HAMILTON –
For the third-straight season Colgate Men's Basketball has been voted by the Patriot League's head coaches and sports information directors as the preseason favorite.Colgate received 14 of a possible 18 first-place votes en route to 156 total points. American was picked second with four first-place votes, while Boston University rounded out the top three in third place with the two remaining first-place tallies.
The Raiders are coming off their fourth consecutive Patriot League title and fifth in six years under 14th-year head coach Matt Langel, a five-time Coach of the Year who is 13-for-13 in either tying or beating the league's preseason rankings.
Colgate finished 25-10 overall and 16-2 in Patriot League play before running through the conference tournament to secure a No. 14 seed in the NCAA tournament. This year's team will look different without the likes of Player of the Year Braeden Smith, and All-Patriot League selections Keegan Records and Ryan Moffatt who have both graduated.
Junior guard Brady Cummins, who scored a career-high 19 points in the Patriot League championship game, is the team's leading returning scorer (7.3 ppg). Returners Cummins, senior Nicolas Louis-Jacques, sophomore Jalen Cox, and fifth-year senior Jeff Woodward each started at least 15 games last season albeit having limited time on the court together.
For the first time since 2018 Colgate does not return an All-Patriot League honoree, which was also the last year the Raiders did not have a preseason All-Patriot League selection. Nine of the 14 players on Colgate's roster are either first-years or sophomores. The veterans are led by fifth-year senior Woodward along with seniors Chandler Baker and Louis-Jacques.
Colgate kicks off the 2024-25 season at home on Tuesday, Nov. 5, when the Raiders host SUNY Canton at 7 p.m. at Cotterell Court.
2024-25 Patriot League Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Colgate, 156 points (14 first-place votes)
2. American, 144, (4)
3. Boston University, 120 (2)
4. Bucknell, 115
5. Lehigh, 103
6. Lafayette, 77
7. Army West Point, 64
8. Navy, 61
9. Holy Cross, 40
10. Loyola Maryland, 20
2024-25 Patriot League Men's Basketball Preseason Major Awards
Preseason Player of the Year – Matt Rogers, American, Gr., F
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year – Caleb Kenney, Holy Cross, Sr., F
2024-25 Preseason Men's Basketball All-Patriot League Team
Matt Rogers, American, Gr., F
Miles Brewster, Boston University, Gr., G
Noah Williamson, Bucknell, Jr., C
Tyler Whitney-Sidney, Lehigh, Sr., G
Austin Benigni, Navy, Jr., G
Players Mentioned
- F
- 6' 7"
- Fifth Year
- F
- 6' 10"
- Fifth Year
- G
- 6' 0"
- Sophomore
- G
- 6' 5"
- Senior
- G
- 6' 3"
- Sophomore
- G
- 6' 6"
- Junior
- G
- 6' 4"
- Senior
- F
- 6' 11"
- Fifth Year
Players Mentioned
- 6' 7"
- Fifth Year
- F
- 6' 10"
- Fifth Year
- F
- 6' 0"
- Sophomore
- G
- 6' 5"
- Senior
- G
- 6' 3"
- Sophomore
- G
- 6' 6"
- Junior
- G
- 6' 4"
- Senior
- G
- 6' 11"
- Fifth Year
- F
Latest Men's Basketball
- Woodward Examines Student-Athlete Mental Health
- Athletics Hosts Annual Canned Food DriveHAMILTON – Colgate athletics is once again running its annual promotion for canned food items at all ticketed athletics events Nov. 22 through Dec. 4. The events include games for men's and women's basketball and men's hockey, with all proceeds benefiting the Hamilton Food Cupboard.
- Men’s Basketball Sputters at NC StateRALEIGH, N.C. – Big runs in each half allowed NC State to pull away from Colgate 72-49 in a tough-shooting Monday night at the Lenovo Center. The Raiders dropped their third consecutive game, falling to 1-3 overall while NC State coming off its Final Four run improved to 4-0.
- Colgate Drops 74-72 Decision at SyracuseSYRACUSE, N.Y. – Trailing by as many as 13 points in the second half, Colgate came all the way back to tie it in the final two minutes before succumbing to a handful of contested shots down the stretch, falling to Syracuse 74-72 on Tuesday night inside the JMA Wireless Dome.
- Raiders Drop First Road Test at Drexel, 73-56PHILADELPHIA – A cold-shooting night paired with Drexel's hot start did not bode well for the Colgate men's basketball team in a 73-56 loss to the Dragons on Saturday at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.
- Colgate Opens Season with Win Over CantonHAMILTON – Nicolas Louis-Jacques poured in 21 points and Colgate led from start to finish in its season-opening 95-62 victory over SUNY Canton on Tuesday night at Cotterell Court.
