Can the Bucknell Bison finally be the team to wrangle the Patriot League title stronghold from Colgate?
Bucknell is off to an excellent start to 2024-25, a year in which the Bison will play their most challenging nonconference schedule. The Bison improved to 4-2 on the season with a huge comeback double-overtime victory over the Richmond Spiders 80-76 on Saturday and a blow-out victory over NJIT (81-64) on Thursday.
Bucknell Basketball Profile: Can The Overtime Warriors End Colgate’s Patriot League Championship Streak And Noah Williamson
Against Richmond, Bucknell overcame a 21-point first-half deficit and survived two late scorers from Richmond to force each overtime period. Trailing by 18 at the end of 20 minutes of action, the Bison outscored the Spiders 42-24 in the second half as they dominated the paint.
Noah Williamson scored 22 of his 26 points over the final 30 minutes, which saw the Bison score 61 points during this stretch. Williamson finished the game 9 of 13 from the field, including 1 of 2 from the 3-point line and 7 of 11 from the free-throw line. He added 10 rebounds, five blocks, and four assists in 44 minutes.
While Bucknell has officially played six games, the Bison have totaled over a half-game worth of extra minutes on the court. The Bison have played in a Division I high three overtime games and five overtime periods. The Bison have played two double-overtime games over the last eight days and are 2-1 in games that have gone beyond regulation.
Bucknell is a blown 14-point lead against Mount St. Mary’s from a 4-1 record. The Bison led the Mountaineers by six at the end of the first half; they then scored the first 22 of the second half’s 36 points to increase their lead to 14 with 11 minutes left in the game. They allowed MSM to shoot over 48% from the field, and the Mountaineers made nearly as many free throws (17) as the Bison shot (18).
Can Bucknell End Colgate’s Six-Year Patriot League Reign?
Bucknell has won four of its first six games for the first time since 2016-17. More significantly, the Bison have experienced their first taste of real success in several years.
Since February 25, Bucknell has a 9-3 record, including winning four of its last five Patriot League contests and an exhibition victory over St. Joseph’s prior to the start of 2024- 25. The Bison went 10-8 in conference play, marking its first winning Patriot League record since 2018-19. Their only loss to a conference opponent over the last five games was a five-point setback to Colgate in the League semifinals.
This is an essential note since the Bison returned everyone but three players last season. According to Bucknell Athletics, the Bison have one of their oldest teams in a number of years, with ten upper-level students, including six juniors.
Moreover, seven of the returnees were in second-year coach John Griffin’s rotation last season. The Bison returned 71.4% of the previous year’s scoring, 78% of all rebounds, 84% of the team’s assists, and 61.7% of their 3-pointers.
Despite last season’s success and important returning players, Bucknell was picked to finish fourth in the Patriot League preseason standings. Colgate, which has won or shared six straight Patriot League titles and four straight conference tournament crowns, was again chosen to finish atop the conference. American and Boston University were also picked higher than the Bison.
Bison Strengths and Weakness
Besides the wins previously mentioned (Richmond and NJIT), Bucknell has victories over Delaware and Southern Indiana. The Bison were defeated by No. 23 Kentucky before falling to Mt. St. Mary’s.
Besides experience, the Bison have versatility, and backcourt depth is a strength. The Bison are not a great shooting team, but they have shot it decently well in three of their five games and have defended decently well in a trio of games. Scoring balance, with five players contributing at least nine points a game, and their ability to get to the foul line are also strengths.
Bucknell is also not a real athletic squad. Ruot Bijiek is probably the most athletic player in Griffin’s rotation. The Bison don’t have an offensive creator and are not a good ball-handling team. They rank in the bottom 10% of the nation, with nearly 15 turnovers per game, with their main ball-handlers committing nearly seven of them.
In addition, the Bison are small upfront besides 7-footer Noah Williamson. As a result, the Bison are one of the worst rebounding teams in the nation, ranking in the bottom third of the country in offensive rebound and defensive rebound percentage.
Final Word
Bucknell and Colgate have dominated the Patriot League since 2010. During this 14-year stretch, the two schools have shared or won 12 Patriot regular season titles and nine conference tourney crowns, including seven of the past eight.
