Click Here for a VIDEO Preview of Friday's Championship Game
March 12, 2008
Center Valley, Pa. - The 18th Patriot League Men's Basketball Championship, and an automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Tournament, is on the line when No. 3 seed Colgate travels to No. 1 seed American in the Patriot League Championship contest on Friday at 4:45 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.
Both teams are making their fourth Championship game appearance, with the Eagles in search of their first title and Colgate looking for its third League Championship. The teams took similar paths in the first two rounds of the 2008 Patriot League Tournament, winning a hard-fought and close quarterfinal contest before pulling away late for a semifinal win. The Eagles knocked off No. 8 seed Holy Cross, 62-60, in the quarterfinals on March 5 on a Brian Gilmore basket with 18 seconds to play. They used a late 11-3 run to pull away for a 72-60 win over No. 5 Army in the semifinals on Sunday. Colgate had to hold off a pair of comeback attempts, leading No. 6 Lafayette by 17 in the quarterfinals on March 5 before winning, 76-74, and seeing another 17-point lead fall to four before closing with a 14-4 run in the 54-40 semifinal win over No. 7 Bucknell on Sunday.
American earned a sweep of the season series with Colgate, and has won the last seven meetings against the Raiders overall. The Eagles posted a 65-57 victory at home in the first matchup on Jan. 19, and came back from a nine-point halftime deficit with a 43-26 second-half edge to claim a 68-60 win at Colgate on Feb.17.
The Eagles have won both of the all-time meetings in the Patriot League Tournament against the Raiders. They beat Colgate, 65-55, in the semfinals in 2004, and claimed a 59-44 home victory over the Raiders in last year's quarterfinals. The teams are meeting for the first time in the Patriot League Championship game.
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American holds a 14-3 advantage in the all-time series, with a 14-2 record against the Raiders as a Patriot League member and an 8-0 record in matchups at home.
American earned its sixth consecutive home victory, and ninth in its last 10 contests overall, with a 72-60 triumph over No. 5 seed Army in the semifinal round on Sunday. The Eagles, who are playing as the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2002, enter the Championship tilt with an overall mark of 20-11 after finishing 10-4 in League action. They rank in the NCAA top 50 in scoring defense and free throw percentage, and are all the way up to fourth in the nation with a 41.4 three-point field goal percentage after connecting on 18-of-35 shots from long range in the first two rounds of the Patriot League Tournament. First-Team All-League representative junior guard Garrison Carr is 11th in the nation with a 45.5 three-point percentage, and also has a League record 126 threes on the season after going 9-for-15 in the first two rounds. Second-Team All-Patriot League junior guard Derrick Mercer averages 12.6 points and 4.1 assists per game. The Eagles are 11-6 in Patriot League Tournament history, with every game coming under eighth-year Head Coach Jeff Jones. Jones has the Eagles in the Patriot League Championship game for the fourth time in his tenure, and looks to lead the school to its first-ever title and NCAA berth after losing the contest in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
No. 3 seed Colgate has won six consecutive games after knocking off Bucknell, 54-40, in the semifinal round on Sunday. The Raiders are now up to 18-13 overall, and finished 7-7 in the League. They have not dropped a game since losing at home to American on Feb. 17. The Raiders are led by Second-Team All-League junior guard Kyle Roemer, who averages 16.2 points per game for the year and has scored 57 points through the first two rounds of the Patriot League Tournament. Senior forward Kendall Chones tallies 11.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest. The Raiders place second in the League by connecting on 44.3 percent of their shots from the field, and are third in field goal percentage defense. Head Coach Emmett Davis is in his 10th season at the helm, and has a 5-9 record in Patriot League Tournament games. He is coaching in his first Patriot League Championship contest.
For more information on the game, read the Patriot League Men's Basketball Championship Release 
Patriot League Championship Notebook
ESPN2, SIRIUS Coverage for Patriot LEague Championship
Colgate and American's clash for the Patriot League Men's Basketball Championship can be seen and heard by a nationwide audience on Friday afternoon. The game tips off at 4:45 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN2, with Dave O'Brien and Bob Valvano on the call. The ESPN2 coverage will also be available on ESPN360. The contest can be heard on SIRIUS channel 127, with Frank Santore calling the action. The Patriot League Championship is the 10th League game on the ESPN family of networks this season, and the second contest shown on ESPN2.
