CBB Review prepares you for every conference tournament leading up to Selection Sunday on Mar. 15. Up next: The Patriot League Tournament.
For the second straight season, Colgate did not win the Patriot League regular season crown, this time going to the Navy Midshipmen. And it was a well-earned title. Navy returned most of its starters from last year and had high expectations in the preseason.
They met those, going 17-1 in conference, good for a 25-6 overall record. Of course, they are nowhere near in play for an at-large bid, but it’s the most wins a Patriot League team has had in the regular season since Bucknell in 2012-13.
Colgate and American were the only other teams in the conference to finish with overall winning records. In terms of in-conference play, no one finished even close to Navy, with Colgate and Lehigh in a tie for second at 11-7, six games back from the Midshipmen.
It looks like it will be a clear path to the NCAA Tournament for Navy, but you just never know during conference championship week.
2026 Patriot League Awards
Player of the Year: Austin Benigni, Navy
Freshman of the Year: Andrew Alekseyenko, Colgate
Transfer of the Year: Ben Tweedy, Colgate
Coach of the Year: Jon Perry, Navy
First Team:
- G: Austin Benigni, Navy (18.2 PPG, 4.2 APG, 3.5 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 46.2 3P%)
- G: Nasir Whitlock, Lehigh (20.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 42.2 3P%)
- G: Jalen Cox, Colgate (17.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.7 SPG, 52.3 FG%, 38.3 3P%)
- F: Hank Alvey, Lehigh (14.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.2 SPG, 62.3 FG%, 41.7 3P%)
- C: Aidan Kehoe, Navy (15.3 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.1 BPG, 1.1 SPG, 73.4 FG%)
Second Team:
- G: Joshua Ingram, Lehigh (10.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.4 SPG, 49.4 FG%, 37.0 3P%)
- G: Michael McNair, Boston U (16.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 48.1 FG%, 45.0 3P%)
- G: Madden Collins, American (13.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 50.5 FG%)
- F: Andrew Alekseyenko, Colgate (14.7 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 49.9 FG%, 38.5 3P%)
- C: Ben Defty, Boston U (14.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.7 BPG, 69.0 FG%)
2026 Patriot League Tournament Simulation
First Round – Tuesday, Mar. 3
9. Army (11-20, 5-13) at 8. Bucknell (9-22, 6-12) – 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Army and Bucknell played two very close games in the regular season, each winning on the other team’s home floor. The Black Knights needed overtime to take down the Bison, while Bucknell just won last Wednesday by two over Army. Recency bias is telling me Bucknell wins a close one, given the home court advantage in a win-or-go-home atmosphere.
Mat’s pick: 8. Bucknell
10. Holy Cross (10-21, 5-13) at 7. Lafayette (11-20, 8-10) – 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Holy Cross is one of the smallest teams in DI, with no starter over 6-foot-7. If Lafayette plans correctly, they can get their talented freshmen forwards Shareef Jackson and Christian Humphrey-Rembert into some good situations. In the regular season, the Leopards swept the Crusaders, and Jackson starred in both games, putting up 15 points the first time and 12 the next. Humphrey-Rembert didn’t do a lot of scoring in either, but ripped down 14 boards in game one, which was an absolute blowout. It’s tough to beat a team three times in one season, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Mat’s pick: 7. Lafayette
Quarterfinals – Thursday, Mar. 5
8. Bucknell at 1. Navy (25-6, 17-1) – 7 p.m. on ESPN+
I love giving analysis whenever I can, but the extent of this is how Navy’s average margin of victory over Bucknell was 18.5 points. No reason to look further into this.
Mat’s pick: 1. Navy
5. American (16-15, 9-9) at 4. Boston U (15-16, 10-8) – 7 p.m. on ESPN+
The 4 and 5 seed game should be even, and it was exactly that this season. American won by two at Boston, and on Saturday, the Terriers flipped it with a three-point win at the Eagles. Boston finished with a better in conference recrod, though, and gets this game at home. But the difference here for me is the 7-footer Ben Defty and junior guard Michael McNair. American is a talented team, but they are very inexperienced, led in scoring by a star freshman. Looking at next season, the Eagles can be a team to beat in the Patriot League, but in this game, I have them going home early.
Mat’s pick: 4. Boston U
6. Loyola-MD (12-19, 8-10) at 3. Colgate (17-14, 11-7) – 7 p.m. on ESPN+
Do you want to know the last time Colgate went home before reaching the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament? That would be 2017. It’s been an awesome run for Matt Langel and the Raiders, and I don’t see it ending here. Loyola did give them two hard games in the regular season, so I’m not saying it’s going to be a blowout, but I trust the Raiders to not get bounced early.
Mat’s pick: 3. Colgate
7. Lafayette at 2. Lehigh (15-16, 11-7) – 7 p.m. on ESPN+
After winning just four games in the non-conference – and just TWO against Division I teams – Lehigh turned its entire season around, winning 11 conference games and beating Colgate with the tiebreaker. They also swept this Lafayette team and head into the Patriot League Tournament winning four of their last five games. I’m not going against that momentum.
Mat’s pick: 2. Lehigh
Semifinals – Sunday, Mar. 8
4. Boston U at 1. Navy – TBD on CBS Sports Network
Navy swept Boston U, and part of the reason why was their shutdown defense. After allowing 77 in the first win, the Midshipmen shipped up to Boston and held them to just 50 points on 19-of-50 shooting. The Midshipmen also have enough size to offset Defty and make him less of a factor.
Mat’s pick: 1. Navy
3. Colgate at 2. Lehigh – TBD on CBS Sports Network
Does Colgate have enough to make a run at the automatic bid this year, or will Lehigh send them packing before the title game? The Mountain Hawks won both matchups in the regular season, each by a point, so this might be a Patriot League Tournament classic on our hands if it happens. And if there’s one team that’s absolutely NOT losing all three, it’s Colgate.
Mat’s pick: 3. Colgate
Championship – Wednesday, Mar. 11
3. Colgate at 1. Navy – 7 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
I think this is the matchup most fans would want to see, with the pride of the conference taking on the new fan favorite in Navy. The matchup to watch? The star guards going head-to-head: Colgate’s Jalen Cox and Navy’s Austin Benigni. Cox can create problems defensively, which makes me want to lean Colgate. But if you haven’t been keeping up, this is Navy’s YEAR. Give me the Midshipmen to March Madness!
Mat’s pick: 1. Navy