Army Black Knights vs. Colgate Raiders Prediction & Game Preview - 1/10/2022

Time: 6 p.m. ET

Venue: Cotterell Court, Hamilton, NY

Where to watch: TBD

DraftKings: Colgate -7.5

BetMGM: Colgate -7.5

Caesars: NL

Army: 9-6 (3-0 Patriot League)

Colgate: 4-10 (0-1 Patriot)

Army: won three straight; won 77-55 vs. Lehigh on Jan. 7

Colgate: lost five straight; lost 85-81 at Lehigh on Jan. 4

It’s a high-scoring battle in the Patriot League on Monday when the Army Black Knights visit the Colgate Raiders in New York.

The Black Knights are off to a 3-0 start in conference play, joining the Navy Midshipmen as the only teams in the Patriot League to start undefeated. Maybe those basketball matchups will trump the football game this year, am I right? No?

All kidding aside, Army’s offense has been no joke. The Knights are averaging close to 74 points per game and have scored at least 75 in the last four games. Even during a 105-75 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Dec. 22, they’ve still found ways to score points.

Army is coming off a 77-55 win over Lehigh in a game where Jalen Rucker led all scorers with 22 points to go with five rebounds and four assists. All but one player scored for Army as it shot 54 percent while only shooting 11 threes as a team.

Rucker is Army’s leading scorer with 16.1 points per game despite shooting 39.1 percent from the floor. The Black Knights as a whole are shooting close to 45 percent from the floor, but defense is where they shine. They average 8.3 steals per game and block about two shots per game.

But even though Colgate is off to a 4-10 start and have lost five in a row, the Raiders have this hot knack for scoring as well. They average just a shade over 75 points per game, but have given up some in the defensive category.

Colgate did not have the type of success against Lehigh that Army had. The Raiders lost 85-81 at Lehigh on Tuesday. With only eight players available, the Raiders put up 81 points with three of them atoning for 54 of them. Tucker Richardson led them with 20 points while making all four 3-point attempts. Jack Ferguson chipped in with 18 points, while leading scorer Nelly Cummings had 16 to go with four rebounds and a team-high four assists.

The Raiders are favored to win this game via ESPN’s basketball index by a wide margin; 85.5 percent, despite having dropped five in a row. College basketball remains a weird sport.

I question Colgate’s ability to play a defensive game. If it comes down to defense, will the Raiders have enough in the tank to steal a win? Even so, the seven points Army is getting is too good to pass up. If you feel comfortable going with Colgate straight up, go for it. I’m willing to take a chance on the points and trust Army’s recent run. Army by 2

Army is 25-8 ATS since 1997 in January games.

Army is 5-1 ATS in the past three seasons with making 50 percent or more of their shots in two straight games.

Colgate is 18-11 ATS in the past three seasons when favored in home games.

Colgate is 1-6 ATS off a road loss this season.

PG: Jalen Rucker

SG: Aaron Duhart
SF: Josh Caldwell
PF: Chris Mann
C: Charlie Peterson

PG: Nelly Cummings

SG: Jack Ferguson
SF: Tucker Richardson
PF: Ryan Moffatt
C: Keegan Records