Patriot League 2026-27 Preview

The opening tip

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of an Autobid

American attacks with size across the lineup, Lehigh feeds Hank Alvey inside, Colgate plays through Andrew Alekseyenko and Boston University stretches the floor with shooters around Kyrone Alexander.

Colgate owned March from 2021 through 2024, winning four straight Patriot League tournaments. American broke the streak in 2025. Lehigh followed last March after opening the season eighth in the preseason poll, while Navy’s 17 win league campaign ended one point short of the final. Three straight champions have taken three different routes. The current favorite finished fifth last winter. American’s rise begins with a young group that already showed its ceiling. The Eagles were the only Patriot opponent to beat Navy, holding the Midshipmen to 51 points and 32.6 percent shooting as Greg Jones scored 23. Madden Collins averaged 13.4 points and 4.8 rebounds as a freshman while making 50.8 percent of his shots. At 6 feet 8, Julen Iturbe can pass from the frontcourt and punish a center who strays too far into help. All three return, along with Matt Mayock, Wyatt Nausadis and Kade Sebastian. Carson McDonald is also back after playing only four games, restoring some needed size. American lost five of seven games decided by three points or fewer and finished minus 1.7 rebounds per game. Geoff Sprouse’s 76 threes are gone, too. Better work on the glass and enough shooting to keep the lane open would turn last season’s frustrating finishes into a title. Lehigh can begin its defense by throwing the ball to Hank Alvey. At 6 feet 9 and 251 pounds, the junior averaged 15.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and a league best 1.8 blocks. Nasir Whitlock is gone after scoring 20.5 per game and owning the biggest moments of the tournament run. Chris Tshibola arrives from Laval with 20.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, plus U Sports Rookie of the Year and RSEQ MVP honors. Division I is a different test, but his downhill game and passing should open room for Alvey. Joshua Ingram and Edouard Benoit give Brett Reed experienced help around them. A repeat depends on spreading Whitlock’s old workload across that group. Colgate has the fewest surprises in the frontcourt and the biggest question in the backcourt. Matt Langel returns 11 players from a team that won 18 games and reached a ninth consecutive Patriot semifinal. Andrew Alekseyenko averaged 14.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists as the league’s Rookie of the Year while shooting 38.3 percent from three. Sam Wright can pull another big away from the rim. Parker Jones is back on the roster after missing last season with an injury; a healthy return would restore an experienced career 37.8 percent shooter. Jalen Cox took roughly 16 points and 5.3 assists to USC. A new point guard must keep the offense moving and protect the ball long enough for Colgate’s skilled frontcourt to take over. Boston University is a harder read. The Terriers reached the final and set program records for field goal percentage and made threes, then lost Michael McNair, Ben Defty and Chance Gladden, their three All Patriot League selections. Kyrone Alexander changes the outlook. An All Patriot League wing in 2025, he missed nearly all of last season with an injury and returned to game action for Barbados in July. He averaged 28.8 points across four games and made 51.6 percent from three. Sam Hughes, Azmar Abdullah and Donte Tisinger Jr. keep plenty of shooting around him. The questions move inside, where Defty’s finishing and rim protection have no single replacement. Navy is where this projection can look foolish. In Jon Perry’s first season, the Midshipmen allowed 64.3 points per game, held opponents below 30 percent from three and won 17 of 18 Patriot games. Austin Benigni, Aidan Kehoe and Donovan Draper are gone, taking the lead creator, the country’s most accurate finisher and the lineup’s best disruptive defender. Jinwoo Kim, Jordan Pennick and captain Cam Cole keep experience in the backcourt. The rebuilding job is concentrated around the basket, and Navy cannot use the portal for a quick fix. If the freshman bigs can rebound and survive defensively, Perry’s system can keep the reigning regular season champion in the race. The ballot starts with American because no other contender returns as much proven production at both ends. Lehigh can own the paint, Colgate can build through its frontcourt, Boston University can outshoot almost anyone and Navy still knows how to guard. The Eagles have four months to turn continuity into home court advantage. March gets the final vote.

The defining storyline
Can American turn the only Patriot League win over Navy and a roster loaded with returning production into the leap from fifth place to first?

