HAMILTON – High expectations often lead to even greater opportunities, and that's exactly what the Colgate men's basketball team has ahead of the 2019-20 season, which is set to open on Wednesday when the Raiders welcome NJIT to Cotterell Court for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
Colgate for all the right reasons comes in as heavy favorites to repeat as Patriot League champions. The Raiders rewrote the record book last season and returns their top five leading scorers from a team that set records in total wins (24) and conference wins (13) while going 15-1 at Cotterell Court.
The Raiders orchestrated an incredible run down the stretch of last season, winning their last eight regular-season games to skyrocket into first place. Colgate earned the No. 1 seed and put a stamp on its school-record 11-game winning streak with a 94-80 thrashing of two-time defending champion Bucknell in the Patriot League title game.
Making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1996, Colgate nearly stole the show as the Cinderella in Columbus, Ohio, by taking Tennessee to the limit, 77-70. The Raiders led 52-50 in the second half and issued more than a scare to the SEC regular-season champs.
But with all of that in hindsight, Colgate under two-time defending Patriot League Coach of the Year Matt Langel looks ahead to the challenges that await in 2019-20.
"The focus for this year, like all years is on the challenges and opportunities at hand," said Langel. "One of the special things in college athletics is that every season is its own journey. Our student-athletes and staff are excited for what lies ahead and have been working with a renewed focus and energy on maximizing all that we can be."
Returning Core
Jordan Burns and Rapolas Ivanauskas headline the returning group and both landed on the Patriot League Preseason All-League Team. Burns scored in double figures in 22 games, including a career-high and league-record 35-point burst in the Patriot League championship against Bucknell. He shattered the school record for assists in a season with 171 and dished out nearly six per game as a sophomore.
Ivanauskas was named the top transfer in Division I Men's Basketball last year by College Insider and earned AP All-American honorable mention. He averaged 16 points and eight rebounds with 10 double-doubles on his way to becoming Colgate's first Patriot League Player of the Year since future NBA first-round selection Adonal Foyle in 1997.
Will Rayman has been a mainstay in the Raider lineup, following up Rookie of the Year honors in 2016 with back-to-back All-League seasons. Heading into his senior campaign, Rayman sits ninth in career points (1,406) and is fifth all-time in 3-pointers made (197).
Tucker Richardson was a spark plug for the Raiders, starting all but three games as a freshman en route to earning the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. He proved to be a versatile threat in the backcourt and under the basket, averaging over eight points and four rebounds. He also paced the team in steals (44) and set the freshmen single-season assists record (132).
"Like any coach would be, I am happy to return a group of talented guys who achieved so much last season," Langel said. "Our staff is equally as excited with how hard the same guys have worked to improve as players. The experience and talent of the group certainly drives our internal expectations and motivation to do everything we can to achieve our potential"
Reliable Reserves
Jack Ferguson played in every game last season, averaging seven points and 17 minutes per game off the bench as a sophomore. He enters this season with a 3-pointer in 15 straight games dating back to last year and netted two big treys in the NCAA Tournament that helped the Raiders pull ahead of Tennessee in the second half.
Nelly Cummings looks to make an immediate impact in 2019-20 after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. Cummings came to Colgate from Bowling Green, where he saw action in 30 games and tallied 109 points, 34 rebounds, and 29 assists as a freshman in 2017-18.
Sophomore Zach Light saw action in 15 games as a freshman and registered a season-high nine points in Colgate's win over Army (Jan. 30). Colgate will also have the services of junior David Maynard and senior Milan Williams, who both missed last season with injuries.
Fresh Faces
6-10 freshmen Keegan Records and Malcolm Bailey will look to fill the void left at center. Exiting seniors Dana Batt and Malcolm Regisford both occupied the frontcourt, with one of them starting every game over the course of their four years with the Raiders. Junior college transfer Blake Henry also looks to add to the mix in 2019-20.
The Raiders added Ryan Moffatt and Pearson Parker to the backcourt, while junior guard Oliver Lynch-Daniels will sit out this season after transferring from Houston Baptist.
"When a team returns as much statistical production as ours, that understandably gets most of the preseason attention," Langel said. "Our staff has been incredibly pleased this pre-season, however, with the depth of the team. It would be of no surprise if a number of new faces or names fans haven't heard about step up into impactful roles this season."
Coming Soon
The season begins on Wednesday, Nov. 6, when the Raiders host NJIT at 7 p.m. Prior to opening tip-off, Langel and the Colgate men's basketball staff will lower the championship banners from the rafters in honor of last year's historic season.
