Bucknell faces American in Patriot League quarters

Bucknell (13-19, 9-10) vs. No. 2 seed American (16-13, 12-6)

Patriot League Conference Tourney Quarterfinals, Bender Arena, Washington; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Bucknell is set to match up against American in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League tournament. The teams split the regular season series at one win apiece. The teams last met on Feb. 15, when American made only two 3-pointers on 18 attempts while the Bison went 10 for 25 from deep on the way to a 72-68 victory.

STEPPING UP: The dynamic Sa’eed Nelson is averaging 18.4 points, five rebounds and 4.8 assists to lead the charge for the Eagles. Complementing S. Nelson is Stacy Beckton Jr., who is putting up 9.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. The Bison have been led by Jimmy Sotos, who is averaging 11.8 points.

OFFENSIVE THREAT: S. Nelson has made or assisted on 49 percent of all American field goals over the last five games. The senior guard has accounted for 49 field goals and 20 assists in those games.

SIGNIFICANCE OF 63: Bucknell is 0-11 when its offense scores 63 points or fewer. American is a perfect 10-0 when it holds opponents to 63 or fewer points and has allowed 60.8 points per game over its last five.

WINNING WHEN: The Eagles are 6-0 when holding opponents to 40.4 percent or worse from the field, and 10-13 when opponents shoot better than that. The Bison are 5-0 when the team blocks at least six shots and 8-19 when they fall short of that total.

STIFLING DEFENSE: Bucknell has forced opponents into committing turnovers on 20.1 percent of all possessions, the highest rate among all Patriot League teams. The Bison have forced conference foes into turnovers on 21.5 percent of all possessions.