April 9, 2008

Center Valley, Pa. - American's first Championship was just one memorable aspect of a strong 2007-08 campaign for the Patriot League. The eight teams combined to set a League record with 62 non-League wins, and made the Patriot League one of only two conferences in the nation to have each of its members record at least 12 victories against Division I competition. Read about all the highlights, final League and team notes and statistical achievements in the season-ending release for the 2007-08 campaign.

Patriot League Men's Basketball Final Release - 4.9.08

Patriot League Notebook

American Wins Regular-Season and Tournament Crown

American earned its first-ever Patriot League Championship with a 52-46 win over Colgate on March 14. The Eagles also captured their first outright regular-season Patriot League title since 2002, and first at all since 2004, by going 10-4 in the League this season. They claimed the outright crown with a win and a Navy loss on the final day of the year. The Eagles played as the No. 1 seed in the League Tournament for the first time since 2002. American made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament after 41 seasons as a Division I program.

History-Making Win Totals

For the first time in the 18-year history of the Patriot League, every team recorded at least 10 victories in a season, and each squad finished with at least 12 wins. The Atlantic Coast Conference was the only other league in the country where every member had at least 12 wins against Division I opponents. Also, every team recorded at least five wins in League play for the first time in history.

Competitive Race From Top To Bottom

The final Patriot League regular-season standings marked the first time since the 1993-94 season and second in League history that all eight teams finished within five games of each other. First-place American recorded a 10-4 League mark, while last-place Holy Cross came in at 5-9. The top two finishers pulled off surprising seasons based on preseason rankings, as American became the third team to win the title after being picked fifth in the preseason and Navy placed second after a seventh-place preseason ranking.

Quarterfinal Round To Remember

After a competitive and unpredictable regular season, the Patriot League Tournament opened up with the closest quarterfinal round in history. The four games were decided by a combined eight points, with every contest within three points or less and coming down to the final possession. Bucknell beat Navy, 87-86, in the first triple overtime game in League history when John Griffin hit a 40-foot bank shot as time expired. Army went to overtime to win at Lehigh, 64-61, marking the first time since 2003-04 that two games went to overtime in the quarterfinals. American and Colgate both won by two points, with the Eagles scoring late to beat Holy Cross, 62-60, and Colgate topping Lafayette, 76-74.

Non-League Success

Patriot League teams set a record with 62 non-League victories in the 2007-08 season. The 62-56 mark is the best-ever non-League record, and breaks the mark of 60 wins which was set just last year. It is the second all-time winning mark in non-League action, and is made even more impressive because Patriot League teams played an all Division I schedule for the first time in 2007-08. The Patriot League was the first Division I conference to have all of its teams record a road victory this year, and the second to have every team beat a Division I opponent.

RPI Rises Again

The Patriot League finished in the 16th-place position in the Collegiate Basketball News RPI rating. The League had a .4870 weighted RPI, which was just .0004 behind the 15th-place West Coast Conference. American led all League teams at No. 92 in the RPI rating. The Patriot League is one of only six conferences in the nation to place all of its teams in the top 250, and the only Mid-Major league to accomplish the feat.

American Makes It Eight

American became the eighth Patriot League program, and seventh active member, to make it to the NCAA Tournament as a Patriot League representative. Holy Cross leads all teams with five appearances, while Navy has three. Colgate, Bucknell and Lafayette each have two, while American joins Lehigh with one appearance. Fordham, which played in the Patriot League from 1991-94, made an NCAA appearance in 1992. The Eagles also added to the success of No. 1 seeds in the Patriot League Tournament, becoming the 14th overall No. 1 seed and fifth in the last six years to win the title.

Colgate and American Play Lowest-Scoring League Title Game

Colgate and American had the two lowest point totals in Patriot League Championship game history in the Eagles' 52-46 win. Both scores broke the low mark of 54 set by American in 2002. The Eagles made No. 1 seeds a perfect 6-0 all-time against No. 3 seeds in the title game, and no seed lower than No. 2 has ever won the League title. Home squads improved to 13-4 in Patriot League title games with American's win, including 13-2 since 1994.

