Fast Facts

The 10th Patriot League tournament takes place this weekend in Easton, Pa., at Lafayette College, marking the first time the school will play host to the first two rounds of the tournament. All seven schools will be involved in the tournament that decides which team receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Lafayette, the defending champion, and Navy finished in a first-place tie at 11-1. Lafayette posted a higher rating in the College Basketball News Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and earned the choice of whether to be the host if it advances to the March 10 championship game or to gain a bye into the semifinals.

The Leopards opted to host the championship game. Navy was left to take the bye and moves into the semifinals as the tournament's top seed. Pairings are set for the first two rounds at Kirby Sports Center, which seats about 4,000. The championship game will be March 10.

The Favorite

There is a clear cut No. 1 and No. 2 in the league -- Lafayette and Navy. Lafayette won a key game at Bucknell last Sunday, 74-59, earning a tie with the Midshipmen, who will still play as the No. 1 seed but won't get to play at home in the championship game if Lafayette reaches the final.

Navy routed the Leopards 94-66 in Annapolis, but the earlier game in Easton, Pa., was a different matter; Lafayette beat Navy 80-74 at home in mid January. Home court with these two teams means everything … so, until proven otherwise, the defending champion Leopards are the team to beat.

The Dark Horse

Holy Cross, under new coach Ralph Willard, has been beset by injuries. Nobody can figure out the Crusaders -- they've beaten Providence and Alabama-Birmingham, but have lost to Army and Lehigh. The thing is, Holy Cross' huge front line, anchored by 7-1 junior center Josh Sankes, is fashioned to beat Navy and Lafayette.

The Crusaders, provided they can beat Colgate in the first round, would get Navy in the semifinals. They only lost to the Mids by eight last week in Annapolis and could be tough on a neutral court, especially with most of the pro-Lafayette crowd rooting against Navy. If Holy Cross can get any kind of outside shooting and limits its turnovers to 20 or less, the Crusaders can beat Navy and reach the final.

The Stars

Lafayette 6-4 senior guard Brian Ehlers is the league's most complete player, ranking among the top 15 in nine offensive categories, including being the conference's leading scorer the past two seasons. If teams can't keep Ehlers from dipping into the key to pull up for a 12-footer, they're cooked. Don't foul Ehlers. He's shooting about 88 percent from the line.

Navy captain Sitapha Savane is listed at 6-8, but the senior center plays as if he is 7-2. He's third in the country in blocked shots (4.2) and has the strength to play anyone's center straight-up. Coupled with slashing small forward Chris Williams, a 6-4 junior, and 6-7 power forward Robert Reeder, the Midshipmen have the most relentless front line in the conference.

Want super sophomores? Colgate forwards Jordan Harris and Pat Campolieta carry the Red Raiders. The 6-6 Campolieta has the best arsenal of post moves in the league, and Harris is one of the league's most athletic wingmen. Harris often draws Colgate's top defensive assignment, too.

Bucknell's Dan Bowen, a 6-9 center, won't wow anyone with his jumping or running ability. But come game's end, he always seems to have 17 points and eight rebounds. If you're looking for a Bucknell star in the making, check out sophomore point guard Bryan Bailey.

Holy Cross' Josh Sankes sat out last year after transferring from Rutgers, and the rest did Sankes good. No other 7-footer (he's 7-1) plays more minutes than Sankes, who only comes out if he fouls out. He's produced 19 double-doubles and has been threatening to post a 20-point, 20-rebound game.

Who's Hot

Navy hasn't lost since its last visit to Lafayette 12 games ago. Lafayette's lone loss was Feb. 9 at Navy, and that 94-66 defeat seems to be an aberration, especially considering the way the Leopards dismantled Bucknell on the road this past Sunday. Bucknell beats everyone not named Lafayette and Navy. So, basically, if it's not a Navy-Lafayette final, there will be a lot of shocked people.

Recent History

Lafayette has won outright or shared the league's regular-season title the past three seasons. Navy's been at the top in three of the last four seasons. But last year, Navy was on the short end of the league's biggest upset. Lehigh, the No. 7 seed, didn't win a league game all season, but eliminated the No. 2 Midshipmen 53-45. ... One game that should go according to form is No. 3 Bucknell against No. 6 Lehigh. Bucknell has beaten Lehigh 20 straight times. ... Tournament championships appear to come in pairs, which should encourage Lafayette fans. Navy won in 1997 and 1998; Colgate, behind Adonal Foyle, won in 1995 and 1996, and Fordham won the first two tourneys in 1991 and 1992. … The league champion doesn't go on to great glory in the NCAAs; no Patriot League team has won a game in the NCAA Tournament.

Tidbits

Controversy blew around the league last week as it tried to pin down the exact reward for winning the first-place tiebreaker. The coaches, especially Lafayette's Fran O'Hanlon, believed the winner of the tie-breaker (RPI rating) would get to pick either a first-round bye or home court for the championship game. The league disagreed, saying that the winner would get both. The situation was resolved when the league athletic directors, without knowledge of the final RPI, voted to restore the choice of options. Lafayette, which was 20 places behind Navy early last week, made up ground and passed the Mids in the RPI to earn the choice. …

This is the first time Lafayette has played host to a league tournament since the mid 1970s when the old East Coast Conference rotated between Lafayette and the Penn Palestra. La Salle teams, featuring Joe "Jellybean" Bryant (Kobe's dad) were always a big draw. Lafayette's Kirby Sports Center was the site of two Ivy League playoff games between Penn and Princeton. ...

There hasn't been any rumors floating around the league regarding coaching changes. Pat Harris is said to be safe at Army, and the Cadets did him a favor by beating Holy Cross and Albany late in the season. Sal Mentesana should be around for at least another year at Lehigh, though more was expected from the Mountain Hawks this season. He deserves another year with a second class of scholarship players. Only the other league coaches realized how low the Lehigh program was before Mentesana took over. ...

If you're looking for a player to go big in the first round, bet on Bucknell center Dan Bowen against Lehigh or Holy Cross center Josh Sankes against Colgate. ... When Army met Lafayette on the road two weeks ago the Cadets managed just 14 first-half points.

Who's Headed to the Dance

Lafayette's tougher non-league schedule enabled it to produce a better RPI by three places than Navy. Those games -- at Georgia Tech, at Villanova, St. Joseph's in the New Mexico Holiday Tournament -- steeled the Leopards for this moment. That experience, plus getting the final at home, gives Lafayette the inside track for a second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but Navy will be plenty tough to beat. Only the winner of the conference tournament will go the Big Dance, likely as a 15th seed. Take your pick: Lafayette or Navy.