1. American University — American comes into the season as the reigning Patriot League champion after its 55-36 win over Boston University in the conference final on March 12, 2014. The Eagles advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history where the No. 2-seeded University of Wisconsin ousted them by a score of 75-35 on March 20. This year’s squad is returning many of the same faces, as eight of the nine top scorers from last year’s team remain except for First Team All-Patriot Leaguer and Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Tony Wroblicky. The Eagles should have enough scoring from their guards to make up for Wroblicky’s absence, as seniors Darius Gardner and John Schoof along with guard Jesse Reed all averaged double-digit point totals last season. A lack of experience at the center positions may put American in some tough spots, but the Eagles will have enough firepower to overcome those shortcomings and claim their second-straight NCAA Tournament berth.
2. Lafayette College — After a down season last year, Lafayette looks to stake their claim at the top of the Patriot League with the return of key players. With four seniors on the roster who all play a significant role out on the court, the Leopards are poised for a breakout season behind last year’s scoring-leader in forward Seth Hinrichs. Hinrichs missed 10 games last season, yet still made Third Team All-Patriot League by averaging 16.4 points per game with a 3-point field-goal percentage of .417. With a healthy Hinrichs, the Leopards are in a prime position to make a run for the Patriot League title.
3. United States Military Academy — Army will return this season with the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year in junior Kyle Wilson. Wilson averaged 18.4 points per game last year, which was good for the league lead, while shooting 3-pointers at a 43.4 percent clip. Joining Wilson is fellow junior Tanner Plomb, who averaged 10.4 points per game. To reach the top of the Patriot League, this group is going to have to rely on their core of junior scorers to power them.
4. College of the Holy Cross — Holy Cross does not look to have one dominant scorer coming into this season, but rather, points by committee. The top returning scorer would be senior Malcolm Miller with 11.0 points per game. Sophomore Anthony Thompson will be looking to improve on his stellar freshman campaign in which he averaged 9.4 points per game and also led the team with 80 assists. Holy Cross will miss top scorer Dave Dudzinski, but its wealth of extra scorers should keep them in the upper levels of the Patriot League.
5. Lehigh University — Another team that lost its top scorer, Lehigh will live on after guard Mackey McKnight as it looks to find leadership in sophomore sensation center/forward Tim Kempton. Kempton not only earned the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, but was also in the running for the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year Award with 13.0 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game. Kempton will have help in the form of junior forward Jesse Chuku, who had three double-doubles last season with an average of 8.7 points per game. On the backs of Kempton and Chuku, the Mountain Hawks should have a strong frontcourt that will be able to carry them to the middle of the Patriot League pack, if not beyond.
6. Bucknell University — Without the 2014 Patriot League Player of the Year in guard Cameron Ayers, Bucknell may struggle on the offensive half of the court if players do not step up the way they did toward the end of last season. It will be crucial that Third Team All-Patriot League selection guard Chris Hass continues his ascension and improves upon his 11.1 points per game last season. A place that may cause serious problems for the Bison is the center position, as the only two players on the roster at the position are freshman Nana Foulland and sophomore Ben Oberfield, neither of which have any serious experience. Foulland, a two time All-State selection in Pennsylvania, must step up for Bucknell to have a shot at the top of the Patriot League.
7. Colgate University — With three of its top four scorers returning this season, Colgate should not be losing too much depth, but they will be without forward Murphy Burnatowski and his 14.2 points per game. After transferring from Monmouth University and sitting out a season, guard Austin Tillotson stepped up in 2013-14 by averaging 13.3 points per game and 4.4 assists per game. With multiple capable scorers, Colgate will be in contention for a Patriot League Tournament spot and could surprise some teams with its ability to score.
8. Boston University — A year after dominating its first regular season in the Patriot League, it looks as though it will be a rebuilding year at BU. Seniors Dom Morris and D.J. Irving have graduated, while guard Maurice Watson Jr. transferred to Creighton University in April, leading to a lack of experience and scoring on the BU roster. The next top scorer for BU is junior guard John Papale, who averaged 9.3 points per game. The Terriers will be leaning on transfers Eric Fanning and Blaise Mbargorba, who both had to sit out last year, to pick up the slack. In all, there are 10 underclassmen on the squad compared to only four upperclassmen, leading one to believe that there will be a lot of bumps in the road this season.
9. United States Naval Academy — After a brutal season last year, Navy seems to have some nice pieces together that they can use to build on their experiences from last year. With three players returning that averaged at least 11 points per game, the Midshipmen can take pride in the senior leadership that this team has developed and have a chance of clawing out of the basement of the Patriot League this upcoming season.
10. Loyola University-Maryland — With none of its returning players averaging double-digit points per game, this season looks to be a rough one for Loyola. Guard Dylon Cormier was the main reason the Greyhounds won as many games as they did last season, and now that he and his 21.2 points per game are gone, there seems to be no one that can fill that scoring gap.
