Lehigh Basketball

First things first—the fact that Lehigh upset Duke in the second round of the NCAA tournament was one of the most improbable and totally awesome upsets ever. Way to go, Mountain Hawks.

And I fully believe that Lehigh, behind stud junior C.J. McCollum, can upset Xavier and advance to the Sweet 16.

But that's about as far as I think they'll go.

Here's the thing: Duke was as good of a matchup against a No. 2 seed as they could have drawn.

The Blue Devils were a poor defensive team that was overly reliant on perimeter scoring all season long, and the Mountain Hawks got to play them on a night when Seth Curry and Austin Rivers were a combined 6-of-23 from the field.

They got a Duke team that shot 6-of-26 on its three-point shots.

And they got a Duke team that was without injured forward Ryan Kelly and the 11.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game he brings to the table.

I'm not making excuses for Duke or belittling Lehigh's win in any way—they handled their business. But they also had the perfect storm of upset factors strike in Round 2, and I simply don't think those conditions will be replicated again.

I hope I'm wrong—it would be a great story if the Mountain Hawks advanced deep into this tournament.

I just don't see it happening.

Even if they beat Xavier, they'll have Baylor to deal with. Frankly, I don't think Lehigh will have an answer for Perry Jones III, and Quincy Acy is too tough on the block.

And even if they shock Baylor, the odds are pretty good that they'll meet Kentucky in the Elite Eight. As much as I love a good David vs. Goliath storyline, Kentucky facing Lehigh would be more like a Mighty Mouse vs. Superman storyline.

Really, having Kentucky looming off in the distance is the main reason I don't see Lehigh advancing to the Final Four like VCU did last year. Kentucky's dominance this year casts a shadow of fear over the entirety of the South Region.

So I'm afraid Lehigh won't be making a run to the Final Four. The Cinderella story will end for the Mountain Hawks rather early, spoiling their chance to be the belles of the ball this year.

But you'll always have Duke, Lehigh.

And that's pretty awesome.

Hit me up on Twitter—I've tweeted from Lehigh's campus before. Seriously.

America’s team won’t die.

Lehigh’s historic upset over the most hated team in the nation has caused the squad to become everybody’s favorite Cinderella. The 15  seed out of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania emerged as contenders against Duke, but they must take care of business against Xavier before celebrating their opening weekend success.

Here are five reasons why the Mountain Hawks will fly through the Musketeers and into the Sweet 16:

5. Xavier’s Road Woes

While the game will be played at a neutral location, everyone in Greensboro will be rooting for Lehigh. The gangsters in the locker room vs. the school that eliminated Duke—it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the more likable ball club.

On the season, Xavier is only 5-7 on the road. The Musketeers won’t be the same team that the nation witnessed against Notre Dame because of the crowd.

4. Momentum is on Their Side

Lehigh hasn’t lost a game since February 9 . Over the course of their winning streak, they annihilated five teams and won their conference tournament. Oh yeah, and they upset the Blue Devils.

Xavier, on the other hand, couldn’t even win their conference tourney. Why? Because…

3. Superior Frontcourt

St. Bonaventure’s big man Andrew Nicholson straight up exposed the Musketeers sub-par frontcourt in the A-10 title. He dropped 26 points, hauled in 14 boards and on the defensive end, he recorded eight  denials in the Bonnies’ victory.

Lehigh’s Gabe Knutson isn’t as talented as Nicholson, but he’s still capable of going off on Kenny Frease. Knutson is the Mountain Hawks’ second leading scorer and put up 17 points and eight rebounds against the Plumlee brothers.

2. They Don’t Need the Three

Most Cinderella teams live and die by the three, but the Mountain Hawks don’t at all—three-point shooting is actually a weakness of theirs. But believe it or not, their weakness proves just how talented of a team they truly are.

Despite sinking just six shots from downtown, Lehigh scored a whopping 75 points on the Blue Devils including 47 in second half alone. The reason why Lehigh isn’t handcuffed by the three-point shot:

1. C.J. McCollum’s Dominance

C.J. McCollum is too good.

