Patriot League Preview: 2026-27 College Basketball Predictions & Best Bets Recap
Ryan McIntyre (@Moneyline_Mac), Troy Chewning (@Troychewning) and Michael Huffer (@michael_huffer3) break down the Patriot League preview for the 2026-27 college basketball season. All three like American to bounce back, and the whole booth rides Colgate to win the conference tournament.
The Patriot League Preview Starts With Navy And Lehigh
Navy ran the Patriot League last year, and it still didn’t matter in March. The Midshipmen went 17-1 in league play in John Perry’s first season after DeChellis handed him the keys. Then Boston bounced them in the conference tournament semifinals. So Perry took home coach of the year honors without a bid. Meanwhile Lehigh cashed the tournament, sending Brett Reed back to the dance for the first time since C.J. McCollum. Colgate, the old standard, has now bowed out in the semifinals two years running. Michael Huffer also owned his miss on Bucknell, a roster he loved that never found its form. Army and Holy Cross rounded out the basement, which stings for a Black Knights fan like Ryan McIntyre.
There isn’t a first-year head coach anywhere in this league. Matt Langill enters year 16 at Colgate with six league titles and six NCAA tournament trips. Joe Jones is also in year 16 at Boston. Brett Reed is in year 20 at Lehigh, and he has beaten Duke in the NCAA tournament. Dave Paulsen is in year four at Holy Cross, and he coached John Griffin back at Bucknell. So the league gets a master versus apprentice matchup every season. Michael Huffer says that familiarity makes coaching matter more, because these rosters know each other. Ryan McIntyre also figures only the Ivy League returns more production. But that cuts both ways, because experience is exactly what Navy had last year and what young Colgate lacked.
Everybody Buys American Stock
Nobody had to coordinate this one, because all three guys took American as the stock up team. Troy Chewning points to the Eagles returning the most minutes in a league where that matters. He also thinks Greg Jones can flat-out ball. Michael Huffer felt they fell flat at 9-9 last year after entering with hype. Ryan McIntyre sees a boomerang under Simpkins. His second team tied for the league title and won 22 games before a rebuild year at 9-9. So he expects something closer to that 22-win team. Also watch them in buy games, where he thinks they can pick somebody off.
The second stock up picks split three ways. Troy Chewning likes John Griffin’s international Bucknell group to bounce back after a disappointing year. Michael Huffer took Army to climb from a tie for last back toward the middle of the table. Ryan McIntyre has a soft spot for Paulsen and Holy Cross. This is the most returning production Paulsen has had there, so a .500 league record is on the table. Then Navy got swept as the stock down pick, with the Titanic band jokes to match. Meanwhile Michael Huffer floated Lehigh as a hot take to come back to earth. But Lehigh also brings back basically everybody, so Troy Chewning just penciled them in for a repeat of last year.
One Through 10 And The Colgate Question
Two of the three boards have American on top. Troy Chewning and Michael Huffer both put the Eagles first. Michael Huffer pointed to four returning starters and one of the best backcourts in the conference. But Ryan McIntyre went Colgate at one, just to be different. He’s betting on a bounce back from all that returning production. He doesn’t see the old 16-2 and 17-1 versions, though. Instead he pegs the toothpaste closer to 13-5 or 12-6 in a wide open league. Michael Huffer also expects the top teams to max out around 15 wins. So nobody is projecting another 17-1 runaway like Navy. Then the top four all match, just in different orders, with American, Colgate, Lehigh and Boston on every list.
Boston is the one to circle if you want a longer number. Troy Chewning has BU fourth, but he says they can shoot the lights out. So if a good conference tournament price shows up later in the year, he wants a sprinkle. Michael Huffer goes higher at third because Kyron Alexander is back from a knee injury. He thinks Alexander can win player of the year with the usage he’ll get. Lehigh, meanwhile, ranges from second to fourth. Ryan McIntyre has the defending tournament champs third as just another solid year for Brett Reed. Then Michael Huffer slides them to fourth with a little regression, even with the starters back.
The middle of the table is where the guys split hardest. Ryan McIntyre calls Holy Cross his surprise team at fifth, with Paulsen breaking out of the basement in year four. Troy Chewning has the Crusaders sixth, mostly for Joe Nugent’s shooting. Nugent, a transfer he believes came up from Division II, can really shoot. Bucknell also landed fifth for Troy Chewning and Michael Huffer, and sixth for Ryan McIntyre. Army is the other swing team. Michael Huffer has the Black Knights sixth in a must-win fourth season, after a 38-59 run over three years. Then the service academies flip depending on who you ask. Troy Chewning has Navy seventh and Army eighth, and Ryan McIntyre reverses them. His Navy case is simple, because the Midshipmen lose three key starters and skew young.
Down at the bottom, Lafayette and Loyola Maryland are a coin flip. Troy Chewning admitted Loyola Maryland wasn’t even in his notes, so he just put the Greyhounds last. Michael Huffer also went Lafayette ninth and Loyola tenth, figuring Lafayette comes back to earth after an 8-10 league year. But Ryan McIntyre flipped them, because he thinks Lafayette overachieved and Lefler is a good coach at Loyola. He also doesn’t buy the bottom being a total wipeout. Last place has run about 5-13 the last four years, and he expects six wins this time. So the floor is higher, and the standings should be stuffed with tiebreakers.
Colgate Sweeps The Tournament Pick
There was no debate on the conference tournament winner, because all three guys took Colgate. Troy Chewning went back to the well with a proud program. Michael Huffer has American winning the regular season, but he trusts Langill to get Colgate through the bracket. Ryan McIntyre isn’t getting cute either, since he has the toothpaste sweeping both titles. Then the player of the year picks went three different directions. Troy Chewning took Greg Jones from American because he just likes watching him play. Michael Huffer stayed with Kyron Alexander of Boston, who he figures piles up automatic numbers in his return. Ryan McIntyre went with Andrew Alexeenko, the 6-foot-8 Colgate sophomore he expects to have a monster year.
Coach of the year got a little messier. Troy Chewning backed Simpkins, which fits with American on top of his board. Ryan McIntyre first leaned Langill, because Colgate wins the league in his projection. Langill also hasn’t taken the award in two years. But he pivoted to Dave Paulsen, the ultimate grinder he has lifting Holy Cross from the basement to fifth. It’s the sharpest call on the board, since every one of the guys has Holy Cross climbing out of the basement.
Podcast Chapters
00:00 Download the SGPN App Today!
01:05 Welcome to the Patriot League Preview
03:14 Last Year and the Coaches
12:15 Stock Up, Stock Down
19:15 Regular Season: One Through 10
33:54 Tournament Winner, Player of the Year, Coach of the Year
37:25 Sign-Off
