Patriot League Men’s Basketball Notebook (2.26.21)
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Eight of the Patriot League’s 10 men’s basketball programs will be in action during the final weekend of the regular season, with four games apiece on Saturday and Sunday. All eight of the weekend’s games will be streamed live on
ESPN+. International viewers can stream any of the League’s ESPN+ games by visiting
www.patriotleague.org/watch.
On Saturday, Navy and Loyola Maryland tip-off the day of games at noon. Bucknell returns to action to host Bucknell at 2 p.m., with Boston University traveling to Army West Point for a 3 p.m. tip-off. The day concludes with an important Central Division matchup between Lehigh and Lafayette at 4 p.m.
The Black Knights host the Terriers again on Sunday at 3 p.m. to begin the final day of regular-season play. The Eagles host the Bison and the Midshipmen welcome the Greyhounds, with coverage of both games beginning at 4 p.m. The Mountain Hawks host the Leopards at 6 p.m. in the final game of the regular season.
2020-21 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Standings (as of 2.26.21)
| School |
Division |
Pct. |
Patriot League |
Pct. |
Overall |
Pct. |
| NORTH |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Colgate! |
11-1 |
.917 |
11-1 |
.917 |
11-1 |
.917 |
| Army West Point |
5-5 |
.500 |
6-6 |
.500 |
10-7 |
.588 |
| Holy Cross |
4-8 |
.333 |
5-11 |
.313 |
5-11 |
.313 |
| Boston University |
2-8 |
.200 |
5-9 |
.357 |
5-9 |
.357 |
| CENTRAL |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Lafayette |
3-1 |
.750 |
7-5 |
.583 |
7-5 |
.583 |
| Bucknell |
4-2 |
.667 |
4-4 |
.500 |
4-4 |
.500 |
| Lehigh |
1-5 |
.167 |
4-8 |
.333 |
4-8 |
.333 |
| SOUTH |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Navy! |
5-0 |
1.000 |
10-1 |
.909 |
13-2 |
.867 |
| American |
2-5 |
.286 |
2-5 |
.286 |
2-5 |
.286 |
| Loyola Maryland |
1-3 |
.250 |
4-8 |
.333 |
4-8 |
.333 |
! Clinched divisional No. 1 seed
Full Standings and Tiebreaker Information
How To Watch Patriot League Men’s Basketball This Weekend
Upcoming Schedule (all times EST)
Saturday, February 27
Navy at Loyola Maryland (
ESPN+), Noon
American at Bucknell (
ESPN+), 2 p.m.
Boston University at Army West Point (
ESPN+), 3 p.m.
Lehigh at Lafayette (
ESPN+), 4 p.m.
Sunday, February 28
Boston University at Army West Point (
ESPN+), 3 p.m.
Bucknell at American (
ESPN+), 4 p.m.
Loyola Maryland at Navy (
ESPN+), 4 p.m.
Lafayette at Lehigh (
ESPN+), 6 p.m.
Patriot League Men’s Basketball Composite Schedule
Top Four Seeds Still Up For Grabs During Final Weekend of Play
Colgate (11-1 PL, 11-1 North) and Navy (10-1 PL, 5-0 South) have captured their respective divisions and the championship’s top two seeds, though the order may not be determined until the end of the weekend. With Colgate out of action, Navy must win both games against Loyola Maryland (4-8 PL, 1-3 South) to clinch the No. 1 seed. One Navy loss would allow the Raiders to hold the top position going into the championship for the third-consecutive season. Lafayette (7-5 PL, 3-1 Central) can clinch the Central Division title and the No. 3 seed in the championship with one victory against Lehigh (4-8 PL, 1-5 Central) this weekend. If the Leopards lose both games, Bucknell (4-4 PL, 4-2 Central) would claim the Central Division and the No. 3 seed. Army West Point (6-6 PL, 5-5 North), currently tied with the Bison in League winning percentage, would earn the fourth-seed with any combination of Army and Bucknell wins and losses that keeps the Black Knights tied or ahead of the Bison. Army holds the tiebreaker of Bucknell due to their respective records against Navy. The top four seeds in the 2021 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship will play at home during the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 6.
Santi Aldama Ties Patriot League Single-Game Rebounding Record
Sophomore forward Santi Aldama, the three-time defending Patriot League GEICO Player of the Week, pulled down a career-high 22 rebounds to go along with 30 points against Lafayette on Feb. 13. His performance tied the record for most rebounds in a Patriot League game set by Colgate legend Adonal Foyle against Army West Point in 1995. Aldama has posted double-doubles in six of his last nine games and is leading the League in rebounding (10.7) and second in scoring (21.).
Austin Butler Leading the Way for the Crusaders in February
Holy Cross senior guard Austin Butler is averaging 20.7 points and 8.3 rebounds to help the Crusaders go 3-3 in six February games. Butler has posted double-doubles in four of those games while scoring a career-high 30 points in a win over BU on Feb. 24. He is second in the League in rebounding (8.7 rpg) and is the League’s active leader in rebounds with 569, good for 54th in League history.
Colgate’s Ferguson, American’s Harris Scorching from Beyond the Arc
Colgate senior guard Jack Ferguson (.482) and American senior guard Jamir Harris (.452) are first and fourth, respectively among the League and NCAA DI leaders in 3-point field goal percentage. Ferguson is 27-for-56 from deep this season with at least two made 3-pointers in nine of the Raiders’ 12 games. Harris connected on 9-for-15 in a triple-overtime win at Loyola Maryland, including the game-winner, tying the AU-program record for made 3-pointers in a single game.
PenFed Credit Union 2021 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship Expanded
The 2021 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championships has expanded to include all 10 League schools and will now start with first-round action on Wednesday, March 3. Given the decision to expand the seeding and tiebreaking processes have been adjusted. The three mini-conference winners will still be seeded from one through three based on their overall Patriot League winning percentage. The remaining teams in the men’s and women’s fields will now be seeded based on their overall Patriot League winning percentage. The prior seeding model granted seeds four through six to the second-place mini-conference finishers. Prior to the season, the Patriot League’s 10 men’s basketball programs were divided into three divisions for the 2021 season. The North Division includes Army West Point, Boston University, Colgate and Holy Cross. The Central Division includes Bucknell, Lafayette and Lehigh. The South Division includes American, Loyola Maryland and Navy.
Colgate No. 25 in College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll; Navy Receiving Votes
Colgate is a program-best 11-1 through 12 games and has clinched the top-seed in the North Division, while their +17.0 scoring margin is fourth in NCAA DI to place 25th in this week’s College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 poll. Navy’s 13-2 overall start to the season is the program’s best since 1983-84 season, while their 10-1 start in League play is among their hottest in the program’s 30 years in the Patriot League. The Mids are receiving votes in the poll. Colgate is 12th in the NCAA NET rankings while Navy is 86th
Patriot League Men’s Basketball GEICO Players of the Week
Player: Santi Aldama, Loyola Maryland, So., F
Rookie: Jeff Woodward, Colgate, Fr., C
Honorable Mention: Jamir Harris, American, Sr., G; Jordan Burns, Colgate, Sr., G; Austin Butler, Holy Cross, Sr., G; Dominic Parolin, Lehigh, Fr., C; Greg Summers, Navy, Jr., G