Official projection + model comparison

The big board

See how every team stacks up through projected records, finish ranges, and the model’s view of the race.

Ranking machine · comparison at a glance

Editorial board vs. model

1AmericanAmerican brings back Collins, Jones and Iturbe from the only Patriot team that beat Navy in league play. That continuity outweighs the loss of Geoff Sprouse’s 76 threes.
Conf / overall14-4 / —TierFavoriteCeiling / floor1–4
Boards agree · #1
1Official rankAmericanAmerican brings back Collins, Jones and Iturbe from the only Patriot team that beat Navy in league play. That continuity outweighs the loss of Geoff Sprouse’s 76 threes.Boards agree · #1Conf / overall14-4 / —TierFavoriteRange1–4
2LehighHank Alvey gives the defending tournament champion a reliable scorer inside, and Laval star Chris Tshibola gets the enormous assignment of replacing Nasir Whitlock’s creation.
Conf / overall12-6 / —TierContenderCeiling / floor1–5
Boards agree · #2
2Official rankLehighHank Alvey gives the defending tournament champion a reliable scorer inside, and Laval star Chris Tshibola gets the enormous assignment of replacing Nasir Whitlock’s creation.Boards agree · #2Conf / overall12-6 / —TierContenderRange1–5
3ColgateAndrew Alekseyenko and Sam Wright form a skilled frontcourt. An untested point-guard rotation is the reason the Raiders stop at third despite nine straight semifinal trips.
Conf / overall12-6 / —TierContenderCeiling / floor1–6
Boards agree · #3
3Official rankColgateAndrew Alekseyenko and Sam Wright form a skilled frontcourt. An untested point-guard rotation is the reason the Raiders stop at third despite nine straight semifinal trips.Boards agree · #3Conf / overall12-6 / —TierContenderRange1–6
4Boston U.Kyrone Alexander and Sam Hughes give Boston University dangerous wing scoring, but the Terriers must replace 46.4 points per game from McNair, Defty and Gladden.
Conf / overall10-8 / —TierContenderCeiling / floor2–8
Boards agree · #4
4Official rankBoston U.Kyrone Alexander and Sam Hughes give Boston University dangerous wing scoring, but the Terriers must replace 46.4 points per game from McNair, Defty and Gladden.Boards agree · #4Conf / overall10-8 / —TierContenderRange2–8
5BucknellA 2-0 Canadian tour showed Jayden Williams has more shooting around him. Carleton’s 25 offensive rebounds also exposed the glass as Bucknell’s barrier to the top four.
Conf / overall9-9 / —TierDangerous MiddleCeiling / floor3–9
2 spots higher than published model · #7
5Official rankBucknellA 2-0 Canadian tour showed Jayden Williams has more shooting around him. Carleton’s 25 offensive rebounds also exposed the glass as Bucknell’s barrier to the top four.2 spots higher than published model · #7Conf / overall9-9 / —TierDangerous MiddleRange3–9
6NavyThe 17-1 champion still has Jinwoo Kim, Cam Cole and Jordan Pennick, yet replacing Benigni, Kehoe, Draper and Woods removes about 48 points and 21 rebounds a night.
Conf / overall9-9 / —TierDangerous MiddleCeiling / floor3–9
Boards agree · #6
6Official rankNavyThe 17-1 champion still has Jinwoo Kim, Cam Cole and Jordan Pennick, yet replacing Benigni, Kehoe, Draper and Woods removes about 48 points and 21 rebounds a night.Boards agree · #6Conf / overall9-9 / —TierDangerous MiddleRange3–9
7Loyola MdTroy Cicero’s shooting gives Loyola one familiar weapon, but Speed, Adair and Theodosiou took 43 points per game with them and left a roster searching for its lead scorer.
Conf / overall7-11 / —TierDangerous MiddleCeiling / floor5–10
2 spots higher than published model · #9
7Official rankLoyola MdTroy Cicero’s shooting gives Loyola one familiar weapon, but Speed, Adair and Theodosiou took 43 points per game with them and left a roster searching for its lead scorer.2 spots higher than published model · #9Conf / overall7-11 / —TierDangerous MiddleRange5–10
8ArmyRyan Curry and Jacen Holloway can run coherent offense, though the losses of Jaxson Bell, Jackson Furman and Jorn Everson make the minutes beyond Army’s first unit hard to trust.
Conf / overall7-11 / —TierDangerous MiddleCeiling / floor5–10
3 spots lower than published model · #5
8Official rankArmyRyan Curry and Jacen Holloway can run coherent offense, though the losses of Jaxson Bell, Jackson Furman and Jorn Everson make the minutes beyond Army’s first unit hard to trust.3 spots lower than published model · #5Conf / overall7-11 / —TierDangerous MiddleRange5–10
9Holy CrossJoe Nugent and Division II marksman Arius Alijosius can win a shooting night, while a rebuilt backcourt and little proven rim protection make that formula difficult to repeat.
Conf / overall5-13 / —TierLong ShotCeiling / floor6–10
1 spot higher than published model · #10
9Official rankHoly CrossJoe Nugent and Division II marksman Arius Alijosius can win a shooting night, while a rebuilt backcourt and little proven rim protection make that formula difficult to repeat.1 spot higher than published model · #10Conf / overall5-13 / —TierLong ShotRange6–10
10LafayetteShareef Jackson gives four new starters an interior reference point. Aaron Sievert and Shelton Henton bring scoring pedigrees, but replacing Williams, Phillips and Butler is the league’s steepest reset.
Conf / overall5-13 / —TierLong ShotCeiling / floor6–10
2 spots lower than published model · #8
10Official rankLafayetteShareef Jackson gives four new starters an interior reference point. Aaron Sievert and Shelton Henton bring scoring pedigrees, but replacing Williams, Phillips and Butler is the league’s steepest reset.2 spots lower than published model · #8Conf / overall5-13 / —TierLong ShotRange6–10