A Fourth Appearance
American and Colgate are both playing in their fourth Patriot League Championship game, with each making three consecutive appearances before. They join Holy Cross, Bucknell and Navy as programs that have made at least four title games. The Raiders made the League Championship from 1994-96, taking home titles in the latter two years. American made it to the title contest in its first three seasons in the League from 2002-04, but has never taken home a Patriot League title. The Eagles are trying to become the eighth Patriot League program and
seventh active member, to claim a title. Colgate is trying to join Navy with three all-time titles, and trail only Holy Cross (five) for most in League annals.
Lucky Seven
Seven will be the goal for both American and Colgate, as the winner will extend a streak to that length. The Raiders have won their last six games overall, and have not lost since falling to American on Feb. 17. The Eagles have a six-game home winning streak that started after a Jan. 30 loss to Navy.
No. 1 Streak Stays Alive
American maintained the streak of the No. 1 seed making it to the Patriot League Championship game. Every No. 1 seed has advanced to the title contest in the 18-year history of the League, with 13 of the previous 17 winning the title.
Raiders Trying to Make History
Colgate is trying to become the first team seeded lower than No. 2 to win the Patriot League Championship. No team seeded lower than the No. 3 that the Raiders hold has ever even made the title contest. The Raiders are the sixth No. 3 seed to advance to the title game, and first since 1999.
No. 1 vs. No. 3
Colgate and American play in the sixth all-time matchup of No. 1 against No. 3 in the Patriot League Championship game, with the No. 1 seed holding a 5-0 mark in the contests to date. Four of the five contests have been decided by five points or less. All of Colgate's title contests have been 1 versus 3 matchups, with the Raiders losing as the No. 3 seed in 1994 and winning as the No. 1 in 1995 and 1996.
Sharp Shooting
American and Colgate have excelled in part because of their strong shooting this year. The teams rank 1-2 in field goal percentage in the Patriot League, with the Eagles at .447 from the floor and the Raiders coming in at .443. American also leads the League with a .414 clip from three-point range, while Colgate is third with a .380 percentage. The Eagles are second in the League from the line.
Shattering the Record Book
American junior guard Garrison Carr has posted the best season in Patriot League history from three-point range. Carr has made a record 126 three-pointers on the season, shattering the old mark of 99 and cracking the NCAA single-season top 25. He leads the Patriot League and ranks in the top 20 nationally in three-pointers made per game, three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
Tournament Tear
Colgate junior guard Kyle Roemer has been unmatched through the first two rounds of the Patriot League Tournament. Roemer is averaging 28.5 points per game while shooting .656 from the field in Colgate's two victories. He tallied a career-high 32 points on 11-of-16 from the floor in the quarterfinal win over Lafayette, and scored 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting in Sunday's semifinal victory against Bucknell. He is 19 points shy of the record for points in a Tournament.
Home-Court Advantage
Playing at home has not been a huge advantage in Patriot League games this season, with the home squads holding a 35-27 edge to date. But American has won six consecutive home contests, and all eight at home in its history against Colgate. The Eagles also have history on their side playing at home in the League Championship. Sixteen of the 17 Patriot League Championship games have been played at the home court of one of the teams, and the home squads have a 12-4 record in the games. Home teams have a 12-2 mark since 1994, with the only losses in that span by American against Holy Cross in 2002 and Holy Cross versus Bucknell in 2005.
Close Calls, Comebacks Happening All Season
The Patriot League quarterfinal matchups were decided by 1, 2, 2 and 3 points, and three of the four winners had to rally from second-half deficits to claim the victory. Not that those type of results are anything new in the Patriot League this season. Sixty-two games have now been played, and the winner had to come back in the second half in 39 of them, with 23 of those comebacks from six or more down. Twenty-three games have also been decided by five points or less, with 43 of the 62 within 10 points.
One More Streak to Fall?
Snapping long series losing streaks has been a theme for the 2008 Patriot League season, and that continued with Colgate's win in the semifinals over Bucknell. That ended an eight-game Bison winning streak in the series, and was the 12th series streak of seven games or more to come to an end this year. Eleven of those have come against Holy Cross or Bucknell. Colgate will hope that 13 is a lucky number in the Championship, as they try to snap a seven-game slide against American on Friday.
Patriot League Championship Game
No. 3 Colgate (18-13, 7-7) at No. 1 American (20-11, 10-4), Friday, 4:45 pm (ESPN2)
Bender Arena, Washington, D.C.
