Longhorns on Upset Watch? Colgate Built for March Madness Shocker
DES MOINES, IOWA - The Texas Longhorns will square off with the Colgate Raiders in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament in Des Moines, Iowa at Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday, marking the first all-time meeting between the two programs.
The second-seeded Longhorns, tournament champions of the Big 12 Conference, have emerged as one of the favorites to bring down the confetti on Monday, April 3 after a strong late-season push. But first they'll have to pass the not-so-easy test that 15th-seeded Colgate presents, as the Patriot League regular-season and tournament champs are a team that has the tools to pull off the upset.
So, who exactly are these guys from Hamilton, N.Y.?
Colgate Raiders (26-8, 17-1)
A historical program that has its first season on record dating back to 1900, Colgate has seen some of its most memorable success occur within the past handful of seasons under coach Matt Langel, who is now set to lead the Raiders to their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the past five seasons. Colgate had made it to the Big Dance just twice in its history before Langel's arrival.
After posting an 8-22 record in his first season at the helm in 2011, Langel has led the team to winning records in six straight seasons since the 2017-18 campaign.
And this season has been arguably the best ever for the team, as the Raiders head into the tournament already with the most wins (26) and conference wins (17) in program history.
Look no further than their elite and efficient offense as a major reason why.
Colgate is second in the country in:
- field goal percent (51.4)
- effective field goal percentage (.585)
- assists/turnover ratio (1.82)
Third in the country in:
- assists per game (18.6)
- total assists (631)
And, despite being a team that allowed the fifth-most points per game in the Patriot League, Colgate remained disciplined on defense, committing the fewest fouls per game (12.6) in the country.
Langel clearly has an idea of what he's doing, and could land a role at a bigger program as a result if he keeps it up.
It shouldn't be understated how impressive it is that the Raiders ranked right near the top in these telling offensive categories. A team with March Madness experience that has smart decision-making, sharpened scheme and, of course, the talent to go along gives Colgate the ability to live up to the regular season and conference tournament success by pulling off the shocker over the Longhorns.
But Texas has had an elite season and heads to Iowa after having some hot defensive performances in the conference tournament. While allowing all three opponents in the Big 12 Tournament to 60 points or fewer, the Longhorns also forced a whopping 49 turnovers in that three-game span against stout competition like the defending champion Kansas Jayhawks, who are the No. 1 seed in the West Region.
The Longhorns ranked seventh in the nation in total turnovers forced (551) and will simply out-muscle and out-speed the Raiders. Texas' front-court has been on fire as of late and will be getting Timmy Allen back from a three-game absence. Dylan Disu will look to maintain his recent offensive feel after being name Most Outstanding Player in the Big 12 Tournament.
Still, considering Colgate's well-working offense, it's unsurprising the Raiders had five players average at least 10 points and only one player on the roster shoot less than 40 percent from the floor.
Three seniors lead the team in scoring, with guard Tucker Richardson at the top averaging 13.9 points per contest. Keegan Records (13 points) and Oliver Lynch-Daniels (12.3) are right behind him as the second- and third-leading scorers, respectively.
However, Richardson is the driving force for a team that he's in his fifth season with. He also leads Colgate in assists (5.8) and steals (2.1) per game and failed to reach double figures in scoring just six games this season.
Colgate didn't have many chances at securing upsets against power conference opponents during the regular season due to scheduling. While the Raiders got a 80-68 win over Syracuse in the fourth game of the season, a 93-66 loss to then-No. 15 Auburn on Dec. 12 is by far their worse loss during what has been an impressive campaign since.
It's safe to say that the Raiders aren't just satisfied with being in the tournament. Richardson is set to make his fourth March Madness appearance in five seasons, and certainly won't want to fall to 0-4.
The Longhorns could end up doing the expected and end things quickly to advance.
But as the cliche goes, anything can happen in March. And are we going to forget that No. 15 Saint Peter's made it to the Elite 8 just one year ago?
If any of the No. 15 seeds in the 2023 bracket were to do something similar, it'd be Colgate and it's not close.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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