Patriot League Basketball

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.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels

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.

Follow @NicholasGoss35

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. 

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!

Army and Navy provided a thriller on Saturday before a packed house at West Point as Army won 69-63 in two overtimes and sang their "Alma Mater" second.

Games between the service academies are always special, so many years of history and tradition come into play.  For days in advance the cheers of "Beat Navy" can be heard at West Point and "Beat Army" at Annapolis.  At Army, where they are still remembering the football win by Navy in December, basketball is a chance for a measure of payback.

This is a matchup in which the records on the season can be thrown out.  Army was 10-14 coming in under Zach Spiker and Navy a struggling 3-20 under first-year coach Ed DeChellis. 

Both teams send their bands and cheerleaders to the game.  Navy sent a delegation of midshipmen, and their parents association served a buffet to the Annapolis visitors across the street next to Michie Stadium.  The women's basketball game started the day with a Navy win over Army.

The game began with each team playing very deliberate half-court ball.  After 10 minutes of play, Navy led 5-4.  A jumper and two free throws by sophomore Josh Herbert, and a three-point shot by junior Ella Ellis gave the Black Knights a 22-17 lead at the half. 

Both teams struggled in the first half, each shooting 23.8 percent from the field.  Navy was 1-of-11 on threes; Army was 2-of-3.

In the second half, Army went to an eight-point lead with 12:28 left on a three-point goal by Ella Ellis and two free throws by freshman Mo Williams.

Navy came back, making a 12-3 run to take a 40-39 lead with 7:55 left, topped by a jump shot by freshman Worth Smith.  Army went ahead 45-44 with 4:23 left on a layup by freshman Maxwell Jenkins. 

Navy sophomore Thurgood Wynn tied the game at 45 on the first of two free throws, and then missed the second with 1:45 left. 

Both teams missed three point shots in the final eight seconds to send the game into overtime.

Christyl Arena was roaring as the game went into overtime.  The bands were blasting at each other, the over 1,000 cadets on hand were cheering their team from behind both baskets and the top reaches of the tall stands.  The crowd was announced at 5,189—an arena record.

In the first overtime, Navy went out to a 51-47 lead with 2:38 left, led by two layups by sophomore Isiah Roberts and a two-pointer by freshman Worth Smith.  Navy held a three-point lead, 55-52, with 1:11 left after a layup by sophomore Brennan Wyatt.  Then, Army cut the deficit to one on a Mo Williams layup with 55 seconds left. 

Both teams then missed shots. With six seconds left and Army trailing by one, Army fouled to put Navy on the free-throw line.  Isiah Roberts missed the first and made the second.  With the crowd on its feet, Army went on a fast break.

Maxwell Lenox appeared to go for a layup, and then slammed it in.

Army tied the game, and the game went into the second overtime!

The Black Knights dominated the second overtime, going out to a seven-point lead 63-56 on a three-point shot and a foul shot by Josh Herbeck.  Williams, Ellis and Josh Herbeck made free throws in the final 18 seconds of overtime as Army held on to a 69-63 win.

The final horn saw the Cadets storm the court—a rare scene at West Point.  Then the Alma Mater began, first the Naval Academy's, and then the Army cadet band played the West Point Alma Mater.

Ken Kraetzer covers Army football and Iona basketball for WVOX 1460 AM and Sons of the American Legion Radio.  His Twitter address is @SAL50NYRadio

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.

Around seven o'clock on Sunday evening (although to be fair, I was flying across the country on zero hours of sleep and would have believed it was 3 AM had someone presented the assertion with enough confidence), I watched the beginning of the end of the 2011 Connecticut Huskies' season.

Rece Davis of ESPN asked Kemba Walker on-air (along with Jimmer Fredette and Nolan Smith) if he knew the nickname of the institution his team would be facing in the first game of the NCAA Tournament.

Kemba laughed and looked off-camera, hoping that one of his teammates would provide him with the answer, then quizzically said, "Bucknell...?" as if the school was such an afterthought in the National Player of the Year candidate's mind that the Bison didn't deserve a nickname.

I don't blame him for being caught unaware. Heck, If I were the guy who single-handedly carried Connecticut to the 2011 Big East Tournament championship, I would hardly be able to remember a school like Rutgers' nickname (that would be the Scarlet Knights for those of you scoring at home), let alone a university in Central Pennsylvania with a student body hovering around 4,000.

In any case, for the sake of intriguing parallels, and because the potent scent of March Madness infiltrates even the lungs of those who think basketball involves home runs and touchdowns, let's travel all the way back to 2006.

