Men’s Basketball: Patriot League Power Rankings — Week 2

By: Ethan Fuller and Hannah Yoshinaga

Featured image courtesy of Justin Wolford via Colgate Athletics

Last weekend’s slate of games pitted several teams against one another who were relatively close in the standings, making it much clearer which teams in the conference look like contenders and which ones do not.

While Navy, Lafayette and Colgate solidified their spots at the top, BU and Bucknell were left searching for answers after being swept. As a result, the Terriers and Bison were the biggest fallers in the rankings and are looking in on the top tier of teams from the outside.

On the other hand, American and Loyola Maryland have yet to play a game since March, calling into question how sharp they’ll be when they’re finally able to take the court.

For this week’s edition of the power rankings, WTBU’s Ethan Fuller and Hannah Yoshinaga ask their biggest questions about each Patriot League team following the first few weeks of conference play.

1. Colgate University (3-1 PL)

Previous ranking: 1

Biggest question: Who’s stopping this team?

The Raiders are just one two-point loss away from being undefeated. They avenged last season’s loss to BU in the Patriot League Championship game with a 2-0 sweep of the Terriers at Case Gym this weekend, including a 44-point blowout on Sunday. Colgate couldn’t have asked for a much better way to kick off the year. 

Jordan Burns looks like one of the best players in the conference so far, and Jack Ferguson has burned opposing defenses coming off the bench. The Raiders don’t look like they’re struggling to replace the frontcourt players who graduated last year either, as they’ve gotten decent production from sophomore forward Keegan Records and rookies Sam Thomson and Jeff Woodward.

The Raiders have only two more games against teams who finished above .500 last season, giving them perhaps the easiest path to the top seed in the conference. — Hannah Yoshinaga 

This week: January 16 vs. Holy Cross, January 17 vs. Holy Cross     

2. Navy (7-1, 4-0 PL)

https://twitter.com/NavyBasketball/status/1348388106022629376

Previous ranking: 3

Biggest question: Does Navy have enough offensive support for Cam Davis?

If Jordan Burns didn’t exist, Navy’s senior star would be Player of the Year frontrunner. Davis is currently averaging 17.8 points per game in league play and carries the biggest scoring burden of anyone in the conference. He has willed the Midshipmen through some slumps en route to an undefeated 4-0 record. In order for Navy to be considered a true player for the title, Davis cannot do it all.

John Carter Jr. had back-to-back 18-point outings in last weekend’s wins over Lehigh. So far, he’s the only other player averaging double-digit points. But Navy has gotten solid contributions from Richard Njoku, Jaylen Walker and others. Defense is a given for head coach Ed DeChellis and company. But unlike seasons past. it seems like Davis won’t have to lug the Navy offense around on his shoulders. — Ethan Fuller

This week: January 16 at American, January 17 vs. American

3. Lafayette College (3-1 PL)

Previous ranking: 4

Biggest question: Can any team stop Justin Jaworski and E.J. Stephens at once?

Stephens came up big off the bench for the Leopards yet again, dropping 18 points on Saturday and 31 points on Sunday. While Jaworski didn’t have quite the high-octane series he did in the team’s first two games, he still put up 26 points across both games against Bucknell.

The two-headed monster of Stephens and Jaworski is a big problem for any defense in the league, and it’s proving impossible to slow both of them down at the same time. Even if another team does figure out a way to limit them somehow, Neal Quinn, Leo O’Boyle and Tyrone Perry have shown they are capable of picking up the slack. Expect this team to make a run toward the top of the Patriot League standings. — Hannah Yoshinaga 

This week: January 16 vs. Loyola MD, January 17 at Loyola MD

4. Boston University (1-3 PL)

Previous ranking: 2

Biggest question: Who are your go-to playmakers not named Javante McCoy?

I can promise you the Terriers will not go 1-for-29 from long range again this season. They are dead last in three-point shooting (22.2 percent) through four contests, and that number is certain to go up. But BU was exposed in both losses to Colgate; if Javante McCoy is hurt or on the bench, who is pressuring the opposition? McCoy was banged up and did not play in last Sunday’s 89-45 blowout defeat. Without his creation ability, and with a frigid slump from beyond the arc, BU was helpless as Colgate walled off the interior.

The Terriers have other options. Daman Tate is a three-level scorer and athlete who is still finding a rhythm as a redshirt freshman. Ethan Brittain-Watts has experience as a lead ball-handler. Jonas Harper has taken on a larger role in limited time this season. BU has seen plenty of flashes of secondary playmaking, but nothing consistent, so perhaps the bumps even out with more games. — Ethan Fuller

This week: January 16 vs. Army, January 17 vs. Army  

5. American University

Previous ranking: 6

Biggest question: How will American look after not playing an NCAA game in almost a year?

