Patriot League Men's Basketball Notebook (2.22.17)

Patriot League Twitter Notebook - @PL_MBB
*.@ArmyWP_MBB’s 25-point comeback win over @NavyAthletics ties @NCAABB’s largest comeback of the season with @NavyAthletics 25-point comeback over Bryant.  
*.@Bucknell_MBB clinched its 3rd-straight @PL_MBB regular-season title and 6th in the last 7 years. 
*.@LafayetteHoops Sr., G Nick Lindner is 15 points from becoming 2nd @PL_MBB player to reach 1,500 points and 500 assists, joining @LehighMBB’s Marquis Hall (2006-10). 
*.@LehighMBB Sr., C Tim Kempton is one of 10 finalist for Senior CLASS Award & the @HoopHall Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award #CenteroftheYear
*.@Bucknell_MBB Jr., F Zach Thomas is the only @PL_MBB in top-10 in scoring (3rd, 15.9 ppg), rebounding (7th, 6.6 rpg) & assists (10th, 3.2 apg). 
*.@HCrossMBB is 4th in @NCAAMBB with a +4.9 turnover margin and 14th in scoring defense (62.6 ppg). 
*Follow PL_MBB teams on Twitter: .@AU_MBasketball @ArmyWP_MBB @BostonUMBB @Bucknell_MBB @Colgate_MBB
@HCrossMBB @LafayetteHoops @LehighMBB @LoyolaMBB @NavyAthletics


Patriot League Notebook  
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S BASKETBALL THIS WEEK 
On Saturday, the Star Series continues as the Black Knights head to Navy to take on the Midshipmen as part of a men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader on CBS Sports Network. Bucknell heads to Boston to take on the Terriers at noon EST on the CBS Sports Network on Sunday. Jason Knapp and Mo Cassara will call both men’s basketball games on CBS Sports Network. Holy Cross at AU, Lehigh at Lafayette and Colgate at Loyola Md. will all be noon starts on the PLN. 

BUCKNELL CLINCHES THIRD-STRAIGHT REGULAR-SEASON TITLE; SEEDING UP IN THE AIR FOR REST OF LEAGUE
Bucknell reached the 20-win mark and has won nine of its last 11 games, including seven-straight, to clinch its third-consecutive regular season title and six of the last seven. They earned a first-round bye and home court advantage in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League Tournament.

NICK LINDNER COULD BECOME SECOND 1,500-POINT, 500-ASSIST PLAYER IN PATRIOT LEAGUE HISTORY
Lafayette senior guard Nick Lindner became just the sixth player in League history to eclipse the 500-assist mark back on January 25 against Bucknell. He could become the 30th-player in League history to reach the 1,500, as he sits at 1,485 career points with two games left. This would make Lindner just the second-player in Patriot League history to reach 1,500 points and 500 assists, joining Lehigh’s Marquis Hall (2006-10), who finished his career with 1,514 points and 566 assists. 

CHAMPION, JONES JOINS FANNING, WALKER & FOULLAND AS NEW ADDITIONS TO THE 1,000 POINT CLUB
Holy Cross senior guard Robert Champion became the fifth different Patriot League player to have topped the 1,000-point mark this season against American on Sunday. Loyola Maryland senior forward Jarred Jones and teammate junior guard Andre Walker, both reached the milestone this season. Boston U. senior Eric Fanning scored his 1,000 point as a Boston U. Terrier in their win over American on January 11. Fanning had scored 141 points during his freshman season at Wagner. Bucknell junior center Nana Foulland is the most recent addition to the 1,000-point club, after scoring 11 points to reach the mark in a win over Loyola Md. on January 18. They join Lehigh seniors Tim Kempton (1,901 points) and Austin Price (1,357 points) and Lafayette senior Nick Lindner (1,470  points) as Patriot Leaguers with 1,000 career points. 

KEMPTON NAMED A FINALIST FOR LOWES SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Tim Kempton has been named one of the 10 finalists for the prestigious Senior CLASS Awaard. He is Lehigh’s first finalist since C.J. McCollum earned the distinction in 2013. Kempton and Austin Price were each named candidates for the award earlier in the season. In total, there were 30 men’s basketball candidates with Lehigh and Wisconsin as the only two schools with two on the watch list. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. The award focuses on four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.

NAVY at BUCKNELL ADDED TO LEAGUE’S CBS SPORTS NETWORK PACKAGE
The Patriot League announced that the Navy at Bucknell men’s basketball game scheduled for Saturday, February 25 has been selected to air on the CBS Sports Network as part of the League’s television package. The opening tip between the Bison and Midshipmen is scheduled for Noon EST at Bucknell’s Sojka Pavilion. The first-place Bison will look to sweep the season-series from Navy after Bucknell took the first game at Alumni Hall in Annapolis, Md. on December 30.

LEHIGH’S TIM KEMPTON MAKES KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR AWARD FINAL 10
Tim Kempton has been selected as one of just 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award for the nation’s top center, as announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday. Kempton is joined by Eric Mika (Brigham Young), Tacko Fall (Central Florida), Justin Patton (Creighton), Yante Maten (Georgia), Przemek Karnowski (Gonzaga), Jock Landale (Saint Mary’s), Thomas Welsh (UCLA), Josh Hawkinson (Washington State) and Ethan Happ (Wisconsin). He is currently averaging 20.5 ppg and 10.0 rpb good for 26th and 22nd in the nation, respectively.

PATRIOT LEAGUE RPI (2.21.17)
82. Bucknell    0.5538
112. Lehigh    0.5314
173. Loyola Maryland    0.5011
186. Boston University    0.4939
197. Navy    0.4869
200. Holy Cross    0.4853
272. Colgate    0.4373
276. Army West Point    0.4366
323. Lafayette    0.4060
326. American    .0.4046