Holy Cross came out of nowhere as a ninth-seed to win the Patriot League tourney. Considering that the Crusaders finished ninth in a mid-major conference with a sad 5-13 regular season record, it’s hard to imagine them being higher than a 16-seed—and that’s if they even make it out of the First Four—in the national tournament. At best, all the Crusaders have is the element of surprise because they’re practically way out of anybody’s radar save for hardcore college basketball fans. It can’t also be denied that the Crusaders are riding a wave of momentum following four-straight wins (all on the road) to capture the conference title.
Even by Patriot League standards, the Crusaders are bad in a plethora of statistical departments. The Crusaders are near the bottom of the nation’s rankings in scoring (65.3 PPG) and rebounds (30.2). They don’t have a defense to scare away opponents shoot 45.7 percent from the field, 52.2% on two-pointers, and 36.5% on threes. Holy Cross is basically alright with a participation certificate in the tourney as its outlook in the national tournament is worse than bleak to say the least.
Team Stats:
Category
Stat
NCAA Rank
Points Per Game
65.3
318
Rebounds Per Game
30.2
342
Blocks Per Game
2.5
279
3-Point Percentage
32.7%
260
Free Throw Percentage
69.3%
196
Starting Lineup:
Position
Name
PPG
F
Malachi Alexander
12.0
F
Karl Charles
10.8
G
Eric Green
4.6
G
Anthony Thompson
7.1
G
Cullen Hamilton
8.7
Writer’s Prediction:
Holy Cross makes an apparition in the First Four. That’s it, that’s all for the Crusaders.