Against a school that recruits the entire nation, McCollum blew up for 30 points, six dimes and six boards. The 6’3”, 190-pound 2-guard will enter the Mountain Hawks’ showdown with Xavier scorching. And you know after outplaying Austin Rivers and Seth Curry, he won’t lack confidence in a shootout with Tu Holloway.

McCollum will lead Lehigh to the Sweet 16 with another outrageous scoring effort.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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Sports fans everywhere have become familiar with the name C.J. McCollum following the Lehigh Mountain Hawks huge upset of the Duke Blue Devils.

The junior guard had a great game, scoring 30 points, grabbing six rebounds and adding six assists.

It's been a very good season in general. He led the team in scoring (22.1), rebounding (6.5), steals (2.6) and tied for the lead in assists (3.6).

He's unquestionably Lehigh's best player. It's safe to say that if the Mountain Hawks are to advance, McCollum will need to keep performing like he did against Duke.

However, here's three more players that will also need to step up and play well:

Mackey McKnight

He might have scored 11 points against the Blue Devils, but McKnight won't be asked to score a lot.

However, he's going to be a key factor in other areas of the court.

McCollum's the go-to guy, but it's going to be up to McKnight to be the floor general during the game. He tied McCollum atop the team's assists leader board.

He'll also be a huge factor on the defensive end of the floor. McKnight's opposite number will be Tu Holloway, Xavier's leader in assists and scoring.

If he can shut down Holloway, then Lehigh will have exponentially better chances of reaching the Sweet 16.

Gabe Knutson

Knutson is the second leading scorer (12.3) and rebounder (5.6).

At 6'9", Knutson is the second-tallest player on the Mountain Hawks. He's the only real post presence Lehigh can offer.

Xavier isn't a team with a glut of post players either, but the Musketeers do have 7'0" Kenny Frease. His numbers don't jump off the page (9.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg), but against an undersized Mountain Hawks team, he could have a huge game.

Lehigh was able to limit Mason Plumlee's effectiveness, and they'll have to do the same thing against Xavier.

Knutson will be a big part of that.

Holden Grenier/Jordan Hamilton

This might be two players, but it's one aspect of the game they'll both need to be key for.

Next to McCollum, Grenier and Hamilton are Lehigh's biggest threats from behind the three-point line. They shot 35 and 34 percent, respectively, from long range. Those aren't incredible percentages, but either of them has the ability to hit some important shots.

Going up against Frease, points in the paint might be hard to come by, so Lehigh is going to have to shoot well from mid-to-long range.

Plus, a hot shooter(s) can turn an entire game around.

When No. 15 seed Lehigh shocked No. 2 seed Duke in a thrilling upset on Friday night, the Mountain Hawks proved that they are talented enough to defeat No. 10 seed Xavier in the third round and advance to the Sweet 16 in the South region.

Not only does Lehigh have several players capable of scoring the basketball consistently, they also rebound the ball very well.

Lehigh only lost the rebound battle by three to a far superior group of Duke big men, and were able to do a nice job of grabbing defensive rebounds and getting into transition.

When Lehigh is operating their half-court offense, they run their sets very efficiently. Senior guard C.J. McCollum dominated the Blue Devils with 30 points, while also adding six points and six rebounds.

One thing McCollum and Lehigh as a team do extremely well is get to the free-throw line. The Mountain Hawks are aggressive on offense and take the ball to the basket with strength and determination. Against Duke, Lehigh shot 37 free throws, which was 14 more than the Blue Devils took.

Against Xavier in the third round, Lehigh has a great chance to win and advance to the Sweet 16 because of their ability to score in fast-paced, up-tempo games or slow, half-court battles.

The Musketeers barely beat Notre Dame on Friday, yet they shot 50 percent from the field and were 5-10 from the three-point line.

Lehigh did not shoot well from beyond the arc, but were able to take down a quality Duke team. If Lehigh shoots just a bit better than they did on Friday, they will defeat Xavier in another amazing upset.

Lehigh has a player who can take over the game offensively in McCollum, they get to the free-throw line often, and they rebound well. Those are three key ingredients to a successful run in the NCAA Tournament.

Lehigh will defeat Xavier in the third round and set up a Sweet 16 showdown with No. 3 Baylor or No. 11 Colorado.