Gerry McNamara, then a senior at Syracuse University, had just completed the greatest four-day stretch in the history of the Big East Tournament.

Syracuse won the conference title due to McNamara's three game-winning plays (each of which caused yours truly plenty of heartache in the process), thereby changing the postseason fortunes of the 2006 Syracuse Orange from a probable No. 2 seed in the NIT to a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Not only did McNamara change his team's destiny and the narrative of his college career in what seemed like a nanosecond, but his heroics caused many analysts on ESPN and CBS to predict a Final Four run for Syracuse based off of the momentum gained by those wins at Madison Square Garden.

Does this narrative sound vaguely familiar yet?

Once Kemba Walker and the Huskies finished the job on Saturday night by winning five games in five days to capture the Big East Tournament, I became convinced that Connecticut would fall in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Meanwhile, talking heads at those aforementioned networks gushed over UConn with words like "momentum" and phrases such as "team on a mission," confidently predicting a prolonged run in the NCAA's for the Huskies.

For the record, I will start taking these analysts' views more seriously once they stop spending each season informing viewers ad nauseam that the NCAA Tournament will be "wide open," only to then predict four No. 1 seeds to reach the Final Four. But I digress.

I consider myself a student of (recent) history, and the parallels to Gerry McNamara's Syracuse team, upset by Texas A&M 66-58 in the opening round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, seem too perfect to ignore.

Connecticut in 2011 is a team without depth that relies on a single scorer to make everything happen for its offense. When that one playmaker runs out of gas (after a week-long tournament, for example), the team is in loads of trouble.

Connecticut won the Maui Invitational Tournament way back in November, defeating Kentucky and Michigan State in the process, because Kemba Walker put on a show eerily similar to the masterpiece he orchestrated at Madison Square Garden this past week.

The first game after the tournament in Hawai'i though, UConn survived a rather terrible New Hampshire team 62-55 at home. If you don't believe that UConn sleepwalked through this game, I invite you to read the recap.

Now we arrive at the part of the show when I divulge my allegiances; I am a graduate of Bucknell University who attended the school during the four-year window in which the basketball team did not make the NCAA Tournament (Kansas and Arkansas fans may remember 2005 and 2006, respectively). To say I was bitter about the lack of success between 2006 and 2010 would be putting it mildly.

Nonetheless, Mike Muscala, Bryson Johnson and the rest of the Bucknell Bison convinced me early this season that it was the type of mid-major team (a generous title given the atrocious state of the Patriot League) that could pull off an upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Bucknell is an experienced group with both the inside and outside presence to give a team that would prefer to coast through its opening game—i.e. a major program coming off of a conference tournament championship—headaches.

Unfortunately for the Bison and its faithful, that is as far as a homer can go as far as putting forth an analytic argument assessing Bucknell's chances of advancing.

But the NCAA Tournament has never been decided by analytic arguments. Upsets happen when talented yet limited teams like Connecticut fold under the pressure of expectations, fatigue built over weeks and months of stellar competition, and a dwindling clock that acts as a catalyst for the underdog's confidence when the game remains close.

If Bucknell upsets the Connecticut Huskies on Thursday night in Washington, D.C., I expect my alma mater to throw me a bone for providing them with the opening moments of the inspirational video chronicling the team's journey to the Round of 32 and beyond (I know I'm pushing it, but what's a team without dreams?).

Can't you just hear the crescendo of the music in the background as Kemba Walker looks around in slow motion, unaware even of Bucknell's nickname?

Lafeyette has already pulled off a pair of upsets to become the lowest seed to ever make the Patriot League Championship Game. With a win, the Leopards would be able to set one more record.

To get to this point, the Leopards won a pair of road games against No. 3 seed Holy Cross and No. 2 seed American. The win over American was won in true Cinderella fashion, with the Leopards winning on a three-pointer with a half-second remaining in double overtime.

They look to go to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000.

For Bucknell, it has not been the easiest road to the championship game. Although the Bison took care of Army easily in the quarterfinals, they were taken down to the wire by Lehigh, winning 66-64.

Bucknell has not been to the NCAA Tournament since 2006, when the Bison advanced to the round of 32.

In the regular season, Lafayette took Bucknell into overtime when the Leopards hosted. When Bucknell had the home court, the Bison won 75-56. Regardless of the scoring margins, Bucknell swept Lafayette in the 2010-11 season.

