Conference tournament tends to go as planned
You want upsets? You want Madness? You want Cinderella?
Forget the Patriot League.
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In the conference’s 20 years, No.?1 seeds have won the tournament 17 times. No. 2s have captured the other three. No seed lower than a No. 3 has ever reached the championship game. In the semifinals, No. 1 seeds are 20-0, while No. 4 seeds are 0-15.
History suggests it’s safe to fill in your bracket for the March 11 championship game — No. 2 American (21-8) at No. 1 Bucknell (22-8) — especially this season, when they were the lone teams with winning records in league play.
| UP NEXT |
| No. 5 Navy at No. 4 Lehigh |
| When » Wednesday, 7 p.m. |
| Where » Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Radio » 1430 AM |
| Two-time all-conference choice C.J. McCollum leads Lehigh (15-14). The 6-foot-3 sophomore led the Patriot League in scoring (21.8 ppg) and was third in rebounds (7.9 rpg). He had a combined 43 points and 20 boards in the Mountain Hawks’ two wins over the Midshipmen (11-19). The winner plays No. 1 Bucknell (22-8) or No. 8 Army (11-18). |
| No. 7 Colgate at No. 2 American |
| When » Wednesday, 7 p.m. |
| Where » Bender Arena |
| TV » CBS College Sports |
| American (21-8) beat Colgate (7-22) twice in the regular season, both times by nine points, as the Raiders had no answer for forwards Vlad Moldoveanu (46 points, 17 rebounds) and Stephen Lumpkins (41 points, 12 rebounds). The winner plays No. 3 Holy Cross (8-20) or No. 6 Lafayette (11-18). |
Will it be that simple? Navy hopes not.
After nine straight losses in the opening round of the tournament, including four in overtime, the No. 5 Midshipmen (11-19) hope karma finally is on their side Wednesday night at No. 4 Lehigh (15-14).
Navy’s history in the tournament is rife with misfortune. Consider what its seniors have been through: Last year, the Mids lost to American 62-60. In 2009, Navy was seeded No. 3, but lost to No. 6 Colgate in overtime, missing three shots in the final 52 seconds of regulation. In 2008, the Mids, seeded No. 2 and again playing at home, lost to No. 7 Bucknell 87-86 on a 40-foot heave at the buzzer of the third overtime.
“A lot of those losses, for a lot of the guys in this program, have been heartbreaking — controversial calls, half-court shots, missed lay-ups, missed free throws,” Navy coach Billy Lange said. “To be honest, things that could have broken our spirit have strengthened our resolve and given us great hope and focus.”
Lehigh swept Navy in the regular season. But since an 87-72 loss to the Mountain Hawks on Feb. 9, the Mids have won three of five as seniors Mark Veazey, a 6-foot-11 center, and Romeo Garcia, a 6-foot-4 defensive stopper, have provided toughness. During the run, Navy has given up 61.2 points a game after surrendering at least 70 in nine of its previous 10.
Navy knows how to beat Lehigh. Last year, when the Mountain Hawks won the regular season and tournament titles, they lost twice to the Mids.
“I’ve never felt better about any team that I’ve been coaching at this time of the year than I do about this group,” said Lange, who is in his seventh season. “It’s been quite a rewarding season, an incredible team to be around — their persistence, the leadership of our seniors, the development of our young guys. We’re excited to get another opportunity to play.”
