HAMILTON – It's time to go dancing!
 
The 2019 Patriot League champion Colgate men's basketball team earned the No. 15 seed and takes on No. 2 seed Tennessee in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 on Friday in Columbus, Ohio. 
 
Opening tip is set for 2:45 p.m. Brian Anderson, Chris Webber, and Allie LaForce have the call on CBS. Two days later, the winner faces the winner of the No. 7 Cincinnati vs. No. 10 Iowa game. 

Colgate (24-10, 13-5 PL) is making its third overall NCAA Tournament appearance and first since going back-to-back years in 1995 and 1996. The Raiders were the No. 16 seed in their previous two trips. 
 
The Raiders have won 11 in a row, tied for the sixth-longest win streak in the nation. With two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year Matt Langel at the helm, Colgate set school records this season for most wins (24) and league victories (13). 
 
Colgate enters the NCAA Tournament as one of the top shooting teams in the land. The Raiders rank 15th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage (38.8), 26th in field goal percentage (48.0), and 16th in total assists (531).
 
Patriot League Player of the Year Rapolas Ivanauskas leads three Raiders in double figures averaging 16.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest. The junior has posted 10 double-doubles this year with 27 games in double digits and 11 games of 20 or more points.
 
Sophomore Jordan Burns averages 15.8 points per game after pouring in a career high and setting a league championship record with 35 points in the title win over Bucknell. Burns ranks 28th in the nation averaging 5.8 assists per game.
 
Colgate during its 11-game winning streak is averaging 81.3 points per game with a +11.5 scoring margin. The Raiders are shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and averaging 11.0 3-pointers per game over that stretch.
 
Tennessee is 29-5 overall and ranked eighth in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The Volunteers finished 15-3 in SEC play and lost to Auburn in the SEC Tournament Championship 84-64 on Sunday.
 
The Volunteers are led by SEC Player of the Year Grant Williams, who averages 19.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Admiral Schofield was named All-SEC First Team and averages 16.2 points per contest. Five Volunteers average double figures.
 
Colgate is 2-0 all-time against Tennessee with its latest victory coming in 1960-61, 76-73. Both matchups were at neutral sites. The Raiders are 3-4 overall against SEC opponents. 

For ticket information, please call the Colgate Athletics ticket office at 315-228-4062. Passes for the first session cost $100 and also include admission to the Cincinnati vs. Iowa match-up at 12:15 p.m.
 
FROM THE SOURCES
Colgate head coach Matt Langel: 
On the matchup against Tennessee: "I have been watching Tennessee over the last few days in the SEC Tournament. Tennessee is a very talented team, a team that has grown up together and is as good as anybody in the country."
 
On the team's growth heading into the NCAA Tournament: "We have grown a lot since being 5-5 in league play. This group has stuck together through adversity all year. They have the confidence and belief in one another that most teams playing in the NCAA Tournament have. Obviously to win in the tournament you have to sustain that through some difficulty and adversity on a game-by-game basis."
 
Colgate junior Rapolas Ivanauskas:
On drawing from experiences from non-conference schedule: "Our non-conference schedule was difficult and we played a lot of those teams tough. As every game has gone by, we have gotten better and better. I am excited to see how much better we have gotten when we go up against a top 10 school in Tennessee."
 
Colgate sophomore Jordan Burns:
On the experience tonight: "This was a great experience tonight. Having the support from the community and the students and other student-athletes here at Colgate has been amazing."