Posted at 9:00 AM ET. Odds are subject to change

LEHIGH +120 ML over Columbia

Stabler Center – Bethlehem, PA

6:00 PM ET. We’re still not buying Columbia as road chalk, and judging by this tight number, neither are the oddsmakers. Yes, the Lions have won five of the last six in this series, and aside from getting handled at UConn, they’ve done what they were supposed to do. But look at who they’ve beaten: a newly promoted D2 program in New Haven and two home wins over UMass Lowell and Boston University. Even in the BU game, Columbia had to grind out a low-scoring affair just to survive. That profile doesn’t suddenly warrant respect on the road.

This spot is entirely different. Lehigh comes in battle-tested and seasoned by real competition. Their three losses look ugly if you ignore context, but context is everything: they opened at Houston, arguably the best team in the nation, and then went into West Virginia and Rutgers. That’s not a bad résumé—that’s a gauntlet. And when the Mountain Hawks finally saw opponents closer to their weight class, they handled business: a blowout of a D2 team and a double-digit win over St. Francis (PA).

Columbia’s schedule is the opposite. They took a loss to UConn, sure, but their wins have been empty calories—cupcakes and soft landings at home. Those don’t prepare you for a true road game against a team that’s been forged in high-major fire. Lehigh has already absorbed punches from heavyweights; Columbia has spent its early season snacking on light competition. That difference shows up here. In Bethlehem, against a Hawks team tougher than the record suggests, the Lions’ padded start catches up to them. Mountain Hawks outright.   

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