HAMILTON – Colgate Men’s Basketball will make its ninth consecutive Patriot League semifinal appearance when the Raiders meet Lehigh for a noon tipoff in Bethlehem, Pa., on Sunday at Stabler Arena. The game will air nationally on CBS Sports Network. 

Sunday’s winner advances to the Patriot League championship and will face either top-seeded Navy or fourth-seeded Boston University in the title game on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Patriot League champion will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. 

Colgate-Lehigh Playoff History

• This will be the 12th all-time playoff meeting between the two teams. Colgate leads the series, 6-5, and has won the last three head-to-head postseason contests.
• The last head-to-head postseason meeting came in the 2023-24 championship game (3/13/24), when Colgate ran past Lehigh 74-55 to claim its fourth straight title.
• In 11 postseason meetings, this is just the second time the teams square off for a semifinal matchup (2022). Colgate won the only other semifinal meeting, 83-70, in Hamilton on March 6, 2022. The Raiders are 0-4 in true road playoff games at Lehigh.

Inside the Series

• Colgate leads the all-time series 65-45, but Lehigh has won the last three head-to-head matchups including both regular-season meetings this year.
• The Raiders had won eight in a row dating back to 2022 before dropping the second regular-season meeting of the 2024-25 campaign, 94-68, on Feb. 3, 2025.
• Four of the last seven head-to-head games have been decided by three points or less. Colgate is 2-2 in those matchups.

One-Point Wonders

• Lehigh won both regular-season meetings by one point on buzzer beaters. Hank Alvey's floater in the lane stunned the Raiders 78-77 on Jan. 10 in Hamilton. Nasir Whitlock's walk-off jumper lifted the Mountain Hawks past the Raiders 77-76 in overtime three weeks later (1/31) in Bethlehem.

Last Game Leftovers

• Ben Tweedy scored a career-high 28 points and Jalen Cox recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 21 points and a career-high 11 assists to lead Colgate to a 90-77 Patriot League quarterfinal victory over Loyola on Thursday.
• Colgate shot 62.7 percent from the floor, its highest clip since early December, and racked up 90 points for the sixth time this season.

Patriot League Power

• Colgate, 40-27 all-time in the Patriot League tournament, is seeking its 12th championship game appearance.
• The Raiders have hoisted the trophy a league-best seven times, including five titles in the last seven years.  
• Head Coach Matt Langel is the winning head coach in Patriot League tournament history. His postseason record stands at 23-9. 
• Colgate is making its ninth consecutive Patriot League semifinal showing, reaching it each year since 2018. 

Cardiac Colgate

• Nine Colgate games were decided by four points or less during Patriot League play, including four games decided by one point (1-3).
• The Raiders have been tied or leading in the second half in all but four games this season.
• Colgate has played in five overtime games this season (2-3), tying the 2016-17 team for the most in a single campaign in program history.

Shooters Shoot

• Colgate has shot 50 percent or better from the field eight times this season and is 8-0 in those contests.
• The Raiders are 10-14 in contests they don't shoot 50 percent or better.

Jalen on a Mission

• All-Patriot League First Team and All-Defensive Team honoree Jalen Cox has 12 games with 20 or more points, tied with Murphy Burnatowski for the most in a single-season since 2010. He scored a career-high 38 points against Loyola on Feb. 21.
• Cox posted his fifth double-double of the season in Colgate’s 90-77 quarterfinal win over Loyola, finishing with 21 points and a career-high 11 assists.

Tweedy at the Top

• Sophomore Ben Tweedy has scored at least 12 points in each of the last five games, including a career-high 28-point performance in Colgate’s 90-77 quarterfinal victory over Loyola.
• Tweedy connected on 5-of-8 from behind the arc with his five trifectas also a career-best effort.

Eyes on Andrew

• First-year Andrew Alekseyenko, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year and an All-League Second Team selection, has scored in double-figures in 16 consecutive games. The Brookline, Mass., native has four double-doubles on the season.

With a win, the Raiders would…

• …record their first road playoff win since March 4, 2009, at Navy (64-59 OT)
• …improve to 3-16 all-time on the road in the Patriot League tournament
• …record their first-ever road win at Lehigh in the Patriot League tournament (0-4)
• ...improve to 12-9 all-time in Patriot League semifinal games
• ...raise Matt Langel's Patriot League tournament record to 24-9
• ...advance to their 12th Patriot League championship in program history