BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The bracket for the 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship is determined, with regular-season League play concluding on Saturday. First-round action of the Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship begins on Tuesday, March 3.
Navy (25-6, 17-1 PL) clinched the No. 1 seed in the 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship on Feb. 18, capturing its first outright regular-season title since 1997, while matching the 2022-23 Colgate Raiders with the best regular-season mark since the League expanded to 10 teams in 2013-14.
Lehigh (15-16, 11-7 PL) won its last three games to earn the No. 2 seed, its highest championship seeding since finishing as the second seed in 2015-16. Colgate (17-14, 11-7 PL received the No. 3 seed, and Boston University (15-16, 10-8 PL) downed American (16-15, 9-9 PL) in the regular-season finale to clinch the No. 4 seed. The Eagles sealed the fifth seed.
No. 8 Bucknell (9-22, 6-12 PL) will host No. 9 Army West Point (11-20, 5-13 PL) in first-round action, with the winner traveling to Annapolis, Md., to take on the top-seeded Midshipmen in the quarterfinals. No. 7 Lafayette (11-20, 8-10 PL) welcomes No. 10 Holy Cross (10-21, 5-13 PL) in Tuesday’s first round. The winner will take on the second-seeded Mountain Hawks in Thursday’s quarterfinal round. Both games will be available live on ESPN+ with coverage beginning at 7 p.m.
The third-seeded Raiders host No. 6 Loyola Maryland (12-19, 8-10 PL) in Thursday’s quarterfinal round. No. 4 Boston University will host the fifth-seeded Eagles in the quarterfinals at Case Gym in a rematch of Saturday’s matchup. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ for both games.
For more information on the 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship,
CLICK HERE.
2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship
| First-Round |
Tuesday, March 3 – Hosted by Higher Seed |
Time |
Coverage |
| Game 1 |
No. 9 Army West Point at No. 8 Bucknell |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Game 2 |
No. 10 Holy Cross at No. 7 Lafayette |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Quarterfinals |
Thursday, March 5 – Hosted by Higher Seed |
Time |
Coverage |
| Game 3 |
Winner of Game 1 at No. 1 Navy |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Game 4 |
No. 5 American at No. 4 Boston University |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Game 5 |
No. 6 Loyola Maryland at No. 3 Colgate |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Game 6 |
Winner of Game 2 at No. 2 Lehigh |
7 p.m. |
ESPN+ |
| Semifinals |
Sunday, March 8 – Hosted by Higher Seed |
Time |
Coverage |
| Game 7 |
Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 |
TBD |
CBS Sports Network |
| Game 8 |
Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 |
TBD |
CBS Sports Network |
| Championship Game |
Wednesday, March 11 – Hosted by Higher Seed |
Time |
Coverage |
| Game 9 |
Lowest-remaining seed at Highest-remaining seed |
7 p.m. |
CBS Sports Network |
BOSTON UNIVERSITY TERRIERS (15-16, 10-8 PL) 68, AT AMERICAN EAGLES (16-15, 9-9 PL) 65
Bender Arena/Washington, D.C. Noon (CBSSN)
BOX SCORE
WASHINGTON – Freshman guard Chance Gladden scored 11 of his game-high 22 points to help Boston University survive American’s second-half surge in a 68-65 victory to clinch the No. 4 seed and a home game in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship.
*Gladden shot an efficient 9-of-12 from the field, including 2-of-2 from 3-point range, to help the Terriers split the season series and host American in the quarterfinals.
Junior guard Michael McNair scored nine of his 21 points during a game-opening 26-6 run. McNair connected on 4-of-8 from 3-point range, becoming the fourth player in League history to make more than 100 3-pointers in a single season.
*Sophomore forward Ben Defty added 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
*American sophomore forward Julen Iturbe led the Eagles with 17 points, hitting 7-of-16 from the field and 3-of-8 from long range. He also added four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
*Freshman guard Kade Sebastian and junior guard Greg Jones each scored 13 points for an Eagles squad that earned the No. 5 seed in the Patriot League Championship.
RECAPS:
BOSTON UNIVERSITY |
AMERICAN
LOYOLA MARYLAND GREYHOUNDS (12-19, 8-10 PL) 76, AT HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS (10-21, 5-13 PL) 62
Hart Center/Worcester, Mass. Noon (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
WORCESTER, Mass. – Loyola Maryland scored the first 12 points and never looked back, as freshman forward Emmett Adair led the way with 25 points in a 76-62 victory over Holy Cross to sweep the season series.
