MADISON, Wis. – Greg Gard had yet to do a deep dive on the University of Wisconsin’s first-round opponent in this week’s NCAA Tournament but name recognition already signaled one thing to him: Colgate is going to be a tough starting point late Friday night.
“All the bad news got their toes in the sand right now,” Gard quipped. “Colgate, Matt Langel has done a really good job there.”
In reality, Gard undersold the job Langel has done for the Raiders in his 11th season. Sitting at 4-10 on January 4, the Raiders have gone 19-1 since and enter Friday evening’s matchup with the Badgers with the nation’s third-longest winning streak at 15 games.
Earning a No.3 seed in the Midwest Region, Wisconsin (24-7) is 17-6 in the NCAA Tournament first round since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The Badgers are making their 26th trip to the Big Dance overall and are one of five schools to appear in 22 of the last 23 NCAA tournaments.
We take a closer look at Colgate.
What Do the Computers Say?
Colgate enters the NCAA Tournament ranked 128th in the NCAA Net Rankings. The Raiders are 0-2 in Quad 1, 1-0 in Quad 2, 1-6 in Quad 3, and 20-3 in Quad 4. Colgate is ranked No.119 in KenPom, No.132 in T-Rank, and No.133 in Sagarin.
The Raiders Turned Their Season Around
Located in the city of Hamilton, roughly an hour southeast of Syracuse in upstate New York, Colgate went 4-9 in nonconference play. Its best win was at Syracuse (NET 86), its worst loss at Harvard (229), and lost to Power-Five schools NC State and Pittsburgh on the road by three points each.
After four games postponed in January, Colgate ended the month 9-11 after a 72-61 victory over Lafayette. Starting with that victory, the Raiders won their next 12 games to win the outright regular-season title by four games over Navy.
As the top seed in the Patriot League tournament, Colgate was equally dominant and won its three games by an average of 21.3 points.
What's the Makeup of Colgate's Team?
Colgate’s starting lineup is made up of three seniors and two juniors, all averaging over 10 points per game with four averaging over 30 minutes per game. The Raiders’ offense ranks 79th in the country in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency, scoring 108.3 points per 100 possessions, and shoots a lot of 3-point shots. Colgate has attempted the seventh-most threes (837) with the sixth-most makes (337). The Raiders rank second in Division 1 in 3-point percentage at 40.3.
The Raiders have three players ranked in the Patriot League's top 10 for 3-point field goal percentage, including sixth-man Oliver Lynch-Daniels (54.0) and Ryan Moffatt (44.7), and five rotational players shooting 35.9 percent or better.
Defensively Colgate gives up 104.1 points per 100 possessions and is rated 209th in the country by KenPom, the fourth-worst in the 68 team field. However, Colgate is 20-0 this season when its opponent scores less than 70 points and 3-11 when the opponent reaches the 70-point plateau. The Raiders held their opponents to less than 70 points in 14 conference contests and went 14-0 in those games.
Who is the Leading Scorer?
Senior 6-foot guard Nelly Cummings is averaging 14.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists while shooting 36.1 percent from 3-point range. A first-team all-conference selection, he has led the Raiders in scoring 13 times.
Who Are Others To Watch?
Senior 6-5 wing Tucker Richardson was a first-team All-Patriot League pick and was first-team all-defense this season. He leads the team in minutes (33 per game), rebounds (5.6 per game), assists (3.9 per game), steals (1.4 per game), and is the second-leading scorer at 12.6 points per game.
Fifth-year guard Jack Ferguson earned Patriot League Championship Most Valuable Player honors and a spot on the All-Tournament Team after scoring a team-high 17 points in the title game March 9. Ferguson also finished with five rebounds, five boards, and two steals.
Junior 6-10 forward Keegan Records leads the Patriots League in field goal percentage (64.5) and blocked shots per game (1.6). He has three double-doubles and three 20-point games this season.
Series History
Wisconsin and Colgate have met once before when the Badgers pulled out a 68-41 home win in 2011. Ben Brust scored 17 points off the bench to lead all scorers. The game marked Langel’s second as Colgate’s head coach.
Wisconsin is 6-0 all-time against teams from the Patriot League, including 2-0 in the NCAA Tournament. The Badgers defeated Bucknell, 71-62, in the second round of the 2005 Tournament and knocked off American, 75-35, in the opening round of the 2014 Tournament in Milwaukee.
NCAA Tournament History
Wisconsin is 39-24 (.619) all-time in the NCAA tournament, reaching four Final Fours and 10 Sweet 16s. The Badgers have made the Sweet 16 in six of the last 10 NCAA tournaments, reaching the NCAA tournament’s second weekend in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017 during that stretch.
Colgate has appeared in four prior NCAA Tournaments (1995, 1996, 2019, and 2021) but it still searching for its first win. The Raiders were also a No. 14 seed last season and fell to Arkansas, 85-68. In 2019, Colgate lost to Tennessee, 77-70, as a No.14 seed.
Useless Fact
Colgate considers 13 to be its lucky number. The University, which celebrates Colgate Day every Friday the 13th, was founded by 13 men on $13 with 13 articles and 13 prayers. The 13 stripes as a graphic element pay homage to those student-athletes who have come before, and to those who earned their stripes competing for championships.
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