Kings Of Overtime

Lafayette set an NCAA record with five overtime road victories in 2007-08, and matched an NCAA mark with six overall overtime triumphs. The Leopards won their first six overtime games, setting the mark with a 103-99 victory at Navy on Jan. 19. They had a chance to win a seventh game, but fell to Bucknell, 77-75, on Feb. 20. That contest did make Lafayette the first team in League annals to play seven overtime games in a season.

Following the Trends

Comebacks, close games and an end to long series winning streaks were the defining themes of the Patriot League season. The winning team had to rally from a second-half deficit in 40 of the 63 Patriot League games this year (including Tournament contests), with 23 of those comebacks from six points or more down. Twenty-three was also the number for close games, with that many contests decided by five points or less. Forty-four of the 63 contests were within 10 points. There were 12 series win streaks of seven games or more snapped during the year, with 11 of those coming against Holy Cross or Bucknell.

Sprink Adds a Pair of Honors To Stellar Season

After earning Patriot League Player of the Year honors, Navy's Greg Sprink capped his career with a pair of Honorable Mention nods on All-America lists. He earned that status on the AP All-America Team, and also on the CollegeHoops.Net Mid-Major squad. He became the sixth Patriot Leaguer in the last seven years to earn AP Honorable Mention status. Sprink finished 14th in the country with 21.8 points per game, and became the first Patriot League player to average more than 20 points a game since the 1997-98 campaign. Sprink closes his career fifth in Patriot League history in scoring (1,785 points), ninth in three-pointers made (237), fourth in free throw percentage (84.3) and 21st in rebounding (592). He is one of three Patriot League players to score 1,500 points, grab 500 rebounds and dish out 200 assists.

Carr Leads the Barrage from Long Range

American junior guard Garrison Carr posted the best season in Patriot League history from three-point range, and one of the best in NCAA annals. Carr made a League record 135 three-pointers on the season, shattering the old mark of 99 and tying for 12th on the NCAA single-season list. He finished second in the nation in three-point field goals made in 2007-08, and was fifth with 4.1 three-pointers per game and 13th with a 45.2 percentage from beyond the arc. But Carr wasn't the only one to crack the Patriot League record book or show up on national lists for long-range marksmanship. Lafayette set a League record with 299 three-pointers made, with Navy coming in second all-time with 288 threes for the year. The teams were reversed in three-point attempts, with Navy setting a mark with 820 attempts and Lafayette in second in League annals with 754 attempts. Lafayette and Navy were fifth and sixth nationally in three-pointers per game, while American placed sixth with a 40.8 three-point percentage. Lafayette's Andrew Brown and Army's Jarell Brown were in the top 20 nationally in three-pointers made per game, finishing with 99 and 101 threes, respectively. Navy's Chris Harris placed in the top 35 in three-pointers made per game and three-point percentage.

Moving Up the Lists

While the records came from three-point range, there was plenty of movement on the all-time Patriot League leaderboard. Eight players finished the year in the 1,000-point club, with Army's Jarell Brown joining Sprink in the top 25 with 1,444 career points (23rd all-time). Lehigh's Bryan White finished his career 10th in League history in rebounding (643), while Holy Cross' Tim Clifford went out in third place in blocked shots (210). American guard Derrick Mercer climbed to ninth with 383 assists with one season still to play. Jarell Brown (251) and Sprink (237) place in the top 10 in three-pointers made, while Colgate's Kendall Chones (52.8) and Clifford (51.6) are on the top 10 list for field goal percentage. Carr enters next season second in all-time three-point percentage at 42.1.

