could just find themselves in a third-straight tourney final.
Army West Point Black Knights
Army closed out conference play strong, winning five games in a row before losing to Lehigh in its regular season finale. However, they do own a big win over the Mountain Hawks on the road. Senior Tanner Plomb, the conference’s leading scorer (20 PPG), led the way with 23 points in that upset win.
Army likes to jack up those threes (25 attempts per game), which can make its offense pretty erratic from game to game. But that high risk can lead to high reward and if they can get hot during the tournament, Army has the weapons to go all the way.
Long Shot
Loyola (MD) Greyhounds
History does not favor the Greyhounds of Loyola, who are one of three teams yet to win the Patriot League tournament. But unless you’re willing to back Holy Cross or Lafayette, who have a combined record of 8-28, the Greyhounds are the best long shot bet.
They don’t do anything particularly well on either end of the floor, but they do scrap and claw their way to close games. Of their 10 conference losses, four were by five points or fewer. First round opponent Holy Cross – and possibly Bucknell in the semis – should expect a fight on its hands against the Greyhounds.
Writer’s Prediction
Lehigh books its ticket to the Big Dance as it tops Bucknell in the final.
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