Featured image by Hannah Yoshinaga.
The hierarchy within Patriot League men’s basketball continues to become clearer as the season progresses, and no team moved more than two spots this week. Navy and Loyola Maryland made big jumps, while the second-to-fifth-place teams continued to tussle for positioning behind Colgate.
For this week’s edition of the power rankings, Ethan Fuller and Hannah Yoshinaga chose each team’s Most Valuable Player of the Week.
1. Colgate University (20-6, 11-2 PL)
Previous ranking: 1
MVP of the Week: Jordan Burns
Monday night decided the top spot in these rankings. The Raiders swept their week and change with wins over Lehigh, Navy and BU, and further established themselves as the powerhouse of the conference. Jordan Burns continues to play steady, smart basketball. The junior averaged 15 points over the three games and catalyzed the takedown of BU with five steals to go with three made triples.
This week: February 16 at Loyola MD
2. American University (12-11, 8-4 PL)
Previous ranking: 2
MVP of the Week: Sa’eed Nelson
The Eagles swept their week as well, winning two solid contests against the two military schools. Nelson showed out in both. The star guard put together a 13-point, eight-assist, five-rebound showing to beat Navy and followed it up with 23 points and eight boards against Army. He continues to keep himself in the Player of the Year conversation.
This week: February 12 vs. Loyola MD, February 15 at Bucknell
3. Boston University (15-11, 9-4 PL)
Previous ranking: 3
MVP of the Week: Javante McCoy
McCoy won Patriot League Player of the Week with two 20-plus-point efforts in wins over Army and Holy Cross. The victory over Army cemented BU’s status as a top-tier team in the conference; the loss to Colgate, however, showed the Terriers are not on the same plane as the Raiders yet. McCoy is closing in rapidly on 1,000 career points and needs 20 against Navy to reach the milestone this week.
This week: February 15 at Navy
4. Naval Academy (12-11, 6-6 PL)
Previous ranking: 6
MVP of the Week: Greg Summers
Navy lost both of their games this week, but played competitively against two of the top teams in the conference and actually earned a bump because of it. Greg Summers has played extremely well and is making up for a lot of the slump Cam Davis is experiencing. He does not light up the scoreboard, but Summers cleared five rebounds in both games and averaged 11.5 points during the week.
This week: February 12 vs. Bucknell, February 15 vs. BU
5. Army West Point (11-12, 6-6 PL)
Previous ranking: 4
MVP of the Week: Tommy Funk (G)
Tommy Funk made a legitimate case to be named Patriot League Player of the Week for the second week in a row. In Army’s losses to BU and American, he played all 40 minutes and was a central part of the Black Knights’ offense. Funk scored 24 points against the Terriers and 13 points against the Eagles and helped to facilitate much of Army’s scoring, dishing out six assists on Wednesday and seven assists on Saturday. — Hannah Yoshinaga
This week: February 12 vs. Lafayette, February 15 vs. Lehigh
6. Lafayette College (15-8, 7-5 PL)
Previous ranking: 5
MVP of the Week: Justin Jaworski
Lafayette takes a small hit for their inexcusable loss to a poor Lehigh squad. The Leopards scored only 59 points in the defeat and could not get anything going from deep. An underwhelming battle for MVP of the Week goes to Justin Jaworski. The usual sharpshooter made just two of his ten shots, but did add seven rebounds and six assists to go with nine points. — Ethan Fuller
This week: February 12 at Army, February 15 at Holy Cross
7. Bucknell University (9-16, 5-7 PL)
Previous ranking: 7
MVP of the Week: John Meeks (F)
The Bison did not win either of their two games this week, but that was mainly due to poor shooting by players not named John Meeks. Against Lafayette, Meeks scored 13 points and grabbed seven boards. Meeks played even better against Loyola Maryland on Saturday and posted his third triple-double of the season with 12 points and ten rebounds. — Hannah Yoshinaga
This week: February 12 at Navy, February 15 vs. American
8. Loyola University Maryland (12-13, 4-8 PL)
Previous ranking: 10
MVP of the Week: Andrew Kostecka (G)
Kostecka has been the Greyhounds’ best player all season long. On Wednesday, Kostecka’s 18 points, five assists, four rebounds, and four steals propelled Loyola Maryland to a win over Holy Cross. Against Bucknell, Kostecka scored 20 points and helped clean the glass with nine rebounds. Kostecka will be key to any success the Greyhounds have in their remaining conference matchups. — Hannah Yoshinaga
This week: February 12 at American, February 16 vs. Colgate
9. Lehigh University (6-18, 3-9 PL)
Previous ranking: 9
MVP of the Week: Jeameril Wilson (F)
Wilson was the Mountain Hawks’ leading scorer in their upset win against Lafayette in Easton on Saturday. He scored 13 points, but his biggest contribution was his rebounding. Wilson collected 15 rebounds, which was a big part of Lehigh’s 42-34 advantage over Lafayette on the boards. — Hannah Yoshinaga
This week: February 12 vs. Holy Cross, February 15 at Army
10. College of the Holy Cross (3-22, 2-10 PL)
Previous ranking: 8
MVP of the Week: Joe Pridgen (F)
Pridgen nearly helped the Crusaders to a win over second-place BU in Boston. Although he quieted down in the second half, Pridgen torched the Terriers for 22 points and eight rebounds in 40 minutes of play. Pridgen is prone to having hot and cold streaks but when he can hit consistently, he presents a problem for every other defense in the conference. — Hannah Yoshinaga
This week: February 12 at Lehigh, February 15 vs. Lafayette
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