CBB Review hands out awards for each conference tournament in 2023. Up next: The Patriot League Tournament.
Colgate has become commonplace in March Madness, winning the Patriot League Tournament and receiving an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament each of the last four times it was played. As usual, the Raiders bring in some excelling three-point shooting to the table, which was on full display during their conference tournament run.
CBB Review Patriot League Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Tucker Richardson and Keegan Records
I’m cheating a little bit here by naming Co-Most Outstanding Players, but it’s well deserved. Richardson may have only averaged 12 points per game, but nearly averaged a triple-double during the Patriot League Tournament, dishing out over 11 assists per contest and nearly 9 rebounds per game. He also made an impact on defense.
For Records, scoring was the main point, but it’s the efficiency it came with. Across three games, he managed to score 18 PPG on over 80% from the field. A lot of mid-major teams’ weakness is in the paint. That can’t be said about Colgate, because Records is a monster down low. He also defended the block, averaging 3 blocks per game.
CBB Review All-Patriot League Tournament First Team
- G: Jalen Rucker, Army – 2 games (29.0 PPG, 5.0 APG, 3.5 RPG, 61.1 FG%)
- G: Tucker Richardson, Colgate – 3 games (12.0 PPG, 11.3 APG, 8.7 RPG, 2.0 SPG)
- F: Matt Rogers, American – 3 games (18.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 53.2 FG%)
- F: Johnny O’Neil, American – 3 games (16.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 3.0 BPG, 2.3 SPG, 45.0 3P%)
- F: Keegan Records, Colgate – 3 games (18.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 3.0 BPG, 82.1 FG%)
Colgate’s NCAA Tournament Prediction
Round of 64
I’ll give a two-part answer. Colgate will probably be a 14-15 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Despite March Madness fanatics knowing what they’re all about, the Patriot League doesn’t allow much room for error. At 26-8 (17-1), Colgate, unfortunately, gets dropped down a bit in the metrics because of the league they play in. So, with that being said, I can’t sit here and pick a team that will likely be seeded that low to pull off an upset.
What I will say is this. 15-seed Colgate nearly upset 2-seed Tennessee in 2019. Matt Langel’s squad plays with intensity and even though this isn’t the same team makeup, it is the same Colgate program. They won’t back down from anybody, and like usual, have the talent to give a really good team a really big scare in March.