CENTER VALLEY, Pa – Nine of the Patriot League’s 10 men’s basketball teams will be in action on college basketball opening night, with five League teams matching up against Top 25 opponents on Friday night.
Lafayette opens its season on the road against defending National Champion No. 4 Villanova at 6:30 p.m. on FOX Sports 2. The Patriot League’s Preseason favorite Lehigh will also match up with a highly-ranked BIG EAST opponent, opening its season at No. 7 Xavier with a 7 p.m. tip at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Colgate will begin the 2016-17 season at the Carrier Dome against No. 19 Syracuse at 7 p.m., while American opens at No. 25 Maryland, with live coverage of the game beginning on the BIG 10 Network at 7 p.m. Army West Point plays in the late game against No. 5 Oregon as part of the 2016 Maui Jim Maui on the Mainland. The Black Knights and Ducks will tipoff at 11 p.m. EST with live coverage on the Pac-12 Network.
The Navy men’s basketball team celebrates Veteran’s Day by hosting Ohio State at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, Md. as part of the Veterans Classic, with live coverage of the Midshipmen and Buckeyes beginning at 9 p.m. EST on the CBS Sports Network. Defending Patriot League regular season champion Bucknell is the only other League team to open at home, as they host Manhattan at Sojka Pavilion with live coverage on the Patriot League Network beginning at 7 p.m.
Boston University will begin its 2016-17 campaign against crosstown rivals Northeastern, while Loyola Maryland travels to Pittsburgh, Pa. to take on Duquesne in its opener in a game that will be broadcast via Facebook Live. Both games are scheduled for a 7 p.m. EST tip.
Friday, November 11, 2016 Time (all times EST) Broadcast
Lafayette at No. 4 Villanova 6:30 p.m. FOX Sports 2
American at No. 25 Maryland 7 p.m. BIG TEN Network
Colgate at No. 19 Syracuse 7 p.m. ACC Network
Manhattan at Bucknell 7 p.m. Patriot League Network
Boston University at Northeastern 7 p.m.
Lehigh at No. 7 Xavier 7 p.m.
Loyola Maryland at Duquesne 7 p.m. Facebook Live
Ohio State at Navy 9 p.m. CBS Sports Network
Army West Point at No. 5 Oregon 11 p.m. Pac-12 Network
Sunday, November 13, 2016 Time (all times EST) Broadcast
Bucknell at Wake Forest 2 p.m. ACC Network
Washington College at Navy 2 p.m.
Holy Cross at South Carolina 6 p.m.
Lehigh (17-14, 13-5 Patriot League): Brett Reed’s Mountain Hawks will be tested early, opening with No. 7 Xavier, but the Patriot League’s preseason favorite welcomes back a strong core, including its top four scorers from a team that finished second in the regular season and fell in the Patriot League Championship Game. Lehigh is led by two-time Patriot League Player of the Year senior center Tim Kempton - the League's returning leading scorer and rebounder (17.7 ppg, 9.5 rpg). Kempton was also selected to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List for the nation’s best center in addition to being named the League's Preseason Player of the Year.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH KEMPTON TALK ABOUT THE SEASON The Mountain Hawks also return junior guard Kahron Ross (11.2 ppg, 6.1 apg), another First Team All-Patriot League honoree from last season, who led the League in assists. Senior guard Austin Price averaged 13.0 points per game last season and was a third team all-League selection. Lehigh also returns All-Rookie Team selection sophomore guard Kyle Leufroy, who averaged 10.6 points per game and led the Patriot League in three-point field goal percentage at 44.1 (45-of-102) during his freshman campaign.
Boston University (19-15, 11-7 Patriot League): Sixth-year Head Coach Joe Jones and the Terriers open at crosstown rivals Northeastern, before hosting the Huskies in their second game of the season. Not only does BU return First Team All-Patriot League guard Eric Fanning (15.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg), but also junior guard Cedric Hankerson - who averaged 15.9 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 2014-15 - after missing last season due to injury. Boston University will need continued strong play from junior guard Cheddi Mosely (13.1 ppg), last season's second-leading scorer and sophomore guard Kyle Foreman (9.2 ppg, 3.9 apg), who will look to build off of a freshman season that saw him named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team, if they hope to claim the League Championship in March. Junior forward Nick Havener (6.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg) started 16 games last season and is the squad's leading returning rebounder.
