Raiders Host Bison with NCAA Tournament Berth on the Line Wednesday

HAMILTON – Colgate and Bucknell square off in the Patriot League Tournament Championship for the second straight year Wednesday night at Cotterell Court. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.  

The top-seeded Raiders bring the Patriot League showdown to Hamilton for the first time since 1996. The winner earns the Patriot League’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament with its destination determined during Selection Sunday on March 17.

Individual adult tickets are $25. Game tickets for senior citizens ages 65 and up are $10. Tickets for children ages 2-17 are $10.

Colgate students can purchase tickets for $10.

Fans can purchase tickets by visiting the Reid Athletic Center during regular business hours or by contacting Colgate ticket sales manager David Riggs via phone at (315) 228-4062. 

MARCHING ON

Rapolas Ivanauskas led four in double figures with 22 points in Colgate’s 80-70 victory over Navy in the Patriot League Semifinals on Sunday at Cotterell Court.

Colgate matched its longest win streak in history with its 10th consecutive victory. The last time a Raider team won 10 games was 1929, and they have never won 11 in a row.

The Raiders’ lead reached double digits for most of the second half, but a late Navy run made it a two-point game 61-59 with just over five minutes left. Colgate maintained its narrow lead and went 6-for-6 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the victory.

LET THE MADNESS BEGIN

Colgate and Bucknell split the regular season series, with each team winning at home. The Raiders won the more recent matchup 75-64 on Feb. 19 in front of a raucous Cotterell crowd that was only the beginning of what has turned into one of the greatest runs in Colgate men’s basketball history.

Bucknell won the early matchup in Lewisburg 84-81 despite 28 points from Jordan Burns and 20 from Rapolas Ivanauskas in a back-and-forth matchup at Sojka Pavilion. 

The Raiders are 2-4 against Bucknell in the Patriot League Tournament. Colgate is looking for its first win over the Bison in the tournament since 2008, when the Raiders came out on top 54-40 in the league semifinals.

HOT IN HAMILTON

Colgate broke the school record for most home victories in a season with its semifinal win over Navy. The Raiders are 14-1 at Cotterell Court and have won 16 of their last 17 dating back to last year. 

HOW TO TUNE IN

Wednesday’s Patriot League Championship is nationally televised on CBS Sports Network. To find the channel in your area, click here. Please note you may have to subscribe.

The game will be broadcasted nationally on Westwood One, which can be found on several radio stations across the country. Fans can also catch the game on Colgate Radio on WKXZ – FM 93.9.