About Bucknell
March 14, 2017 by Mike CasazzaWest Virginia is a 13 1/2-point favorite Thursday against Bucknell in the first round of the NCAA tournament. It’s the largest point spread in a 4/13 matchup. It’s greater than what you’ll find in two of the 3/14 games. This means absolutely nothing, of course, but you get an idea of the perceived difference between these two programs.
One played in the Big 12, which has a No. 1 seed and a No. 3 seed above the Mountaineers and has some first-round picks on its rosters. The other played in the Patriot League, and Bucknell has only been awarding scholarships five years now. So you look at Bucknell’s statistics, and there’s a natural reaction. “Well, yeah, but that’s Patriot League competition.”
That’s not wrong, but it’s not right to say that, either. I’d like to begin there as we get to know the regular-season and tournament champion of the league that ranks No. 22 out of 32 in the RPI.
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