Due to a positive test within American’s program, we won’t get a look at the Eagles until this weekend at the very earliest. While American looks like it could be one of the stronger teams in the conference, it has been over 300 days since the team last played an actual collegiate basketball game.

Anticipation must be building in the locker room, but will it translate into on-court success? Only time will tell. — Hannah Yoshinaga 

This week: January 16 vs. Navy, January 17 at Navy 

6. Loyola University Maryland

http://twitter.com/LoyolaHounds/status/1344716982957056002?s=20

Previous ranking: 7

Biggest question: Will Santi Aldama live up to the hype?

Loyola Maryland still has not played a game this season, leaving viewers and scouts twiddling their thumbs for Santi Aldama’s sophomore season. He should get a tasty matchup against a Lafayette squad that loves to enter shootouts. There’s not much to add for the Greyhounds, who are still the most mysterious team in the Patriot League with the stretch big man leading the squad. Fingers crossed that we get to see him this weekend.

— Ethan Fuller

This week: January 16 at Lafayette, January 17 vs. Lafayette

7. Bucknell University (0-4 PL)

Previous ranking: 5

Biggest question: Who can you trust on offense?

The once-mighty Bison have entered 2021 with a whimper after dropping each game against Navy and Lafayette. They eclipsed 70 points for the first time in an 87-76 loss to the Leopards last Sunday. Bucknell is currently the lowest-scoring offense in the Patriot League at just 66.2 points per game, and unfortunately, I’m not sure how much better it gets.

De-facto scoring leader John Meeks has yet to play due to injuries. Andrew Funk and Walter Ellis are all over the map from a production standpoint. Freshmen Andre Screen and Deuce Turner continue to scale the expected rookie wall. Xander Rice has a nice 23-point effort — maybe he adds something? The Bison’s current 36.6 percent shooting clip is not sustainable (in a good way), but until we see Meeks return, the ceiling looks pretty low. — Ethan Fuller

This week: January 16 at Lehigh, January 17 vs. Lehigh

8. Lehigh University (1-3 PL)

Previous ranking: 9

Biggest question: What’s up with Jeameril Wilson?

As expected, the Mountain Hawks were challenged by a stingy Navy defense and could not conjure up a win last weekend. They’re a SportsCenter buzzer-beater from being 0-4, despite having some nice breakout players in Nic Lynch and Marques Wilson.

But it’s Jeameril Wilson who has underwhelmed in 2021. The junior forward was poised for a leap after a nice sophomore season, but he’s currently averaging just 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. More surprisingly, Wilson has taken just sixteen shots this season — sixth-most on the roster. It’s not like he’s cold; Wilson had made 62.5 percent of his looks. This is just a perplexing start for a guy who averaged double figures in 2019-20. — Ethan Fuller

This week: January 16 vs. Bucknell, January 17 at Bucknell

9. Army (6-3, 2-2 PL)

Previous ranking: 10

Biggest question: Can Army click on offense consistently?

Despite being one of two Patriot League teams able to begin their seasons in November, the Black Knights still haven’t shown much consistency on the offensive end. While they looked strong in an 83-68 win over Holy Cross on Saturday, they wilted in game two and lost by nine points after shooting only 26.1% from deep.

Alex King averaged 20 points against the Crusaders, but looked shaky in his previous two conference games. Josh Caldwell has also been up and down, and rookie Jalen Rucker looks like he’s still growing into his role in the starting lineup. Lonnie Grayson leads the team in scoring, but is averaging only 12.6 points.

The Black Knights showed improvement on defense after giving up 101 points to Colgate on opening day, but it won’t matter if they can’t reliably score the ball. — Hannah Yoshinaga 

This week: January 16 at BU, January 17 at BU  

10. College of the Holy Cross (2-2 PL)

Previous ranking: 8

Biggest question: Will the Crusaders’ young players become more reliable?

Holy Cross’ rookies are in a tough spot compared to many other freshmen in the league because they’re expected to play like seasoned contributors in a relatively thin Crusader lineup. Unfortunately for Head Coach Brett Nelson, they haven’t hit their stride yet and had a poor showing against a weak Army defense.

The four rookies who got playing time against the Black Knights (Judson Martindale, R.J. Johnson, Bo Montgomery and Dajion Humphrey) went 11-of-36 from the field. Things were looking particularly rough for Martindale, who made only one of 10 shot attempts all weekend and has generally struggled in the starting lineup.

Growing pains are inevitable as rookies get used to the college game, but Holy Cross’ potential will be relatively limited if they can’t get any reliable production outside of Austin Butler, Gerrale Gates and Matt Faw. — Hannah Yoshinaga 

This week: January 16 at Colgate, January 17 at Colgate

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