Jordan Burns leads Colgate into the 2020 Patriot League tournament as +150 favorites. Photo by @ColgateMBB (Twitter).
- The odds to win the 2020 Patriot League tournament (March. 3rd-11th) are out at MyBookie
- Colgate, the reigning champions, are favored to go back-to-back after first in the regular season with a 14-4 record
- Check out the odds for all 10 teams along with analysis on the best value bet on the board
The Patriot League was a tough test for all teams this year. Even the best teams, like Colgate and American, faltered to a few of the bottom feeders.
Heading into the conference tournament (March 3rd to 11th), Colgate are the favorites with the regular-season title under their belt. The Raiders finished 23-8 overall and 14-4 within the Patriot League.
Unlike many tournaments, all Patriot League tournament games are on-campus, with the better seed hosting the game. That means Colgate will have home-court as long as they survive. The top-six seeds receive byes to the quarterfinals, while #7-#10
Although Colgate seemed to dominate the conference this season, there will not be any easy games as every team will be gunning for their only chance to get a bid to the NCAA March Madness Tournament.
Odds To Win Patriot League Conference Tournament
| Team (Seed) | Odds at MyBookie.ag |
|---|---|
| Colgate (#1) | -160 |
| Boston (#3) | +360 |
| American (#2) | +400 |
| Lafayette (#5) | +1500 |
| Army (#4) | +2600 |
| Navy (#6) | +3900 |
| Bucknell (#7) | +4400 |
| Loyola Maryland (#9) | +7000 |
| Lehigh (#8) | +8000 |
| Holy Cross (#10) | +9000 |
Odds as of March 1, 2020.
Patriot League Tournament Bracket
The Raiders are Rolling
Colgate’s start did not give them a promising look for the rest of the season. However, they had a really tough schedule playing Syracuse, Clemson, and Auburn in three out of their first four games.
After 29-point loss to Auburn dropped them to 1-3, the Raiders rallied back to finish with a 23-8 record overall. Their biggest win came against Cincinnati (67-66 on the road) in mid-December.
They finished their regular season with a commanding win over Army, 91-65. The Raiders 14-4 conference record earned them both a first-round bye and home-court advantage throughout the entirety of the conference tournament.
Colgate is ranked 121st at KenPom with an Adjusted Offensive Efficiency rating of 106.0 (98th). The next-best team at KenPom is Boston University at 162nd and then American at 200th.
The @ColgateMBB set a school record with 14 @PatriotLeague wins and they become the outright regular season champs!
FINAL ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/cb4AkYy1VR
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) February 29, 2020
The Raiders are led by junior guard Jordan Burns, who averages 15.6 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game. Colgate also has Rapolas Ivanauskas (7.6 RPG) and Will Rayman (8.9 RPG) who have cleaned up the glass nicely all season long.
The Raiders have relied heavily on their offense and three-point shooting this season. Colgate is shooting 36.2 percent from beyond the arc as a team, which leads the Patriot League. They are also averaging 76.0 points per game, and their offense can turn it on at any given point.
Who Can Compete With Colgate?
American finished tied for second in the Patriot League with Boston at 12-6. However, American got the #2 seed, meaning they will play the winner of Holy Cross/Bucknell in the quarterfinal round. Boston plays their first game in the quarterfinal round against Navy.
American has a lethal weapon in senior guard Sa’eed Nelson. The New Jersey native does just about everything for the Eagles, averaging 18.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.8 steals per game this season. Not to mention, Nelson shoots 49.3 percent from the field, which is high for a guard.
Boston is one of the best rebounding teams in the conference and has relied on their sound defense and tall lineup to traverse their way through the Patriot League this season. They are allowing just 67.2 points per game, which is second-best in the conference only behind their quarterfinal opponent, Navy.
Here’s the bucket that helped Max Mahoney become the 8th player in our program’s history to reach 1,500 points. #GoBUhttps://t.co/eiJpdYaIGT pic.twitter.com/6TCKt65XGA
— BU Men’s Basketball (@TerrierMBB) February 29, 2020
This Terriers squad is led by senior forward 6’8″ Max Mahoney, who became the eighth player in Boston University’s history to reach 1,500 points. Mahoney is averaging 15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists this season.
One of the three teams that beat Colgate this season was Lafayette, and they actually did it twice. The Leopards beat Colgate 71-67 at home and 80-78 on the road this year. Lafayette finished with an 18-11 record, but finished fifth in the conference and will take on Army in their quarterfinal matchup.
Best Bets & Value
Colgate seems to be the no brainer pick here. The Raiders have rolled over just about everyone in this conference, and they had a pulverizing victory in their last regular-season game over Army.
In the last three years, the winner of the regular-season title has gone on to win the conference tournament. Colgate beat out Bucknell last season in the conference tournament final 94-80. Jordan Burns’ 35 points and six assists in the game led him to win the tournament MVP.
Lafayette is a great sleeper and value pick. They allow opponents to shoot just 42.6 percent from the field, which is the best in the Patriot League. They also have a balanced team as three players average 10 or more points per game. If they can beat Army in their quarterfinal game, watch out for a potential upset over Colgate or American.
Despite my faith in Lafayette, the Raiders are the best team in this tournament. If Burns can play the way he did last year in the conference tournament, Colgate will be punching themselves a ticket to the big dance in back-to-back years.
Best Bet: Colgate +150
With five years of sports journalism under his belt already, Ryan Sura may be young, but he is already making his mark. He has written for publications such as Fantasy Pros, SB Nation and TSN.ca, covering NFL, NBA, and college sports.
source https://casinonewsblogger.com/colgate-team-to-beat-in-patriot-league-tournament-opening-odds/
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