Bucknell (17-14, 14-4 Patriot League): Head Coach Nathan Davis earned Patriot League Coach of the Year in his first season at the helm of the Bison, leading the team to its second-consecutive regular season championship. This season the Bison open at home against perennial MAAC power Manhattan. Bucknell will have to find ways to replace graduating leading-scorer Chris Hass in the early going. Junior center Nana Foulland (11.8 ppg, 6.9 rpg) seems poised to step forward after earning Second Team All-Patriot League a year ago. Junior guard Stephen Brown (9.2 ppg) finished second in the League with 5.4 assists per game and junior forward Zach Thomas (10.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg) gives the team three players with starting experience.
Holy Cross (15-20, 5-13 Patriot League): Head Coach Bill Carmody had the Crusaders playing their best basketball late in the season. They will look to pick up where they left off, opening play on Sunday against South Carolina. Holy Cross returns Patriot League Tournament MVP Malachi Alexander (11.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg) in addition to four players that started 13-or-more games for last season's tournament champion. Last season the Crusaders became the first Patriot League Champion in history to win all four of its tournament games on the road and will have enough firepower in this go-around in Worcester to be in the mix for another League championship. Sophomore forward Karl Charles (10.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.5 apg) returns after an All-Rookie Team selection, as does senior guard Robert Champion (12.0 ppg, 4.8 rpg), the team's leading scorer. Senior guard Anthony Thompson (7.1 ppg) and senior center Matt Husek (5.7 ppg) also return for Holy Cross.
American (12-19, 9-9 Patriot League): Fourth-year Head Coach Mike Brennan and the Eagles will have their hands full, as they open at the Xfinity Center against No. 25 Maryland. The Eagles will return Patriot League Rookie of the Year Delante Jones (12.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.8 apg) to a young squad that won 10 of its last 14 games, including an upset over No. 3 seed Boston University in the Patriot League Tournament. Despite the loss of Second Team All-Patriot League selection Jesse Reed to graduation, American returns three players that started 15 or more games, including sophomore guard James Washington (6.4 ppg).
Colgate (13-17, 9-9 Patriot League): Sixth-year Head Coach Matt Langel will have three starters back in the fold, led by junior forwards Jordan Swopshire (10.6 ppg, 4.7) and Tom Rivard (10.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg). Junior guard Sean O'Brien (8.6 ppg, 2.4 apg) is the lone returning starter from the Raiders backcourt. Last season the Raiders outperformed their preseason poll ranking, finishing 9-9 in the League with a pair of wins over regular season champion Bucknell, before falling to Army West Point in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals. They will again be in a position to surprise people as they open against No. 19 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome.
Loyola Maryland (9-21, 8-10 Patriot League): Head Coach G.G. Smith returns his top two scorers from last year, including preseason All-Patriot League selection junior guard Andre Walker (14.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.9 apg) and senior guard Jarred Jones (13.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg), who is also tied as the League's second-leading returning rebounder. Junior guard Chancellor Barnard (6.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg), who started 22 games last season, also returns for the Greyhounds, who open on the road against Duquesne.
Navy (19-14, 9-9 Patriot League): Sixth-year Head Coach Ed DeChellis and the Mids will have to make up for the loss of All-Patriot League performers center Will Kelly and guard Tillman Dunbar, but will return leading scorer, junior guard Shawn Anderson (13.3 ppg) to a team that won 19 games and set a program record with 11 road wins last season. Junior forward Tom Lacey also returns after starting 30 games and averaging 4.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season. The Mids will look to repeat as the League's top scoring defense, as they allowed just 64.7 points per game last season, holding opponents to a league-low .413 percent from the floor. The defense will once again be a key for a Navy team that opens at home against Ohio State in the Veteran’s Classic.
Lafayette (6-24, 3-15 Patriot League): Head Coach Fran O’Hanlon may have the least enviable season-opener, as they take on defending National Champion No. 4 Villanova on Friday night. The Leopards do return its two leading scorers with senior guard Nick Lindner and junior forward Matt Klinewski, who both averaged 13.3 points per game last season. Lindner also finished among the League leaders in assists, averaging 3.9 per game. Senior guard Monty Boykins (10.7 ppg) also returns giving Lafayette a strong core of three returning starters to add to a promising freshman class to help improve on last season's finish.
Army West Point (19-14, 9-9 Patriot League): Head Coach Jimmy Allen begins his first year at the helm of the Black Knights, who open at No. 5 Oregon on Friday night. It will be a learning experience for Allen, who served as an assistant last season and for his squad that graduated all five starters from last year. In 2015-16 the senior-laden Army team was tied for the Patriot League's best overall record at 19-14 last season. This year's edition will lean on players like Jordan Fox (2.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg, 2.3 apg), one of just two players on the roster that started at least one game last season, along with senior forward Mac Hoffman (1.5 ppg, 2.8 rpg). Allen’s youthful roster will also feature 10 sophomores and 10 freshmen, giving the team plenty of room for growth as the season moves on.