The interactive scouting room

Team-by-team preview

Move across the conference one program at a time. Open projected rotations, meet the players, and inspect the identity and postseason case behind every ranking.

2026-27 team preview · official rank 1

American

Small-ballSwitchableDeep

1/10

Conference

14-4

Overall

—

Finish window

1–4

Confidence

75%

Official order · choose a team file

Projected rotation · Published roster depth chart

10 of 10 primary spots filled

Tap any player

Starting five

Second unit

Five on the floor

The All-Conference court

Explore all three projected teams. Select a player for the spotlight, then choose Open Player Card for their full profile.

🥇 First Team

The hardware

The awards race

Browse every projected award race. See the current favorite, the strongest challengers, and the case for each pick.

1 / 7

The projected podium

Player of the Year

Why this pick leads

Hank Alvey has the most complete established case, including a 23-point, 15-rebound NCAA performance against Prairie View A&M that showed his interior production could survive a difficult matchup. Madden Collins can overtake him by becoming the leading scorer on the best team, but must extend his effectiveness into starter minutes. Andrew Alekseyenko has a comparable offensive ceiling, with greater uncertainty around the guards delivering him the ball.

Projection confidence74%

How strongly the current projection favors this pick. These are not betting odds.

Beyond the main ballot

The extra pages

Meet the players outside our All-Conference and award picks who could still shape the race, then explore breakout candidates and bold predictions.

The preview desk supplement3 features

Beyond the ballots

Race Shapers

Five players who change the matchups

These players can alter the race by solving a specific problem for the teammates around them.

