The #10 seed Holy Cross men's basketball team hits the road to battle #7 seed Lafayette in the 2026 Patriot League Tournament First Round on Tuesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. in the Kirby Sports Center. The contest will stream live on ESPN+.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT #10 HOLY CROSS (10-21, 5-13 PL): 

• Holy Cross ended the 2025-26 regular-season with a 76-62 loss at home to Loyola (Md.) on Saturday. Junior guard/forward Gabe Warren became the first Crusader since 2023-24 to score 30+ points in a game dropping a career-high 30 points on 10-of-17 (58.8 percent) shooting with seven rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot.
• Warren was named Patriot League Honorable Mention on Monday for the third time this season. He averaged a team-high 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists across 34.6 minutes per game last week shooting 51.9% (14-for-27) from the field and 81.3% (13-for-16) from the charity stripe.
• Sophomore guard Tyler Boston is averaging a team-high 17.0 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game on 57.1 percent (12-for-21) shooting and 40.0 percent (4-of-10) from deep in two games against Lafayette this season.
• Holy Cross has 12 or fewer turnovers in 21 of its last 23 games. As a team, the Crusaders rank first in the Patriot League and 54th in the nation in turnovers per game (10.3).
• After going 0-for-14 over a seven game stretch (Jan. 17-Feb. 7) from three, freshman forward Aiden Disu is 11-for-19 (57.9 percent) from range over his last six games.
• Holy Cross is the eighth ranked Patriot League team in the 2026 Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings (332nd). They rank 318th (100.9) in offensive rating and 325th (118.0) in defensive rating.

HOLY CROSS IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT:

• The Crusaders have won six Patriot League championships which are tied for the second most in Patriot League history with Bucknell. Holy Cross has appeared in the championship game 11 times tied with Colgate for the second most in the league. They are looking for their first Patriot League title since 2016 when they won four straight road games as the #9 seed.
• Overall, Holy Cross is 36-29 (.554) in the Patriot League Championship tournament, which are the third most wins by any league program. They hold a 4-5 (.444) record during the first round. The Crusaders are 8-16 (.333) playing on the road in the conference dance.
• Holy Cross has lost six of the last eight Patriot League tournament games dating back to the 2019 Patriot League Tournament.
• In the history of the Patriot League tournament, the #10 seed has a 2-10 (.167) record against the #7 seed in the semifinal round.
• Holy Cross is 3-6 (.333) against Lafayette in the Patriot League tournament and 1-3 (.250) on the road.

SCOUTING THE #7 LEOPARDS (11-20, 8-10 PL): 

• Lafayette was won three of the last four games including an 83-77 victory at home against Army on Saturday. Four players scored in double figures including Mark Butler who led the way with 21 points, six assists, four rebounds and nine free throw conversions.
• Butler was named Patriot League Honorable Mention on Monday. He averaged 18.0 points and 4.0 assists for the Leopards last week.
• Butler is tops in the Patriot League and ninth in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.7).
• Five players averaged 10+ points across a pair of games against the Crusaders in 2025-26. Caleb Williams averaged a team-best 16.5 points with 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game going a perfect 10-for-10 (100 percent) at the line.
• In both meetings this year, the Leopards as shooting 40.5 percent (15-of-37) from deep against the Crusaders while winning the rebounding margin by +9.0.
• Lafayette is the seventh ranked Patriot League team in the 2026 Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings (325th). They rank 319th (100.8) in offensive rating and 299th (115.8) in defensive rating.

LAFAYETTE IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT:

• The Leopards have won three conference championships with their last coming during the 2014-15 season on March 11, 2015, a 65-63 win at home against American.
• Overall, Lafayette is 29-32 (.475) in the league championship tournament and has a 13-4 (.929) mark at home in the PLT.
• Dating back to 2010, Lafayette is 5-1 (.833) against Holy Cross in the tournament.

LAST TIME THEY MET: 

• Holy Cross is 42-40 (.512) in the series history against Lafayette which began back in 1947. Lafayette has won 14 of the last 19 meetings. The Crusaders have not earned a win in Easton since, March 5, 2019.
• In their last meeting on Feb. 18, the Leopards rallied from a 19 point second half deficit for the 86-83 victory.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross men's basketball team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
X - @HCrossMBB | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrossmbb | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Men's Basketball | Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross