Colgate back in NCAA Tournament, awaits No. 2 seed Texas: 6 things to know
Central New York’s strongest college basketball program in the last half decade isn't in Syracuse.
Instead, it’s hailed from a school with under 3,000 students in a tiny village nestled away in the mountains.
Wednesday night, the Colgate Raiders Men’s Basketball program advanced to third straight NCAA Division I Tournament with a 79-61 win over Lafayette in the Patriot League final in front of a rowdy Cotterell Court crowd.
Sunday evening, the 15th-seeded Raiders learned they’ll face No. 2 seed Texas in the Midwest Region. Tip-off is set for 7:25 p.m. Thursday from Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
The moment our name was called ⤵️#GoGate | #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/dMp8HnyZiu
— Colgate Men's Basketball (@ColgateMBB) March 13, 2023
Here is what you need to know:
1. How Colgate got to the NCAA Tournament
As the two-time defending Patriot League champion, the Raiders entered this season as league favorites once again despite the loss of Nelly Cummings and Jack Ferguson, two of the team’s three leading scorers from last season.
Colgate proved their chops against a blue-blood with a wire-to-wire 80-68 win at Syracuse on Nov. 15. The Raiders struggled, though, after their win over the Orange with a 3-6 record in their next nine non-conference games. That included double-digit losses to Penn and Cornell.
Colgate beats Syracuse:Colgate stuns Syracuse on the road in second straight season behind 27 from Richardson
Senior Tucker Richardson said those losses were wake-up calls to the team.
Once Colgate began conference play, the Raiders ran roughshod through the Patriot League and went on on an 11-game win streak, which set a league record.
American ended their win streak, 61-60.
The Raiders won seven league games by six or less.
Following that defeat to the Eagles, Colgate won their last nine by an average margin of 15.
Against Lafayette, Richardson nabbed his first career triple-double, and Colgate’s first since NBA first-rounder Adonal Foyle in 1997.
Tucker Richardson had 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in Colgate's Patriot League Championship last night.
He became the first men's D-I player with a triple-double in a conference title game over the last 25 seasons. pic.twitter.com/cVyOtNt3P3— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 9, 2023
2. Colgate’s top players
Richardson is the unquestioned leader and star of the Raiders. He averages 13.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 5.7 APG.
The Flemington, New Jersey, native’s laundry list of accomplishments includes a Patriot League Player of the Year, two-time All-Patriot League First Team and a finalist for this season’s National Mid-Major Player of the Year. He’s the first player in league history with 1,700 points, 700 rebounds and 600 assists.
“If anyone could coach one Tucker Richardson over the course of their time, then everyone should have that experience because he’s a joy to coach,” coach Matt Langel said.
Outside Richardson, the Raiders have a dominant center in Keegan Records, who averaged 19.8 PPG in his last four on 78% shooting.
The Raiders rank as the best three-point shooting team in the country at 41%, and Oliver Lynch-Daniels is the main reason by shooting over 50 percent from beyond the arc. Together with senior Ryan Moffat, the duo have made 139 triples.
“I’ve never been around someone who spends more time at the gym than he does,” Langel said regarding Lynch-Daniels. “It’s like ‘I like ice cream; he likes to go to the gym and workout.’”
Langel added that Colgate’s fiery shooting from three allows easy buckets down low for Records.
The last of Colgate’s double-digit scorers is freshman Braeden Smith at 11.8 PPG. He was recently named a finalist for the Kyle Macy Award, given to the nation’s top freshman.
3. Colgate’s NCAA Tournament history
Despite establishing itself as one of the best mid-majors in the country, Colgate has yet to translate that success to March Madness.
The Raiders haven’t won a tournament game in five tries. As 16 seeds with Adonal Foyle, they lost to Kansas and UCONN by 14 and 9 in 1995 and ‘96.
Under Langel, CU has gained ground, but still fell by just seven to Tennessee in 2019 and Wisconsin last season.
Colgate vs Wisconsin:Feisty Colgate goes cold late, can't pull off upset against Wisconsin in NCAA Tournament
Richardson said the Raiders will use their experience against the Longhorns.
“It’s super difficult to pull off an upset, but we’ve shown in the past couple of years it’s possible. It’s just getting over the hump,” he said.
4. What to know their matchup with Texas
The Longhorns will certainly keep the Raiders hands full.
They were once ranked second in the country, but slipped a bit and split the last eight games of the regular season.
Texas dominated the Big 12 Tournament, however, capped off by a 20-point win over the top-seeded Jayhawks in the final.
Texas wins Big 12 Tournament:Texas men stun Kansas to win Big 12 basketball title, make its claim for a No. 2 seed
The No. 2 seed is Texas’ highest since 2008, when it went to the Elite Eight. That was also the last time the ‘Horns advanced past the first weekend.
Two-time transfer Marcus Carr leads the Longhorns in points at 15, and second-leading scorer Jabari Rice was named National Sixth-Man of the Year.
The Longhorns like to play with tempo and are one of a few teams ranked in the top 25 in offensive and defensive efficiency.
Like Colgate, Texas excels from behind the arc, with a 37% clip in the four weeks leading up to the Big 12 Tournament.
Colgate is a small team, but it helps that the Longhorns struggle on the glass.
“We’ve played 21 straight against Patriot League teams, and this is going to be a completely different type of game against a more athletic and bigger team,” Richardson said.
Moments we never forget ⤵️#GoGate pic.twitter.com/7Zl9Aqy5fF
— Colgate Men's Basketball (@ColgateMBB) March 11, 2023
5. What the experts are saying
On DraftKings, the Longhorns currently sit as 14-point favorites. KenPom gives UT an 89% chance to win the game.
No. 15 seeds have struggled historically against No. 2 seeds, with just 10 wins in 148 tries.
However, six of the 10 occurred in the last 11 years. This includes St. Peter’s OT win over Kentucky in last year’s tournament.
More:How many times has a No. 15 seed upset a No. 2? A look at the odds of a Colgate upset vs. Texas
6. How to watch Colgate vs Texas in the NCAA tournament
The game can be seen on TBS Thursday at 7:25 p.m. It can also be streamed through “March Madness Live.”
Fans who wish to attend the game in Des Moines are encouraged to fill out this form here.
Noah Ram is the sports reporter for the Observer-Dispatch. Email Noah Ram at nram@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: What to know about Colgate as they face Texas in NCAA Tournament