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Why couldn't Lehigh make a run to the Sweet 16? Why couldn't the Mountain Hawks defeat a Xavier team that has been up-and-down this season? Why couldn't they defeat a team that tends to fall into a one-on-one style of game?

Lehigh defeating Xavier to move on to the Sweet 16 is a very high probability for a No. 15 seed. I'd give it a 40 percent chance of happening.

C.J. McCollum is a stud. He averages 21.9 points per game this year and dropped 30 points, six rebounds and six assists on No. 2 Duke.

With McCollum's scoring ability mixed in with a team that scores 76.2 points per game, there is no reason why the Mountain Hawks couldn't stay extremely competitive with the Musketeers.

Lehigh's role players are also capable of filling it up on the offensive end. They made 251 three-pointers as a team this season. Gabe Knutson and Mackey McKnight are capable of providing solid scoring production to help McCollum. 

Tu Holloway, Mark Lyons, Dezmine Wells and company are players who can go stretches without playing quality team basketball. Once they get complacent on the offensive end, it will open the door for McCollum and the Mountain Hawks to go on timely spurts that could put Xavier in a hole. 

The Musketeers are a dangerous team, one that I had going to the Elite Eight in my bracket, but they didn't make me feel confident Friday night in their victory over Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish had that game dead to rights but failed to hold on to a decent-sized lead in the second half.

Xavier is a team that you simply can't trust. This is a team that was in the top 10 earlier in the year before the brawl with Cincinnati. The Musketeers haven't been the same team since.

With Xavier being so inconsistent this season, we could see another no-show from the Musketeers on Sunday. 

You just never know. 

Lehigh has the correct pieces in place to pull off another upset and Xavier is a team that may not show up to play. Don't be shocked if you see the Mountain Hawks in the Sweet 16. 

Usually, it doesn't take a brain to pick the No. 1-vs-16 and No. 2-vs-15 games in the NCAA tournament—this year, it was different.

Somehow, Missouri and Duke both fell short against Norfolk State and Lehigh, respectively, ending their NCAA tournament runs early. Norfolk upset Missouri by two points and Lehigh prevailed by five.

And both teams wrote a new chapter in the NCAA tournament book.

Lehigh and Duke went back and forth, trading leads and runs throughout the game. In the end, however, it was Lehigh who came out on top, moving on to the Round of 32 to face either Notre Dame or Xavier.

C.J. McCollum scored 30 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists in a huge game for the Mountain Hawks. When the Hawks needed a big shot, McCollum provided it.

Neither team had a significant advantage on the stat sheet, but in a game of runs, Lehigh had one at the best time. Both were trading leads, but with two minutes left, Lehigh grabbed a seven-point lead, forcing Duke to go into fouling mode.

Duke failed to put the game away at the free throw line earlier, and while they were clutch at the end, Lehigh made enough free throws to hold off the Blue Devils. Twice, the Mountain Hawks broke the press, and as a result, Jordan Hamilton and Gabe Knutson finished with dunks—which proved to be enough for Lehigh.

As a second seed, Duke was expected to cruise. Instead, they weren't able to outplay the Mountain Hawks, and when a team like Duke doesn't dominate the stat sheet against Lehigh, you know they're in trouble.

Duke turned the ball over eleven times, and Lehigh controlled the ball very well, losing the ball just seven times. Seth Curry, the brother of tourney hero Stephen Curry, made just one of nine shots from the field, and thanks to his and Austin Rivers' struggles (Rivers scored 19 and made just 5 of 14 shots), McCollum was able to shut down the guards and help Lehigh control the tempo.

In case you didn't know, controlling the tempo against Duke and the high-flying Plumlee brothers is crucial to Lehigh's success. However, what set Lehigh apart from Duke was their clutch ability.

About three and a half minutes remained, and Lehigh led by two. The Mountain Hawks took the ball up the court, and they were able to set up McCollum for an open three. He knocked the shot down, and after a John Adams dunk, Lehigh took control of the game and became one of six fifteen-seeds to win a tourney game.

Another one of those teams is Norfolk State.

Most predicted Missouri to run by Norfolk State and land in the Final Four, but Norfolk State had other plans. Kyle O'Quinn became the player every team needs to pull an upset, by scoring 26 points and grabbing 14 rebounds.