Series: American, 14-3 Streak: American, Seven Wins Last Meeting: AU, 68-60 (2.17.08)
Colgate/American Tournament Notes The Eagles and Raiders are meeting for the third time in Patriot League Tournament history, and the first time in the League Championship game...American has won the previous two meetings, claiming a 65-55 victory in the semfinals in 2004 and a 59-44 home victory over the Raiders in last year's quarterfinals...In last year's quarterfinal matchup, current American senior Travis Lay recorded a career-high 13 rebounds...Both teams are playing in their fourth Patriot League Championship game...Both made three consecutive appearances before, with the Eagles losing their contests from 2002-04 and the Raiders falling in 1994 and claiming the League title in 1995 and 1996...Colgate tries to join Navy and Holy Cross as the only teams in League history with three titles or more, while American will try to become the eighth program and seventh active member to win a crown...The Eagles lost their only Championship game at home, falling to Holy Cross in 2002, while Colgate dropped its only road title contest at Navy in 1994.
Colgate The Raiders moved to the Patriot League Championship for the first time since 1996 with a 54-40 win at home over Buckell in the semifinals on Sunday...They also beat Bucknell in the semifinals that season, and moved to 2-3 all-time in Tournament play against the Bison...Colgate snapped an eight-game slide against Bucknell, which included a series sweep during the regular season...Colgate got off to a very fast start, opening up a 10-2 lead in the first seven minutes and adding to it throughout the first half....The Raiders eventually settled on a 27-10 lead at the break, holding Bucknell to 3-of-13 from the field in the first half...The Bison cut the Colgate lead to 40-36 with 3:23 left to play, but the Raiders pushed the advantage back to six on a jumper by Kyle Roemer with 1:56 left...They scored the next six points to stretch the lead to 12, and went up by as many as 16 while closing the game with a 14-4 run...Roemer scored 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting for the Raiders, and is now averaging 28.5 points per game through the first two rounds of the Tournament...The Raiders had a big edge in the turnover battle, forcing 22 Bucknell miscues while committing only eight of their own....Emmett Davis claimed the top spot in Colgate history with 138 all-time wins...Davis takes the Raiders intot the title game for the first time in his 10 seasons...He also went as an assistant with Navy in 1997 and 1998...Colgate is the sixth No. 3 seed to advance to the Patriot League Championship, and first since 1999...No seed lower than No. 3 has advanced to the title game, and none lower than No. 2 has ever won...The Raiders will try to end a seven-game slide against American, and overcome an 0-8 record in games played at Bender Arena...They also try to win their seventh game in a row overall...They lost both of this year's meetings by eight points...They are going for their first League title since 1996, and third overall...Three titles would tie Navy for second in League annals.
American The Eagles are back in the Patriot League Championship for the first time since 2004 after knocking off Army, 72-60, at home in the semifinals on Sunday...It was their third win of the season over the Black Knights, who they have never lost to at home...American has made the semifinals in all seven of its Patriot League seasons, and advances to its fourth title contest...The Eagles used a 17-2 run early in the game to claim an 18-4 lead, and stretched the advantage as high as 17 points before claiming a 32-20 lead at halftime...The Black Knights got the deficit down to 51-45 with 7:06 remaining and came as close as four points with 4:38 to play, but American answered with an 11-3 run to pull away for good... Garrison Carr led the Eagles with 23 points, converting on 5-of-10 shots from beyond the arc and all eight foul shots...Nick Hendra added 11 points and Jordan Nichols scored 10, with both players coming off the bench...The Eagles held a 34-17 edge on the glass and hit 23-of-28 foul shots and 9-of-20 three-pointers....With American's victory, the No. 1 seed has made the Patriot League Championship in each season of the League's 18-year history...The Eagles will try to become the 14th No. 1 seed to win the Patriot League Tournament on Friday...They are also in search of their first Patriot League title and first-ever NCAA Tournament berth...The Eagles dropped title contests in their first three seasons in the League in 2002, 2003 and 2004...The Eagles can become the eighth Patriot League program and seventh active member to take home the crown...They have a seven-game winning streak in matchups against Colgate on the line, and have won all eight meetings against the Raiders at Bender Arena...American has a 14-2 advantage in matchups as Patriot League members...The Eagles swept the season series, recording a pair of eight-point wins...They are going for their seventh home win in a row overall.
Click Here for a VIDEO Preview of Friday's Championship Game