Here is a preview for Friday's championship game, breaking down what each team has to do in order to win.

Keys for Lafayette

Defensive focus on the perimeter

Bucknell is the best three-point shooting team in the Patriot League at 45 percent. To the Bison's advantage, Lafayette's opponents shoot 44.7 percent from beyond the arc, ranking second to last in the Patriot League.

If Lafayette does not defend the three-point shot better than its average, it could be a field day for Bucknell.

Share the basketball

For Lafayette, this means two things.

First off, the Leopards average 15 assists per game, a Patriot League best. In their double overtime win over American earlier this week, the Leopards had 16 assists.

Second, Lafayette needs to get multiple players scoring. The Leopards thrive off of having multiple players who can score. They have three players averaging in double digits and four more players averaging five or more points per game.

Make your free throws. 

Lafayette is the second best free throw shooting team in the Patriot League.

In a championship game, free throws always become crucial, especially when you are on the road visiting a superior team. Taking advantage of free throw opportunities will be huge for Lafayette if the Leopards are going to pull off the upset.

Keys for Bucknell

Work it in to Muscala

Mike Muscala is the main part of the Bucknell team. The sophomore can use his size to his advantage against Lafayette, which is not strong in the defensive post. Muscala is coming off a strong performance against Lehigh, and the Bison should look to establish his presence early against the Leopards.

Control the glass

Lafayette is not a great rebounding team, but when the Leopards win the rebounding battle, they tend to play much better and have better results. When Bucknell blew out Lafayette in the first meeting between the two squads, the Bison outrebounded the Leopards 36-22.

If the Bison are not strong on the glass, it will just be a gift to Lafayette that would increase their chances of winning.

Make your free throws

Just as free throws will be huge for Lafayette, they will be huge for Bucknell.

If things play out as expected, Bucknell will most likely have a comfortable but small lead in the second half. If the Bison can make their free throws down the stretch, they should be able to come out as winners in the end.

Players to watch for

For Lafayette, look for Jared Mintz.

Mintz is a 6'9" senior who leads the Leopards in scoring with 15.8 PPG. The big man is a consistent scorer and has reached double digits in all but two games this year. Through the first two games of the Patriot League tournament, Mintz is averaging 15.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG.

Mike Muscala is undoubtedly the player to watch for on Bucknell.

Muscala may be a little goofy looking, but the 6'11" sophomore knows how to play basketball. This season, he is averaging 14.8 PPG and 7.5 RPG. In the quarterfinals he had 11 points and seven rebounds, and in the semifinals he posted a double-double against Lehigh with 17 points and 10 rebounds.

In Sum

Lafayette is a solid team, and it is always hard to root against an underdog. However, Bucknell is simply too good this year for any basically any team in the Patriot League to touch. The Bison are a step above the rest of the conference, and they will not be stopped in the championship game.

On a neutral site, Lafayette would stand a better chance in this game. However, this game is hosted by Bucknell, and the Bison have only lost once at home in the 2010-11 season. That loss came to Wagner back in November, and the Bison have won 12 straight home games since then.

My final pick: Bucknell 69, Lafayette 61

Tip-Off: Friday, Mar. 11, 4:45 PM EST on ESPN2 

Follow Jesse Kramer on Twitter @Jesse_Kramer for more college basketball news and information.   

Dates: March 2, 6 and 11

Bracket: Patriot League

Sites: First round action will take place on the campuses of the top four seeds. Semi-final games will be hosted by the two highest remaining seeds on each side of the bracket, with the championship hosted by the highest remaining seed.

Television: The quarter-final matchup between American and Colgate will be televised on the CBS College Sports network. Both semi-finals will be aired on CBS-CS while the championship game will be shown on ESPN2

Tourney Fact: Lehigh is the defending tournament champion. 

Favorites: The only loss Bucknell (22-8, 13-1) suffered during conference play was at last place Army. The Bison should get to host throughout the tournament and thus be tough to beat. Look for Mike Muscala to lead Bucknell back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006 when they knocked off Arkansas in the first round.

Best of the Rest: American (21-8, 11-3) finished second in the Patriot League. The Eagles went 7-1 at home and should have a great chance to get to the championship game.

Sleeper: Holy Cross (8-20, 7-7) have rebounded from a miserable start to the season to win four of their last six games. The Crusaders have played Bucknell close in there two meetings, losing 74-72 on the road and 60-56 at home.

Also, check out other conference tournament breakdowns: Big South Conference, Horizon League, Atlantic Sun, and Ohio Valley Conference