Patriot League Tournament 2023
— Colgate Men's Basketball (@ColgateMBB) February 23, 2023
Led by Patriot League Player of the Year Tucker Richardson — also named defensive player of the year — the Raiders put 77.7 points per game (44th) and rank 56th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency metric.
Navy is likely the best hope of knocking off the overwhelming favorite, though they were crushed 87-73 by Colgate on January 5. That was part of a 5-game skid that dropped the Midshipmen to 8-10 on the year.
They rallied, however, reeling off wins in 10 of their next 11 before losing a close 64-60 finale to Colgate. Senior Dan Deaver — named to the Patriot League first team — had 15 points, 12 rebounds and three assists off the bench.
It’s slim pickings down the rest of the league. The only team that knocked off Colgate in conference play was American, who are seeded seventh, and distant +8000 odds. There’s no guarantee they even climb out of the opening round.
Lehigh has the 4th-best odds (+1600) to take the tournament, but they stagger into into the Patriot League, having lost five of their last eight.
In terms of long shots, perhaps it’s the Army West Point Black Knights (+1100). They put up 73.1 points per game, 144th in the NCAA, but they have just five wins in their final 12 games to close out the season.
2023 Patriots Tournament Prediction
Even the most powerful telescope can’t help you find NCAA Tournament odds for any school in the Patriot League. Colgate is the predicted winner of the Patriot League but that earns them a 15-seed in SBD’s projected March Madness bracket.
Not much drama here, and while there’s definitely better value picking Navy to pull off an upset, the Raiders’ offense should carry them to a repeat.
