The top two seeds in the Patriot League have steamrolled through the competition in the Patriot League Conference Tournament and will meet in the championship game on Wednesday.
No. 1 Bucknell (27-5 SU) topped Navy 58-42 and Army 78-70 to get to this point while No. 2 Lafayette (19-14 SU) beat Holy Cross 77-54 and Lehigh 82-69.
Bucknell is 8-1 SU in its last nine games against Lafayette, but that one loss came in their most recent meeting when Lafayette edged out a 63-62 win at home. Bucknell is a 10.5-point favorite in the Patriot League Tournament Championship Game at Sportsbook.
The Patriot Tournament battle is part of the annual season-ending league tournament. The Sportsbook gets an automatic berth in the Madness, while all teams are trying to prove they deserve a spot.
The Bison sport records of 27-5 and 2-3 ATS heading into this battle, while the Leopards have 19-14 and 3-0 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 2-3 for the Bison and 1-1-1 for the Leopards.
View Lafayette vs Bucknell Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
If you were backing the visitors in this one, the Leopards were listed as 9-point underdogs earlier in the day at Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Bison sit at No. 48 in the current college hoops power poll here at Odds Shark, while the Leopards sit at No. 303 on the same chart. The computers running our scores simulations have concluded that the Bison will win this game 76-66.
How They Match Up:
The game also pits Bucknell's No. 177-ranked offense, averaging 67.4 PPG, against a Leopards defense that ranks No. 242 at 69.2 PPG. The Bison field goal percentage has averaged 45.7% so far, less than the Leopards marksmen have achieved on the year, 45.9% per game.
Defensively, Lafayette features the nation's No. 265-rated defense on the road, allowing 73.2 points per game. Bucknell, meanwhile, comes in at No. 218 nationally in scoring at home.
Lafayette was an 82-69 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Lehigh. They covered the 1-point spread as favorites. The Leopards got 24 points from Tony Johnson as Lafayette ran past Lehigh 82-69 on Saturday at Kirby Center.
In their last action, Bucknell was a 78-70 Sportsbook at home against Army. They failed to cover the 12-point spread as favorites. Mike Muscala scored 21 points and added 14 rebounds for a double-double, leading Bucknell over Army, 78-70, on Saturday at Sojka Pavilion.
