The Patriot League Championship Tournament will close down Sunday afternoon at Cotterell Court in Hamilton, New York, so here’s the best betting pick for the final clash between the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds and Colgate Raiders.
These two schools meet for the first time this term. Last season, they split a two-game series, as each team was victorious on the home court. According to PointsBet Sportsbook, the Raiders opened as 9.5-point favorites for Sunday’s clash, while the totals are set at 147.5 points.
The Greyhounds beat Navy and Army to reach the finals
The Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (6-10; 4-10 Conf.) upset the odds in each of their first two showings at the 2021 Patriot League Championship Tournament. They outlasted Navy 76-68 as 4-point underdogs in the quarterfinals and Army 67-63 as 3-point underdogs in the semis.
The Greyhounds entered the tourney as the second-worst team in their conference. They’ve dropped three of their last four games in the regular season including a couple of losses to Navy. Loyola Maryland is No. 151 in the NCAA NET Rankings and No. 209 in the KenPom rankings.
Sophomore forward Santi Aldama accounted for a career-high 33 points in the semifinal victory over the Black Knights. He’s averaging 21.8 points and 10.3 rebounds on the season, while junior guard Jaylin Andrews is adding 11.1 points and 5.0 boards a night.
The Greyhounds are scoring just 97.0 points per 100 possessions (277th in the nation) on 46.5% shooting from the field (59th) and 31.2% from downtown (294th). They are yielding 100.2 points in a return (141st) on 42.3% shooting from the field (127th) and 32.9% from beyond the arc (139th).
The Raiders routed Bucknell in the semis
The Colgate Raiders (13-1; 11-1 Conf.) are rolling on a 12-game winning streak following an emphatic 105-75 victory over the Bucknell Bison in the Patriot League semifinals. They shot 52.6% from the field and 57.9% from beyond the 3-point line, giving no chance to their rivals.
Five players scored in double digits, and sophomore forward Keegan Records led the way with 21 points and eight rebounds. Jordan Burns added 18 points and seven assists, and the senior guard is Colgate’s best player this season with averages of 17.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game.
Colgate entered the championship tournament as the No. 2 seed, searching for its second title in three years. Last season, the Raiders lost to Boston University in the final. They are No. 8 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings and No. 84 in the KenPom rankings.
The Raiders are tallying 110.5 points per 100 possessions (55th in the country). They make 49.7% of their field goals (10th) and 38.7% of their 3-pointers (13th). Colgate surrenders 99.5 points per 100 possessions (125th) on 40.4% shooting from the field (27th) and 26.4% from downtown (1st).
Loyola Maryland:
- 6-9 ATS in the last 15 games overall
Colgate:
- 5-2 ATS in the last seven games overall
The Greyhounds will try their best to execute well offensively and force the ball into the paint where Santi Aldama is a dominant force. However, the Greyhounds will have a mountain to climb against the Raiders’ dynamic backcourt, and I don’t see them slowing down Jordan Burns, Nelly Cummings (12.4 PPG, 49.2 FG%), and Tucker Richardson (11.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.1 APG).
Therefore, I’m backing the Raiders to win and cover, though 9.5 points could be too much in a high-stake clash like this one. The Greyhounds’ only hope of reaching the Big Dance is to win this tournament, while Colgate will get the ticket anyway.
Pick: Take Colgate -9.5 at -110
The Total:
Seven of Colgate’s last nine games went in the over. Also, the over is 5-1 in the Raiders’ last six showings as favorites of 9.5 or more points. Colgate loves to play at a fast pace, averaging 72.9 possessions per 40 minutes (19th in the nation), while the Greyhounds record 69.2 possessions per 40 minutes (140th).
Loyola Maryland will certainly try to slow down things, but I’m not sure they will be able to do it against the Raiders. The over is 4-2 in the Greyhounds’ previous six outings, so I would stick with the betting trends in this one.
Pick: Go over 147.5 points at -110