Team Notebooks

American The Eagles won their first Patriot League Championship with a 52-46 victory over Colgate in the title game on March 14, but saw their season come to an end with a 72-57 loss to Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship...The Eagles were within one point against Tennessee with six minutes to play in the game...They earned their first NCAA Tournament berth in 41 seasons as a Division I member, and made the postseason for the first time since playing in the NIT in 1982...They became the eighth Patriot League program and seventh active member to take home the crown after dropping title contests in 2002, 2003 and 2004...American claimed its first regular-season crown since 2004, and first outright regular-season title since its first season in the Patriot League in 2002...American won its final seven home contests of the season...Garrison Carr was named Patriot League Tournament Most Valuable Player, and led all scorers with 26 points in American's loss to Tennessee...Brian Gilmore also earned All-Tournament honors for his efforts....Carr was a First-Team All-Patriot League pick, while Derrick Mercer garnered Second-Team All-League recogntion....Carr broke a Patriot League record with 135 three-pointers, finishing second in the nation and 12th in NCAA single-season history...He placed fifth nationally with 4.1 three-pointers per game, and was in the top 15 in three-point and free-throw percerntage...His 18.4 points per game were second in the Patriot League...American was sixth nationally with a 40.8 three-point percentage...The Eagles also placed in the NCAA top 50 in scoring defense (36th) and free throw shooting (35th)...American's 21 wins were its most as a Patriot League member.

Army The Black Knights lost in the Patriot League Semifinals for the second year in a row, falling at American, 72-60 on March 9...They made the semifinal round in consecutive seasons for the second time...Senior guard Jarell Brown earned First-Team All-Patriot League honors, while sophomore Josh Miller was selected to the All-Tournament Team...Brown's 101 three-pointers were the second-most in Patriot League history, behind only the 135 from American's Garrison Carr this season...Brown was third in the League with an 18.2 scoring average...Army played solid defense, placing 36th in the nation in scoring defense and 29th in steals per game...Army finished its season at 14-16 overall and 6-8 in League play...It marked the first time the Black Knights have won at least that many contests in consecutive seasons since 1977-78 (19) and 1978-79 (14)...Their 6-8 League mark matched the 2001-02 season as the best in school history.

Bucknell The Bison saw their streak of three consecutive title game appearances come to an end with a 54-40 loss at Colgate in the Patriot League Semifinals on March 9...They were trying to become the first team in League history to play in four consecutive championship contests...Bucknell won the first triple overtime game in League history with an 87-86 victory over Navy on a 40-foot buzzer-beater by John Griffin in the quarterfinals on March 5...The Bison advanced to the semifinals for the eighth year in a row...Griffin was a First-Team All-League selection, while Stephen Tyree earned Defensive Player of the Year honors...Todd O'Brien earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team...Bucknell led the League in three-point percentage defense, holding opponents to a 32.2 clip...The Bison finish the season at 12-19 overall and 6-8 in the Patriot League...It was their first losing campaign since 2003-04.

Colgate The Raiders saw their hopes at a Patriot League Championship extinguished with a 52-46 loss to American in the title game on March 14...Colgate was playing in its fourth title contest, and first since winning the second of their back-to-back titles in 1996...Colgate was trying to become the first Patriot League team seeded No. 3 or lower to win the Championship...The Raiders had won six games in a row coming into the title contest...Kyle Roemer finished with 74 points in Colgate's Tournament games against Lafayette, Bucknell and American, just two off the record set by Navy's T.J. Hall in 1994...Roemer, Alex Woodhouse and Kendall Chones were each named to the All-Tournament Team, while Roemer also earned Second-Team All-League Honors...Mike Venezia was an All-Rookie selection...Woodhouse had a career-high 16 rebounds for the Raiders in the title contest, and was just one off the mark for rebounds in a Patriot League Championship game...It was the lowest scoring Championship game in Patriot League Tournament history, and Colgate's 46 points were the lowest in title game annals...Colgate finishes the season at 18-14 overall, and at 7-7 in the League...The 18 wins were the most since the 2002-03 season...Colgate also recorded nine non-League Division I victories, which were its most since the 1979-80 season.