While it is very early, Bucknell is one of three Patriot League teams with a .500 record. Holy Cross (4-2) and Army (3-2) are the other squads with at least a .500 record.
Bucknell has a lot going for them and will be well-tested before entering the conference portion of their schedule. Bucknell has upcoming contests against Maryland, St. Bonaventure, Syracuse, and Gonzaga.
We will have to see how things play out, but the Bison’s starting unit is as good as any in the Patriot League. One thing is for certain: They have proven they can score, averaging 80 points a contest and not scoring less than 70 in any of their first six contests.
Bison’s Players
Senior point guard Josh Bascoe has taken control of the team and does a good job getting the Bison in their offensive sets. Bascoe is a decent facilitator, but turnovers remain a problem for the 6-footer, who has improved as a shooter and defender this year. He also can get to the rim and is a good free-throw shooter.
Bascoe scored at least 15 points in each of his first five games and has doled out five or more assists in his last two contests. Bascoe has made multiple 3-pointers in five of the six games.
Bijiek has improved in his three collegiate seasons and is showing the ability to have a career season this year. The 6-9 forward is long and has some defensive instincts on the perimeter. He is also the Bison’s top 3-point threat, scoring in double figures in each of his last three games.
While Bascoe has been a significant part of the Bison’s rotation for the last two years, Bijiek and Ian Motta have been important players for the previous three seasons. Motta is a good shooter who has stepped up his production thus far and has shown to be a quality defender. The 6-6 senior forward has tallied 15 points and knocked down multiple treys in three of his five appearances this season.
Davidson transfer Archile Spadone, known as a 3-point specialist, turned in a career with 14 points, eight rebounds, and five assists against NJIT. Elvin Edmonds IV—who has started over half of the Bison’s games over the last three-plus seasons—Brandon McCeesh, Pip Ajayi, and true freshman Jayden Williams provide depth for Griffin.
Noah Williamson’s NBA Prospective
Bucknell’s chances of ending Colgate’s reign rest on Williamson. Williamson is the league’s most talented player and perhaps the Bison’s top NBA prospect since Mike Muscala, who retired this summer after playing 11 seasons in the NBA.
Williamson is a 7-footer from Lativa, which is known for producing skillful big men: Kristaps Porzingis, Davis Bertans, Andris Biedrins, and Rodions Kurucs. If I were to pick one of those players that Williamson is most similar to, it would unquestionably be Porzingis.
Like Porzingis, Williamson is superbly skilled, and scoring is his best asset, though he is not the shooter that the Boston Celtic center is. The junior has improved every year, and after making a huge jump in year two, he is progressing to produce another career season. He has also improved as a shooter and aggressiveness, though getting to be fully engaged all the time is still an issue.
Williamson has been a little more consistent of late, which is great as it shows growth. He has turned in five of his 10 highest-scoring contests since the Patriot Conference Tournament, including three this season. He poured in a career-high 32 against Southern Indiana two weeks ago and had 26 against Richmond, tallying 22 of those points after halftime.
Strengths/Weaknesses
Williamson has also produced three double-doubles. While not overly athletic, Williamson finishes well at the rim. He can score with either hand and possesses some quickness when making low-post. He is also a good rim runner and does an outstanding job getting to the spot he wants.
Williamson is an excellent off-ball screener and has a 3-point range. While he has improved as a shooter, he is still a work in progress from deep. He excels at hitting the defensive glass, collecting nearly 30% of all boards on that end, and he is fantastic at boxing out opponents. However, he is a below-average offensive rebounder.
Williamson thrives against smaller defenders and can handle the ball in the open court. However, bigger and more physical opponents can push him around a little on both ends, so he needs to add some mass and get stronger.
He is also a very willing passer who is good at kicking the ball out to the perimeter and can handle double teams. While Williamson has improved as a passer, he needs to continue to improve, particularly in awareness.
Defensively, Williamson is a capable defender in the low post and on the perimeter. Due to his length and lateral quickness, he can switch off on guards. He has improved as a rim protector and shot blocker. But he does have some work to do against the pick-and-roll.