Kade Sebastian
AmericanG · So
The first decision
Kade Sebastian keeps the floor connected
Sebastian made 33 threes and committed 23 turnovers across 32 games. American needs that economy to survive a bigger point-guard assignment: early reversals and timely entries can keep its scorers attacking before the defense settles.
74% confident
Alex Zakheim
Boston U.PG · JR
The level jump that matters
Alex Zakheim can keep BU from becoming a one-creator team
Boston University lost Chance Gladden’s 4.5 assists per game along with the three scorers who supplied 46.4 points per game, so Kyrone Alexander cannot carry every difficult possession. Zakheim arrives from Brandeis after averaging 18.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and a team-high 3.8 assists. If his handle holds up against Division I pressure, the Terriers have the extra creator they need to remain in the top four.
71% confident
Edouard Benoit
LehighF · Jr
The defender cannot stand still
Edouard Benoit decides how crowded the paint gets
Benoit's six rebounds per game justify frontcourt minutes, but his 31.3 percent three-point shooting leaves opponents room to help. More reliable corner shooting would make doubling Lehigh's post scorer a much more expensive choice.
69% confident
Jordan Pennick
NavyG · Sr
From receiver to initiator
Jordan Pennick must turn the corner
Pennick's 44 made threes establish shooting volume, but Navy now needs him to initiate possessions. If he can force a second defender to help without overdribbling, the Midshipmen can get their other shooters cleaner catches despite a rebuilt frontcourt.
64% confident
Aleksander Pachucki
BucknellG · Jr
A summer glimpse
Aleksander Pachucki stretches the chase
Pachucki scored 22 points against Carleton in July after making 42 threes during the college season. The exhibition is a glimpse, not a forecast, but a dependable high-volume shooter would let Bucknell attack defenses that otherwise crowd its smaller guards.
68% confident

The next step

Breakout Team

Growth with a basketball reason

Each selection starts with a real baseline and an identifiable way to earn more responsibility.

Madden Collins
AmericanG · So
More minutes, harder questions
Madden Collins becomes the nightly assignment
Collins scored 13.4 points in fewer than 22 minutes per game. Starter minutes provide the growth opportunity; learning to pass out of the extra help aimed at his drives is the skill that can turn a scoring jump into a complete breakout.
79% confident
Donte Tisinger
Boston U.G · So
A reserve with closing potential
Donte Tisinger earns the last five minutes
Tisinger averaged 6.4 points and 1.8 assists without a start. Boston University's guard departures create room for him to run more possessions, while his 48.9 percent shooting gives him a credible finishing baseline when defenders chase the surrounding shooters.
72% confident
Sebastien Emenalo
Loyola MdF · So
Rebounds become opportunities
Sebastien Emenalo adds offense without demanding it
Emenalo collected 3.3 rebounds in roughly 14 minutes per game. A starting role can turn that activity into more putbacks and transition finishes, allowing him to grow from a 3.2-point scorer before Loyola needs a major jump in his jumper.
64% confident
Shareef Jackson
LafayetteF · So
The post becomes a command center
Shareef Jackson learns to beat the second defender
Jackson's 10.0-point freshman season established his finishing. The next step is quicker recognition when help arrives: reducing the 63 turnovers attached to his 47 assists would let Lafayette run more offense through him without surrendering possessions.
73% confident
Andrew Urosevic
LehighG · So
A jumper with room to grow
Andrew Urosevic makes his minutes harder to remove
Urosevic attempted 145 threes in his first season, demonstrating a willingness to shoot that Lehigh will need. Improving from 33.1 percent while holding up defensively could lift him from a 7.3-point reserve into a regular closing option.
67% confident

Calls worth testing

Bold Predictions

Three claims for the season ahead

Specific outcomes that would reveal which preseason assumptions held up.

No split decision
American wins the Patriot and goes dancing
American returns Madden Collins, Greg Jones, Julen Iturbe and Matt Mayock from the only Patriot team that beat Navy last season. The Eagles turn that experience into the outright regular-season title, win the campus-site tournament and claim the league’s NCAA bid.
Confidence · 67%
Four teams, no daylight
The Patriot race stays alive until the final week
American, Lehigh, Colgate and Boston University each spend part of February within one loss of first place. American eventually takes the title at 14-4, but the four contenders trade enough losses that nobody separates from the pack until the closing week.
Confidence · 61%
The bill comes due
Navy falls from 17-1 into the bottom half
Jinwoo Kim, Cam Cole and Jordan Pennick keep Navy competitive, but Benigni, Kehoe, Draper and Woods take about 48 points and 21 rebounds out of last season’s rotation. The system still travels; the missing frontcourt and late-clock creator turn a historic league campaign into sixth place or worse.
Confidence · 52%

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In Continuity We Trust

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