:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72052341/usa_today_19547842.0.jpg "Patriot Tournament 2023: Colgate-Lafayette odds, preview, everything you need to know")
The championship for the Patriot Conference Tournament sees the No. 6 Lafayette Leopards vs. the No. 1 Colgate Raiders in the final game on Wednesday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air on CBSSN, and the winner will receive an automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
No. 6 Lafayette 11-22 (7-11 Patriot League), 271 NET, 271 KenPom
Lafayette has been the surprise team in the Patriot League tournament and is only one victory away from cutting down the nets and punching its ticket to the Big Dance. That would be a stunner considering how below-average the Leopards were this season under first-year head coach Mike Jordan (no, not that one). Despite having one of the slowest-paced offenses in the nation, the Leopards still turned up in the league tournament, upsetting No. 3 Lehigh in the quarterfinals before toppling No. 7 American in an 84-76 double overtime win on Sunday. A victory here would propel Lafayette to its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and its first since 2015.
No. 1 Colgate 25-8 (17-1 Patriot League), 99 NET, 112 KenPom
Colgate looks to pull off the three-peat by winning its third consecutive league tournament title. Led by Patriot League Player of the Year Tucker Richardson, the Raiders continued its dominance as the resident power of the conference this season and did so by boasting the top effective field goal percentage in the entire country. The team picked has picked up a pair of blowout victories in the tournament so far, hammering Loyola Maryland by 19 in the quarterfinals before putting down Army 91-74 in Sunday's semifinal matchup. A win would send Colgate to the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year and the sixth time in program history.
How to watch the Patriot League Tournament Championship Game
When: Wednesday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Cotterell Court, Hamilton, NY
TV: CBS Sports Network
Livestream: CBS Live, Paramount Plus
Odds for Patriot Tournament Championship Game from DraftKings Sportsbook:
Point spread: Colgate -14
Point total: 134
Moneyline: Colgate -1200, Lafayette +700
Pre-tournament odds to win at DraftKings Sportsbook
Colgate: -220
Lafayette: +4000