Colgate vs Army Odds, Spread and Picks (Jan. 9)

• Colgate and Army meet for a share of Patriot League lead on Monday, January 9.
• Colgate is a 6.5-point road favorite over Army in Christi Arena at West Point.
• Read below for Colgate vs Army odds, analysis and prediction.

Colgate (9-7, 3-0 Patriot) is a 6.5-point road favorite over Army in a Patriot League game at 7:00 pm ET, Monday, on the CBS Sports Network. The Raiders have won three games in a row and four of their last six.

Army (9-7, 3-0 Patriot) has won four games in a row seven of its last nine behind guard Jalen Rucker, the league’s leading returning scorer. The Black Knights are one of four Division I teams who have never played in the NCAA Tournament.

Colgate vs Army Odds

Odds from Barstool Sportsbook on Jan. 8. Claim the Barstool Sportsbook promo code. 

Colgate is a 6.5-point road favorite over Army in a series the Raiders have dominated recently. Colgate is 12-2 SU in the series since 2017. The teams have played six times in the last two seasons, four in Covid-affected 2021, and the Raiders are 5-1 SU and ATS in those. Colgate is 8-7 ATS this season, 5-3 ATS on the road. Army is 6-8 ATS, 1-3 ATS at home. The over is 10-5 in the Colgate games on the board and 8-6 in the Army games on the board.

Army Off to a Fast Start

Guard Jalen Rucker has propelled the Black Knights to their best Patriot League start in nine seasons. Junior 5’10 Rucker is averaging a team-high 15.7 points per game, second in the league in scoring. He has 56 points in the last two games, league victories at Lafayette and Loyola-Maryland, and had a career-high 35 points in a 78-55 win against Loyola the last time out Thursday. Rucker made 10 of 14 three-pointers in the last two games.

𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗗 𝗛𝗜𝗠‼️

RUCKER has 30 after draining another triple‼️

📺 https://t.co/dPwB5bq6m4#GoArmy @espn @PatriotLeagueTV pic.twitter.com/4eyTcJY3ps

— Army Men's Basketball (@ArmyWP_MBB) January 6, 2023

Rucker and returning starters forward 6’6 Chris Mann (13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds) and forward 6’9 Charlie Peterson (8.8 points, 5.7 rebounds) are joined by freshman double-digit scorers guard  6’2 Colston Benson and (12.1 points) and guard 6’4 Ethan Roberts (10.8, 4.7). With Rucker (4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists) running the show, the Black Knights are shooting 48.7 percent from  the floor and are averaging 8.8 three-pointers per game, in the top 20 percent of Division I teams.

Rucker tied a then-career high with 29 points in a 100-90 loss to Colgate when the teams met at West Point last season, the Knights’ fifth loss in a six-game losing streak that dropped them out of league contention. The Knights trailed by four points with five minutes remaining before the Raiders pulled away.

Colgate Still on Top

Colgate has won the last two and three of the last four Patriot League tournaments titles behind an well-designed, attacking offense that is led by fifth-year senior guard 6’5 Tucker Richardson, who was voted both the league preseason player of the year and defensive player of the year. Richardson is averaging 15.3 points per game and had seven assists in an 87-73 home victory over Navy to set the Raiders’ career assists record with 507.

Congratulations to the @PatriotLeague Preseason Player and Defensive Player of the Year, @ColgateMBB's Tucker Richardson (@tuckrich24).@MarchMadnessMBB @ESPN @colgateuniv pic.twitter.com/af4m3rWiXI

— Patriot League on ESPN (@PatriotLeagueTV) October 12, 2022

Richardson has increased his scoring average in each of his four previous seasons and is averaging career highs in assists (4.9 per game) and steals (2.1) this season while making 35 three-pointers. Chipping in are freshman 6′ guard Braedon Smith (12.5 points, 4.6 assists) and returnees 6’10 senior Keegan Records (12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds) and guard 6’2 Oliver Lynch-Daniels (11.8 points, 33 threes). Smith is a two-time Patriot League Freshman of the Week.

The Patriots are shooting 51.5 percent from the field and thanks to their 9.3 made three-pointers per game lead Division I in effective field goal percentage (59.3).

Army vs Colgate Prediction

The Raiders have won 18 straight Patriot League games and have won and covered the last four against Army as a favorite of at least 6.5 points, with three of those games going over the total. Colgate (80.9) and Army (76.3) are 1-2 in the league in scoring. Colgate has won the last three at Army by 10, nine and 10 points, and there seems little reason to buck that trend.

• Pick: Colgate -6.5 (-110)
• Season CBK: 15-8 ATS