Holy Cross The Crusaders saw their chances at a repeat title and fourth consecutive trip to the League Championship end in a 62-60 loss at American in the Patriot League Quarterfinals on March 5...They fell in the quarterfinals for the first time since 2004, and lost to a team other than Bucknell in the Tournament for the first time since 2000...The Crusaders dropped their final three contests of the season, and lost their last four games against League teams...Senior center Tim Clifford garnered First-Team All-League honors, while Andrew Beinert was an All-Rookie pick...The Crusaders led the Patriot League in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense and rebounding margin, ranking in the NCAA top 50 in all three categories...They were 16th in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to 60.5 points per game...Holy Cross finishes 15-14 overall and 5-9 in the League, posting its fourth consecutive winning season...It finished in last place in the regular season for the first time in League history, and the 5-9 League record is the worst for the Crusaders since finishing 3-9 in the 1999-00 campaign.

Lafayette The Leopards fell in the quarterfinal round for the fifth year in a row with a 76-74 loss at Colgate on March 5...It was their seventh loss in eight games to close the season...The Leopards had both Bilal Abdullah and Andrew Brown garner Second-Team All-Patriot League honors...Matt Betley earned Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognition...The Leopards connected on a Patriot League record 299 three-pointers for the year, finishing fifth in the NCAA with 10.0 three-pointers per game...Brown was third in the League with 99 three-pointers, which also tied him for the third-highest mark in a single season in Patriot League history...Lafayette was 16th with a 39.7 percentage from beyond the arc...They led the Patriot League with 444 assists...The Leopards set an NCAA record with five overtime road wins, and tied a mark with six overtime wins...They set a Patriot League mark with seven overtime games...The Leopards finished 15-15 overall, which ended a streak of three losing seasons.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks dropped a quarterfinal round game at home to Army for the second year in a row, losing 64-61 in overtime on March 5...They had won in the quarterfinal round in the prior three years...Lehigh had two players earn Patriot League honors, with Marquis Hall on the Second Team and Rob Keefer on the All-Rookie Team...Keefer garnered Rookie of the Year recognition....Lehigh led the Patriot League in assist/turnover ratio, while boasting the leading rebounder and assist man in the League...Bryan White compiled 8.2 rebounds per game to lead the League, while Hall finished with a League-best 4.4 assists per contest...White finishes his career 10th in Patriot League history with 642 rebounds...The Mountain Hawks finished the season 14-15, their second straight year with a losing mark, and were 7-7 in League play...The Mountain Hawks still had an 11-4 record at home.

Navy The Mids saw their season come to an end at home with an 87-86 defeat in a classic triple overtime game against Bucknell...It was the first triple overtime game in Patriot League history...Navy dropped a quarterfinal contest for the seventh year in a row....Senior Greg Sprink, the Patriot League Player of the Year, scored a career-high 37 points for the Mids in the loss...Sprink has been selected an Honorable Mention All-American by the AP and the CollegeHoops.Net Mid-Major Team...He finished his career fifth in Patriot League annals with 1,785 points...He was the first Patriot League player since 1997-98 to average more than 20 points per game for a season, finishing 14th nationally with 21.8 ppg...Navy had another Patriot League award winner, with Billy Lange claiming the Coach of the Year honor...Sprink was Navy's lone First-Team All-Patriot League representative, while Chris Harris made the Second Team and Romeo Garcia was named to the All-Rookie Team...Navy led the Patriot League and placed 46th in the nation in scoring offense (76.3 ppg)...The Mids also led the League and placed in the top 20 nationally in free throw percentage and steals...Navy's 820 three-point attempts set a Patriot League record, while their 288 three-pointers made is second in League annals to only the 299 that Lafayette hit this season...In the quarterfinal loss to Bucknell, the Mids set a Patriot League Tournament record with 40 three-point field goal attempts, and Sprink set a Tournament mark with 28 field goal attempts...Sprink and Harris both matched a Tournament record with 14 attempts from long range...Navy finished 16-14 overall and 9-5 in the League, recording its most overall and League wins since the 2000-01 season...The Mids ended a six-year stretch of losing records in overall and League play.