Patriot League Tournament bracket: Bucknell has a tough road ahead for a repeat

We’re seeing deja vu in the Patriot League. Our 2018 regular season champions, the Bucknell Bison (16-2), are back as the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. They return four of their highest scorers from last year in Zach Thomas, Nana Foulland, Stephen Brown, and Kimbal Mackenzie. More than just the stats, these guys have a nice dynamic with Thomas and Foulland down low.

Thomas is clearly among the elite in the Patriot League, filling the scoreboard with 21.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He’s drastically improved from last year, getting to the line almost twice as often and is fifth in fouls drawn per 40 mins. Bucknell’s two losses this year come at the hands of Boston University and Lehigh. BU may not have the depth to beat Bucknell again, but Lehigh and the Raiders of Colgate are contenders. Will Rayman is the future of the Patriot League and Lehigh has its own sharpshooters as well, putting them seventh nationally in three-pointers made.

Bracket:

Teams seeded 8-10 will play in the opening round with the winners moving on to the quarterfinals to face the top two seeds.

How to watch:

(all times Eastern)

First Round, Feb. 27:

9. Army at 8. Loyola-Maryland, 7 p.m., Patriot League Network
10. American at 7. Lafayette, 7 p.m., Patriot League Network

Quarterfinals, March 1:

Army/Loyola at 1. Bucknell, 7 p.m., Patriot League Network
5. Boston University at 4. Lehigh, 7 p.m., Patriot League Network
American/Lafayette at 2. Colgate, 7 p.m., Patriot League Network
6. Holy Cross at 3. Navy, 7 p.m., Patriot League Network

Semifinals, March 4:

Semifinal games at Noon and 2 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network

Championship, March 7

CBS will air the championship game at 7:30 p.m.