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Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Things You Really Need To Know...We’re Up To 65!
1. The Northeast Conference will employ a campus site playoff format for the ninth year in a row after an eight-year absence that saw the league’s annual postseason tournament contested at one campus site (1999), at a municipal arena (2000-01) and at a single campus site for the quarterfinals and semifinals, followed by the highest remaining seed hosting the championship game (1998, 2002-04). The conference had previously employed a high-seed hosting format from 1991-97, though teams were not reseeded after the quarterfinals as the tournament is currently constructed.
2. Of the eight teams that qualified for the 2012 NEC Tournament, six return again this season. The newcomers are Bryant and Mount St. Mary’s. The absentees are Monmouth and Sacred Heart.
3. Central Connecticut State has earned an NEC Tournament berth 15 straight years, the longest current run in the conference. Fairleigh Dickinson holds the league record with 18 straight appearances from 1984-01.
4. There have been five back-to-back NEC Tournament winners. Robert Morris has turned the trick three times (1982-83, 1989-90 and 2009-10), along with Marist (1986-87), Rider (1993-94) and LIU Brooklyn (2011-12).
5. LIU Brooklyn will attempt to become the first school to win three straight NEC Tournament championships.
6. Quarterfinal round play has been a rather predictable affair in recent years. The #1, #2 and #3 seeds are a perfect 21-0 in the quarterfinals over the last seven seasons.
7. Likewise, home teams have posted an 18-2 record in the quarterfinals over the last five years and a 27-5 mark since the switch to campus sites in 2005.
8. Since the 2003 NEC Tournament, only three teams have won 11 games in league play and not hosted an NEC quarterfinal game. Mount St. Mary’s and Quinnipiac this season, and Quinnipiac (2008)
9. Robert Morris won its fourth NEC regular season title in six years and league-best 10th overall. The Colonials, who have earned an automatic berth to the Postseason NIT, have won a conference-high seven NEC Tournament championships.
10. Robert Morris, which won back-to-back NEC titles in 2009 and 2010, has posted an 10-2 record in NEC Tournament play over the last four years and reached four straight title games.
11. Since the league scrapped a divisional format in 1984, #1 seeds are a perfect 29-0 in their opening game of the NEC Tournament.
12. The top seed has won the NEC Tournament in four of the last six years.
13. As the top seed, Robert Morris will host games as long as it remains alive in the tournament. That’s a good thing for the Colonials, who are an NEC-best 11-2 at home this season and 59-12 at the Sewall Center over the last five years.
14. Robert Morris has become the first program in NEC history to post five 20-win campaigns in a six-year span. In that time, RMU has won 139 games, the most wins by an NEC program over a six-year stretch. It also marked the eighth 20-win campaign in school history.
15. Under head coach Tom Moore, Quinnipiac has reached the NEC semifinals in each of the last four seasons and advanced to the title game in 2010 where the Bobcats fell to Robert Morris, 52-50. Quinnipiac played in the Postseason NIT in 2010, the CIT in 2011 and the CBI in 2012.
16. Bryant’s Tim O’Shea, LIU Brooklyn’s Jack Perri, Mount’s Jamion Christian and Wagner’s Bashir Mason will be making their NEC Tournament debuts on Wednesday. Perri, Christian and Mason are all first-year head coaches.
17. Bryant qualified for the NEC Tournament in its first year of NCAA postseason eligibility after reclassifying from D2.
18. In the history of the NCAA tournament, only seven teams have ever qualified for the Big Dance in their first year of full DI eligibility: Seattle (1953), Memphis (1956), Morehead State (1956), UMass (1962), Long Beach State (1970), Louisiana-Lafayette (1972) and North Dakota State (2009).
19. Since moving to the eight-team tourney format in 1998 (seven qualified in 2001 only), Central Connecticut State has qualified for the NEC Tournament 15 out of 16 times, with Robert Morris one behind with 14. St. Francis Brooklyn and Wagner have made it 13 of those years, followed by 12 for LIU Brooklyn, 11 for Monmouth and Mount St. Mary’s, ten for Fairleigh Dickinson and Quinnipiac (first eligible in 2001), nine for Saint Francis U, and six for Sacred Heart (first eligible in 2002).
20. Robert Morris owns the most NEC tournament wins at home with 22. Prior to the eight wins in Moon Township the last five years, the other home victories for the Colonials all came between 1982 and 1994. LIU Brooklyn is second with 16, followed by Fairleigh Dickinson with 11 and Monmouth and Mount St. Mary’s tied with nine.
21. Robert Morris has recorded the second-best winning percentage in NEC Tournament history. The Colonials are 33-21 (.611), trailing only Rider (11-3, .786).