*Adair shot 11-of-22 from the floor and added seven rebounds, while sophomore guard Braeden Speed added 15 points to help the Greyhounds snap a three-game slide and clinch the No. 6 seed and a first-round bye.
*Senior guard Tyson Commander scored a season-high 14 points to go along with six boards, and junior guard Troy Cicero Jr. pulled down a career-high eight rebounds.
*Holy Cross junior forward Gabe Warren led the Crusaders with a career-high 30 points, shooting 10-of-17 from the field. He added seven rebounds.
*Sophomore guard Tyler Boston added 13 points for Holy Cross.
RECAPS:
LOYOLA MARYLAND |
HOLY CROSS
AT LAFAYETTE LEOPARDS (11-20, 8-10 PL) 83, ARMY WEST POINT BLACK KNIGHTS (11-20, 5-13 PL) 77
Kirby Sports Center/Easton, Pa. 1 p.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
EASTON, Pa. – Junior guard Mark Butler scored a career-high 21 points and dished out six assists to lead Lafayette to an 83-77 victory over Army West Point to sweep the season series.
*Butler hit 9-of-10 from the free-throw line to help the Leopards earn the No. 7 seed and host a first-round game in the 2026 Patriot League Men’s Basketball Championship.
*Junior forward Andrew Phillips posted 15 points and four rebounds, while freshman forward Shareef Jackson shot 5-of-7 from the field for 13 points to go along with five rebounds.
*Senior guard Ryan Pettit added 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting in his final regular-season home game at Kirby Sports Center.
*Sophomore guard Jaxson Bell and sophomore forward Jacen Holloway finished with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Bell connected on 8-of-12 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, to go along with eight rebounds.
*Sophomore guard Kevin McCarthy chipped in 13 points, while junior guard Ryan Curry contributed 12 points and five assists.
RECAPS:
ARMY WEST POINT |
LAFAYETTE
AT LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (15-16, 11-7 PL) 89, BUCKNELL BISON (9-22, 6-12 PL) 79
Stabler Arena/Bethlehem, Pa. 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Junior guard Nasir Whitlock recorded his eighth 30-point performance of the season, finishing with 32 points to lead Lehigh to an 89-79 victory over Bucknell to split the season series.
*Whitlock connected on 12-of-18 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, to go along with seven rebounds to help Lehigh clinch the No. 2 seed in the 2026 Patriot League Championship.
*Sophomore center Hank Alvey added 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting, adding five rebounds and four assists. Junior guard Joshua Ingram contributed 11 points and team-highs of eight rebounds and eight assists.
*Bucknell freshman center Amon Dörries scored a team-high 28 points on 12-of-18 shooting, including 3-of-4 from long distance.
*Freshman guard Pat Curtin added 22 points, shooting 9-of-16 from the floor, and grabbing six rebounds, while senior guard Achile Spadone added 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
RECAPS:
BUCKNELL |
LEHIGH
AT NAVY MIDSHIPMEN (25-6, 17-1 PL) 85, COLGATE RAIDERS (17-14, 11-7 PL) 67
Alumni Hall/Annapolis, Md. 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
BOX SCORE
ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Senior center Aidan Kehoe and senior forward Donovan Draper each recorded double-doubles to lead Navy to an 85-67 victory over Colgate to sweep the season series and conclude the regular season with a 17-1 record.
*Kehoe posted his 18th double-double of the season, finishing with 17 points and 12 rebounds while shooting 7-of-9 from the floor. He also added five assists.
*Draper posted 12 points and 10 rebounds, while senior guard Austin Benigni added 15 points and nine assists to help the Mids match the 2022-23 Colgate team for the best regular-season mark since the League’s expansion to 10 teams.
*Junior guard Cam Cole chipped in 16 points off the bench, shooting 5-of-8 from the field for the Midshipmen.
*Colgate senior guard Kyle Carlesimo scored a career-high 20 points, hitting 6-of-10 from 3-point range to lead the Raiders.
*Sophomore guard Ben Tweedy added 16 points, five rebounds and four assists and freshman forward Andrew Alekseyenko and junior forward Sam Wright scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.
RECAPS:
COLGATE |
NAVY
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.