Colgate Odds-On Favorite to Win Patriot League Tournament
By Ryan Bolta in College Basketball
Updated: March 30, 2020 at 8:48 am EDTPublished:
- The Colgate Raiders & Bucknell Bison were regular season co-champions in the Patriot League.
- The Raiders have the best record of any team in the conference at 21-10.
- Lehigh have four players averaging more than 13 points per game.
The Patriot League tournament kicks off tonight and you can bet on who will walk away with the title up until tip-off.
Here’s where the odds stand mere hours before tip-off.
Patriot League Conference Tournament Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Colgate | -110 |
| Bucknell | +215 |
| Lehigh | +400 |
| American | +725 |
| Army | +4000 |
| Boston U | +5000 |
| Navy | +5000 |
| Holy Cross | +6600 |
| Loyola MD | +12500 |
| Lafayette | +25000 |
As you can see from the odds available, it’s really a four-horse race between Colgate, Bucknell, Lehigh, and American. (Unless, of course, you want to play the lottery and throw a few bucks on Lafayette.)
To help you zero in on where your money belongs, let’s narrow the list from four to the top two contenders for the title.
Colgate the Clear Favorites
The Colgate Raiders are the most likely team to walk away with the Patriot League title and it’ll cost you to bet on the Raiders, with a -110 price tag.
Led by forward Rapolas Ivanauskas, Colgate enters the tournament having won eight straight games and could actually grab a decent seed in the NCAA tournament with a win.
Let the madness begin!
• First regular-season title since 1996 ☑️
• Top seed in the tournament ☑️
• Eight-game winning streak ☑️
• Program-record 13th league win ☑️#GoGate pic.twitter.com/nIJl44zBQl— Colgate Men's Basketball (@ColgateMBB) March 2, 2019
Colgate set a school record finishing 13-5 in the Patriot League, tying Bucknell for the regular season title.
One reason to fade Colgate in the NCAA Tournament is their road record which was 9-9. However, in this tournament, the games are played on-campus, and Colgate should be just fine on their home floor where they are 12-1 this year.
Lehigh Mountain Hawks Providing Value
Lehigh finished one game back of Colgate and Bucknell for the regular season title, compiling a 12-6 record in the Patriot League. Their 19-10 record overall is actually slightly better than that of Bucknell, yet the Mountain Hawks open the tournament with +400 odds.
Kyle Leufroy has this letter to @LehighU students in the Brown and White in advance of Thursday's Patriot League Quarterfinals vs. Army West Point. See YOU at @StablerArena, 7 p.m. opening tipoff. #OneLehigh https://t.co/xUYnBuWHLO pic.twitter.com/tobJpwnxP1
— Lehigh M. Basketball (@LehighMBB) March 5, 2019
Lehigh have an approach that is often successful in tournament play – multiple scoring options. Lance Tejada, Kyle Leufroy, Pat Andree, and Jordan Cohen all average more than 13 points per game.
They lack a star that has the same gaudy numbers as Ivanauskas from Colgate, but they do have the depth to make up for a shaky performance from one or two players.
Colgate the Pick to Win Patriot League Tournament Title
Lehigh provides value and nobody could blame you for finding a reason to bet on Bucknell, but ultimately the Raiders are favorites for a reason.
While other teams lower in the conference may be playing for their tournament lives, Colgate will find more than enough motivation in trying to secure a better seed in the bracket.
It seems like -110 is a high price in a 10-team tournament, but keep in mind there are really only four contenders which make that price more than reasonable to pay.
PICK: COLGATE (-110)
SBD’s NCAA conference tournament coverage:
Sports Writer
Ryan has been working at TSN for over eleven years, and is now a lead writer and content producer at That's Hockey. Over the years, he's launched and hosted TSN's first NCAAF podcast, The College Football Show, and been featured on the likes of TSN 1050, Sportscentre, and That's Hockey 2Nite.
