HAMILTON – It won't be long before Colgate and Loyola go toe-to-toe with a trip to the NCAA tournament on the line.
 
Colgate (13-1) rides a program-record 12-game winning streak into Sunday's championship.
 
Noon tipoff from Cotterell Court.
 
SETTING THE SCENE
The Raiders are the first team in Patriot League history to appear in four straight championship games, while Loyola is making its first appearance in the title game. The two teams have not met since Feb. 16, 2020, when Loyola led wire-to-wire in an 84-80 win in Baltimore. Colgate is 7-0 all-time against the Greyhounds in Hamilton. Sunday's winner earns the League's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.


 
HOW WE GOT HERE
Second-seeded Colgate scored the most points in Patriot League tournament history with its 105-75 victory over Bucknell in the semifinals on Wednesday. That output broke the Raiders' own record of 104 points scored against Army in the 1997 first round. Ninth-seeded Loyola led from start to finish in a 67-63 semifinal win over Army. The Greyhounds knocked off top-seeded Navy in the quarterfinals 76-68.
 
FOUR IN A ROW
Colgate is the first team in Patriot League history to reach four consecutive championship games. The last three title games have been played in Hamilton. The Raiders set program records for win totals in three straight seasons from 2017-20, including back-to-back 20-win campaigns in 2018-19 and 2019-20. Head Coach Matt Langel was the League's Coach of the Year in each of those seasons. Langel over the last four seasons has a +46 win/loss differential to get to .500 (152-152) for his career at Colgate.
 
WINNING WAYS
Colgate set another program record in the semifinals with its 12th straight victory, eclipsing the 2018-19 squad's 11-game run that culminated with its first Patriot League championship and NCAA tournament berth since 1996. The current winning streak, which started back on Jan. 9, is tied with three other teams for the third-longest streak in the country.


 
NOTHING BUT NET
The Raiders currently rank No. 8 in the latest NCAA NET rankings, their highest ranking of the season. The Raiders have been ranked in the top 20 all season. The NET rankings, introduced in 2018-19, are determined by using a formula that takes into account who teams beat and lose to, where those games take place (home, away, neutral location) and how well teams play against given opponents.  
 
SCORING IN BUNCHES
The Raiders set a Patriot League tournament record with 105 points in their semifinal win over Bucknell, besting their own record of 104 points against Army in the first round in 1997. Colgate enters Sunday ranked No. 2 in the country in scoring offense, averaging 86.4 points per game. The Raiders' +18.1 scoring margin is good for fourth-best in the nation.
 
SHOOTERS SHOOT
Colgate's 49.7 field goal percentage ranks 11th in the nation and its 38.5% clip from behind the arc ranks 15th. The Raiders have three players connecting on over 60% from the field, including Jeff Woodward (65.2%) and Keegan Records (62.0%), who rank No. 2 and 3 in the League. Jack Ferguson's 49.2% 3-point field goal percentage would lead the nation, but his 2.24 made 3-pointers per game average falls just short of the NCAA minimum of 2.5 per game.
 


DEFENSE IS KEY
Paired with the high-powered offense, Colgate ranks No. 1 in the country in defensive rebounds per game (30.5) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (26.4). The Raider defense has almost been just as good from inside the arc, with its 40.0 overall field goal percentage defense ranking 29th in the country.
 
BURNS CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Jordan Burns continues to pull away as the program's all-time assists leader after passing Hasan Brown '94 earlier this season. Burns will graduate Colgate as the only player in program history to rank in the program's top 10 in scoring, assists, and steals. The San Antonio sharp shooter is the second player in Patriot League history to have 1,600 career points and 400 career assists.
 
BEASTS ON THE BACKCOURT
All three starting guards earned All-Patriot honors, highlighted by Jordan Burns, who was named the Player of the Year. Burns, Nelly Cummings, and Tucker Richardson are all averaging double figures, plus Jack Ferguson, who comes off the bench and sits second on the team in scoring. Those same four players all rank inside the top 30 in the Patriot League in scoring. They have each been Colgate's leading scorer in at least one game this season.
 

BIG FELLAS MAKING AN IMPACT
Colgate has a solid two-headed monster down low. Keegan Records scored a career-high 21 points in Colgate's semifinal victory over Bucknell. Freshman All-Rookie selection Jeff Woodward has scored in double figures in five of his last six games. Woodward (65.2%) and Records (62.0%) rank No. 2 and 3 in the League, respectively, in field goal percentage.
 
HOW TO GET THE GAME
Sunday's championship is airing nationally on CBS Sports Network. Jason Knapp and Mo Cassara have the call. You can also find the game on national radio via Westwood One, with Brandon Gaudin and Kyle Macy providing the play-by-play.
 
SUNDAY'S WINNER
The 2021 NCAA March Madness Selection Show will air on Sunday at 6 p.m. on CBS. First four matchups are scheduled for Thursday, March 18, while the first round games are slated for Friday and Saturday.
 


ATTENDANCE POLICY
Continuing the effort to support a safe and healthy community in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Colgate University is restricting outside fan attendance at all athletic competitions this semester. All Colgate home regular season games are available for streaming on ESPN+. The men's basketball semifinals and championship games are nationally televised on CBS Sports Network.