Since the Tigers are mostly composed of talented guards, the Spartans had a size advantage. They used it wisely, out-rebounding Missouri 35-23, and 14 of those 35 were offensive rebounds.

O'Quinn controlled the boards and occupied the paint, and by getting second chances, the Spartans were able to stay in the game. With the score tied at 81, Kyle O'Quinn snatched an air-balled shot out of the air, and sent it flying off the backboard and into the hoop.

O'Quinn was fouled on the shot and made his free throw, which put the Spartans up by three. Missouri had a chance to win the game, but Phil Pressey's shot hit the back rim and bounced away, which gave Norfolk State the huge win.

Now, the first-time tourney team is headed for the Round of 32.

Three players on Norfolk State scored 20 or more, and the Spartans proved they could handle Missouri and their fast-paced basketball. Pendarvis Williams and Chris McEachin scored 20 points, and they held Marcus Denmon to 5-of-12 shooting.

More importantly, they held senior guard Kim English, who averaged about 15 points per game, to just two points.

Everyone assumed that Missouri's star guards would overpower Norfolk State's, but the Spartans came out strong, controlled the tempo, and got just enough from O'Quinn, Williams and McEachin to survive the Tigers.

Lehigh and Norfolk State had never won a tournament game, and no one expected that to change. But both teams believed, and they worked their magic.

And look what came out of that.

The Shakedown

The Patriot League tournament kicks it off February 29th at the higher seeds home court. A tournament which has seen some fantastic finishes in the past few years looks to have some of the same excitement this year. With zero wins against the AP top 25 this season this conference winner will more than likely be looking at a 15 or 16 seed. Let's take a look at the breakdown!

The Breakdown

1. Bucknell 22-8 (12-2 Patriot League)

The Bucknell Bison have locked up the Patriot League regular season title for a second straight year. The Bison coasted through the regular season winning nine of their 14 conference games by double-digits. The most important thing to note is that the conference tournament will be held at Bucknell, a place where they have only lost once all season. The recent struggles of the Bison have some people wondering if they are poised to make a post season run. There is no doubt that the other teams in the conference will use their recent struggles as motivation to try and steal a bid.

2. Lehigh 23-7 (11-3 Patriot League)

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks earned the two-seed, and maybe more importantly, two home games in their conference tournament. Lehigh is a very consistent team that comes into the tournament having won eight of their last nine.

Lehigh is also the reason for the late season slump of Bucknell. They defeated the Bison on a last second three-pointer at Bucknell to hand the Bison their first conference loss of the season. Lehigh is also one of the younger teams in the league and will only graduate three seniors this year.

While I have them as a potential tournament winner this year, next year should be even better for the Mountain Hawks. 

3. American University 19-10 (10-4 Patriot League)

The American University Eagles locked up the three-seed for the Patriot League Tournament with a win over Lafayette on Saturday. The Eagles look to their sensational senior Charles Hinkle (18.8 ppg) to lead them to their first NCAA appearance since 2009. American finishes their regular season with a 7-1 home record in the conference. Being the top heavy league that it is, it is unlikely that American will be playing on their home floor past the first round which could spell trouble in the semi-finals. I like this American University team a lot but their inconsistency to win on the road could hurt their chances at winning the title. 

4. Holy Cross 15-13 (9-5 Patriot League)

The Holy Cross Crusaders grabbed the fourth-seed in the Patriot League Tournament. Having won six in a row and seven of their last eight, Holy Cross comes into the tournament with the league's hot hand. Recent wins over American and Bucknell prove that the Crusaders are ready to play with anyone in the conference. The good news for Holy Cross is that their recent tear through the conference has landed them a first round home game against Lafayette. The potential bad news is that Lafayette defeated Holy Cross in their gym earlier this season. If Holy Cross can get past Lafayette, they too will be a legitimate threat at knocking off the reeling Bison of Bucknell. 

5. Lafayette 12-17 (7-7 Patriot League)

The Lafayette Leopards limp into the Patriot League tournament having lost four of their last five. What started off as a successful 2011-2012 conference campaign has recently taken a turn for the worst as the tough part of their schedule hurt them down the stretch.

