The Bucknell Bison will make the trip to DC to face the American Eagles in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament from the Bender Arena on ESPN+. Bucknell leads the all-time series, 41-23, after winning the last three meetings.
Bucknell finished the regular season at 12-19 after defeating Lafayette at home. The Bison used a strong second half to pull away for a ten-point win, 75-65. kept things close early, but the Raiders would pull away after the break and hand them a 20-point loss. Bucknell scores 67.8 points per game, while allowing 68.6 ppg, and shooting 45.5% from the field.
Bucknell finished in the cellar of the conference, but they won four of their last eight games, with two of those victories coming from American. The Bison are 3-11 in postseason play with a 5-7 home record. Xander Rice scored 23 points in the road win over the Eagles, and leads the Bison in scoring (14.0). Senior center Adam Timmerman has double-doubled in each of the last three games, and he leads the team in rebounding (7.2), while scoring 11.5 ppg. Junior center Andre Screen lines up alongside him, and he’s averaging 11.3 ppg and 5.8 rpg.
American closed the regular season at 15-14 after losing to Loyola (MD) in Baltimore. The Eagles battled with the Greyhounds into overtime, but they ended up losing by six points, 83-77. American scores 65.6 points per game, while allowing 66.1 ppg, and shooting 48.6% from the floor.
American dropped seven of their final eight games, and they’ll look to avoid a third loss to Bucknell this month. The Eagles are 7-11 in Patriot League play, with a 7-6 home record. American plays through the frontcourt of Matt Rogers and Johnny O’Neil. Rogers has scored 20 or more in three of the last four games, leads the team in scoring (13.7), while grabbing 5.9 rpg. O’Neil double-doubled in the first meeting with Bucknell, and he’s averaging 10.8 ppg and a team-lead 6.4 rpg.
American is 12-15 against the spread this season, with a 12-15 over/under record. Bucknell is 11-16-1 ATS this year, with a 13-15 o/u record.
Why can’t Bucknell pull this off for a third time this month? The Bison have a distinctive size advantage that’s helped them compete and win games down the stretch, and Xander Rice has complimented them well from the backcourt. American has struggled a lot in February, and they look vulnerable enough to target Tuesday evening. Spot Bucknell the points for the first round of the Patriot League Championship.
AUTHOR: Corey Ghee
Mitch's Take...
