Jan. 8 Power Rankings
8 January, 2007Four games down, many more to go. We’ve already seen an overtime gem, another game come down to the final possession, and last year’s two best league teams cruise to wins. This week’s set of games is highlighted by Bucknell’s trip to Holy Cross Friday night for a game that will be nationally televised on CSTV. It seems early to say this, but the winner of that game will have to be considered the favorite for the Patriot League.
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| 1. | Holy Cross (10-6) | 1 | The Crusaders were the only road winner in the league’s first slate of games, and are riding a three-game win streak. With Pat Doherty back in the fold, Holy Cross is back at something resembling full strength despite the spate of injuries. The Crusaders host Army Tuesday night, then can chill out and rest up at home as they prepare for the big Friday home game against Bucknell, the biggest game of the early part of the season. Holy Cross is in the Patriot League catbird seat right now. |
| 2. | Bucknell (7-7) | 3 | Home cooking did the trick for Bucknell, who looked like the Bison of old defensively against Navy. The offensive bullying they used against the Mids won’t work against American and Holy Cross’s bigs, though. The Bison need to find some reliable perimeter offense from some combination of Jason Vegotsky, John Griffin, and Abe Badmus. This week’s games offer the Bison a chance to reassert their league dominance, but also offer American and Holy Cross chances to become the new king of the hill. |
| 3. | Lehigh (6-11) | 7 | The Mountain Hawks continue to be a very tough home team. This week’s games at Navy and Army are winnable road games, and will begin to show if Lehigh can compete on the road on a league-wide basis. Phil Anderson and John Gourlay had big contributions against American in the wake of the Jason Mgebroff injury; their continued effectiveness would be a huge boon to Lehigh’s chances this year. |
| 4. | American (8-7) | 5 | Another heartbreaker this past week for the Eagles, who continue to struggle finishing games on the road. American’s trip to Bucknell is a potential statement game, but the Eagles need something more than they’ve been getting from the frontcourt. Brayden Billbe has been very solid, but Paulis Joneliunas and Brian Gilmore haven’t done enough and Cornelio Guibunda and Jordan Nichols have been inconsistent. Will American finally give a starting spot to Arvydas Eitutavicius, who has been a revelation so far this year? |
| 5. | Navy (10-6) | 4 | The Mids played Bucknell tough, but their frontcourt deficiencies were spotlighted in the game. Fortunately for Navy, not many Patriot League schools have the firepower to push around Navy the way the Bison could. It will be important for the Midshipmen to hold serve at home this week against Lehigh and Lafayette before a losing streak begins to develop and bowl them over. |
| 6. | Army (10-6) | 2 | Losses are losses, but Army played great to come back and force overtime at Colgate. Jarell Brown has been great, especially considering how little help he’s gotten. Someone other than Brown and Matt Bell needs to score points for Army to be competitive against the better teams in the league. |
| 7. | Colgate (6-8) | 8 | The Raiders host Lafayette this week, and amazingly have a legitimate chance to start league play 2-0. An alpha dog still hasn’t emerged for Colgate; it could be Kyle Chones, if he would get the playing time. |
| 8. | Lafayette (6-10) | 6 | After losing at home to Holy Cross in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicates, the Leopards hit the road this week for Colgate and Navy. The games represent a chance for the Leopards to jump back into the mix, or to fall further into the ditch. For once, Lafayette may be able to rely on its inside game this week, as Ted Detmer and Everest Schmidt should be able to score against the Raider and Midshipman frontcourts. |
