2013 Patriot League Tournamant Odds, Free Picks and Predictions – Patriot League Tournament Schedule and Tournament Bracket: With just eight members, the Patriot League isn’t exactly a huge conference. That being said, teams from the league have pulled off some upsets in the NCAA Tournament in recent years and given other top seeds a serious run for the money. This season could be more of the same as multiple players from the conference have a future in the NBA. Three teams in particular separated themselves from the pack this season, but only the winner of the Patriot League Tournament is going to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament. With that in mind, here is a closer look at the teams with the best chance at taking home the Patriot League Tournament title.
2013 Patriot Tournament Odds, Free Picks and Predictions
The Contenders
They took home the conference’s regular season title, and the Bucknell Bison (25-5, 12-2 Patriot), and now, they will try to add the Patriot League Tournament crown to their resume. Bucknell has the luxury of having the conference’s best player on its team in Mike Muscala. The senior center is averaging 19.1 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks, and he was recently named the conference’s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Overall, the Bison own the Patriot League’s top defense by a wide margin, and Muscala is an impact player on both ends that is tough match up against.
The Lafayette Leopards (17-14, 10-4 Patriot) are a tough team to predict. They finished second in the conference during the regular season despite allowing more points per game than they averaged. Part of the issue is the team’s streaky perimeter shooter, but with four players that have made at least 40 3-pointers this year, the Leopards are dangerous when they are knocking down shots. Guard Seth Hinrichs is particularly potent, averaging 14.5 points per game and hitting 45.1 percent of his 3-point attempts.
A lot depends on the health of guard C.J. McCollum, but if the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (20-8, 10-4 Patriot) can get their leading scorer back before the Patriot League Tournament ends, they could sneak and grab the conference’s automatic bud. McCollum was averaging 23.9 points per game when he went down and was shooting 51.6 percent from 3-point range. Granted, Lehigh still has three other players scoring in double figures, and the Mountain Hawks still managed to lead the conference in scoring during the regular season. That being said, Lehigh’s offense reaches another level when McCollum is in the mix.
Bottom Line
No other team from the conference outside of the three I mentioned above has reached the Patriot League Tournament title game since 2009, and I don’t foresee the trend changing this season. Unfortunately for Lehigh, McCollum’s injury prognosis is not great, and it doesn’t appear he will be able to take the court during the conference tournament. Without last year’s tournament MVP, I don’t think the Mountain Hawks can get by Bucknell or Lafayette. I expect the Bison and the Leopards to meet in the finals in what will be a rubber match of the regular season series. Bucknell definitely has the best player on the court in Muscala, but the big man’s shot blocking ability won’t be a huge factor against Lafayette’s perimeter-oriented attack. With nothing to lose, I expect the Leopards to unleash a 3-point assault and pull off an upset of the Bison.
Prediction: Lafayette Leopards Win the Patriot League Tournament
2013 Patriot League Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, March 6 (all games at 7 p.m., available for streaming at Patriot League website)
No. 1 Bucknell (12-2, 25-5) vs. No. 8 Navy (2-12, 8-22), Sojka Pavilion, Lewisburg, Pa.
No. 2 Lafayette (10-4, 20-8) vs. No. 7 Holy Cross (4-10, 12-17), Kirby Sports Center, Easto, Pa.
No. 3 Lehigh (10-4, 20-8) vs. No. 6 Colgate (5-9, 11-20), Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, Pa.
No. 4 Army (8-6, 15-14) vs. No. 5 American (5-9, 10-19), Christl Arena, West Point, N.Y.
Saturday, March 9 (games at either 2 p.m. or 4:30 p.m., both on CBS Sports Network)
Bucknell/Navy vs. Army/American
Lafayette/Holy Cross vs. Lehigh/Colgate
Wednesday, March 13 , 7:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
Semifinal winners
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