The Leopards do have a few bright spots heading into the tournament including super freshman Seth Hinrichs. Hinrichs is averaging 8.6 points per game and has been a big lift for the Pards. He has been the freshman player of the week six times this season in the Patriot League. While it's not likely, Lafayette could make a run in the Patriot League. Lafayette split their regular season games with Holy Cross, and could strike at just the right time with Bucknell struggling as of late. Lafayette is my dark horse in the Patriot League. 

6. Army 12-17 (5-9 Patriot League)

The Army Black Knights are the sixth seed in the Patriot League tournament. They will look to start their unlikely quest at a conference title against the third seed Eagles of American University. Army dropped both regular season contests to American by an average of 18 point per game. If Army wants to keep it close in their first game they will need to slow the pace of the game and get great looks offensively. While the program continues to improve, their season will most likely end in the first round of the conference tournament. 

7. Colgate 8-21 (2-12 Patriot League)

The Colgate Raiders grabbed the seventh seed in the Patriot League conference tournament. With no real positive energy to built on, Colgate is also more than likely an early out. If Colgate can slow it down against American, they may have a slight chance at an upset as they only lost by one point to the Eagles earlier this month. 

8. Navy 3-25 (0-14 Patriot League)

Navy is in their first season under former Penn State head coach, Ed Dechellis. The Midshipmen have a tall task for their first round game against Bucnkell. One thing that Navy can hold their hat on is the effort they play with. If they can pair their effort with execution, Navy might be able to keep it close against Bucknell. Happy sailing Navy, your basketball season is over.

The Takedown

Here is how I see the Patriot League Conference tournament playing out.

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Bucknell over No.8 Navy

No. 2 Lehigh over No. 7 Colgate

No. 3 American over No. 6 Army

No. 5 Lafayette over No. 4 Holy Cross

Semi-Finals

No. 1 Bucknell over No. 5 Lafayette

No. 2 Lehigh over No. 3 American

Championship

No. 2 Lehigh over No. 1 Bucknell

Patriot League Champion: Lehigh Mountain Hawks (26-7 15 Seed in NCAA tournament)

The Final Buzzer

Joe Lunardi has Bucknell grabbing a 15-seed in the NCAA tournament as the potential Patriot League winner. I think that replacing Lehigh with Bucknell does not affect the seed that the Patriot League will get. If Lehigh wins the conference tournament I think they ultimately end up as a 15-seed. 

It's important to note that Lehigh has played some respectable basketball this year. They lost to Michigan State by nine earlier this season and played tight games with St. Johns and Iowa State. I do not think Lehigh will be much of a threat in this year's NCAA, but look out for next year!

When you watch an early season matchup between teams from the Big East and the Patriot League, picking a winner is usually a simple task.

Tonight, however, the St. John's Red Storm should be on high alert when going up against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.

The Mountain Hawks are led by talented junior guard C.J. McCollum. In just his freshman season, he was named Patriot League Player of the Year, and last year, he was amongst the nation's top scorers at 21.8 PPG. He is also an elite rebounder for a guard, as he pulled down 7.8 boards a contest last season.

McCollum's supporting cast will be solid, as Lehigh will get contributions from Gabe Knutson, Mackey McKnight and Holden Greiner. Knutson, a junior, averaged 12.2 PPG and 5.7 RPG last season, and could average close to a double-double this season. McKnight will handle most of the distribution duties, and he combines with McCollum to form a very solid backcourt. Greiner, a junior big man, will see an increase in his stats as his minutes increase from last year.

St. John's won it's first game of the season on Monday against William & Mary, and the inexperienced squad was led by Nurideen Lindsey (19 points), God'sgift Achiuwa (17 points, nine rebounds) and Moe Harkless (17 points, eight rebounds, four assists).

If those names look unfamiliar to you, it's because none of those players were on St. John's team from a season ago. The Red Storm will miss the presence of Dwight Hardy, Justin Brownlee and D.J. Kennedy, among others, who were all contributors last year.

St. John's only played seven players in its 74-59 opening win, so Lehigh could be able to expose the Red Storm's lack of depth.

If McCollum plays as well as he is capable of playing, and Lehigh gets good games out of its other contributors, the Patriot League could very well be 1-0 against the Big East to start the 2011-12 season.