22. CCSU head coach Howie Dickenman has posted 15 NEC Tournament wins, most among active NEC head coaches and second all-time to NEC Hall of Famer Tom Green, who had 26 at FDU from 1983-09.
23. This year’s playoffs could hold some surprises. In each of the four quarterfinal matchups, the lower seeded team beat the higher seeded team during the regular season. However, in each case the lower seeded team won on its home court.
24. It has been some time since a #8 seed has threatened to pull off the first-ever upset of a #1 seed in NEC quarterfinal round play. In 2005, Monmouth’s Marques Alston hit a layup at the buzzer to give the Hawks a 54-53 win over #8 CCSU. In 2006, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Gordon Klaiber hit a bucket with ten seconds left on the clock as the Knights avoided the upset with a 66-65 triumph over #8 Quinnipiac.
25. Mount St. Mary’s enters the postseason having won seven straight games, the longest current streak in the NEC at this time and the fourth longest in the program’s DI history.
26. LIU Brooklyn and Quinnipiac will meet in the NEC Tournament for the fourth time in the last five years. The Bobcats ousted the Blackbirds in the 2009 quarterfinals and 2010 semifinals, before LIU turned the tables in the 2012 semis. The two teams also met this past Saturday on the final day of the regular season with LIU coming out on top, 96-90.
27. CCSU and Wagner are set to clash for the second year in a row in the quarterfinals. The Seahawks posted an 87-77 win at the Spiro Center last season.
28. On the season, the four teams hosting quarterfinal games - Robert Morris (11-2), Wagner (10-2), LIU Brooklyn (11-4) and Bryant (11-3) are a combined 43-11 (.796) at home.
29. Despite the legacy of first round success #1 seeds have enjoyed in the NEC Tournament, #8 seed St. Francis Brooklyn may have a puncher’s chance at stopping top- seeded Robert Morris. The Terriers defeated the Colonials, 71-61, in Brooklyn on January 17 and have beaten RMU in three of their last four meetings.
30. If the seeds hold up and Wagner meets LIU Brooklyn in the semis, the Seahawks will be going for a three-game sweep of the Blackbirds. The two teams met in a classic on February 24 at the Spiro Center with Wagner winning, 94-92, on a Kenneth Ortiz putback at the buzzer.
31. St. Francis Brooklyn will be looking for its first NEC Tournament win since reaching the NEC title game in 2003. Ironically, St. Francis (NY) head coach Glenn Braica was an assistant on that team.
32. St. Francis Brooklyn went a combined 5-6 against the 2013 NEC Tournament field during the regular-season but are 3-0 against the top-two seeds Robert Morris and Wagner.
33. While only five #7 seeds have ousted a #2 seed in the NEC Tournament, four of these upsets have come since 2000. In 2004, Central Connecticut State knocked out St. Francis (NY) (81-68) a year after Fairleigh Dickinson defeated Monmouth (63-61) in 2003. Quinnipiac topped Wagner (87-78) in 2002 and Mount St. Mary’s booted Fairleigh Dickinson (73-68) in 2000. Marist also beat Monmouth (75-60) in 1992.
34. Only three NEC Tournaments - in 1987, 1991 and 1994 - have gone exactly according to seeding.
35. There have been three NEC championship games that have gone to overtime, including LIU Brooklyn’s 85-82 win over Robert Morris in the 2011 title tilt. Also going past regulation were FDU’s 63-59 win over Loyola (MD) in 1985 and Marist’s 57-56 triumph over FDU in 1986.
36. Conference teams have posted an 101-34 record (.748) when hosting NEC Tournament games throughout the league’s history (current NEC teams only).
37. There are 10 players in this year’s tournament who have competed on NEC championship teams. For LIU Brooklyn (2011 & 2012): Jamal Olasewere (two twice), C.J. Garner (twice), Jason Brickman (twice), Booker Hucks (twice), Kenny Onyechi (twice), Gerrell Martin and Brandon Thompson. For Robert Morris (2010): Velton Jones, Russell Johnson and Treadwell Lewis.
38. Central Connecticut has won three NEC titles, but only when seeded first in the field (2000, 2002 and 2007).
39. LIU Brooklyn has a 16-2 record when playing as the top seed and won all four of its NEC titles when seeded first in the field.
40. Monmouth’s rally from a 20-point second half deficit to win the 2001 NEC crown marked the biggest championship game comeback in league history.
41. Fairleigh Dickinson holds the league record for consecutive NEC semifinal appearances with nine in a row from 1983-91. Robert Morris (2008-12), St. Francis Brooklyn (1999-03) and Rider (1993-97) reached the semis five consecutive years.
42. LIU Brooklyn’s Julian Boyd (2012), Robert Morris’ Jeremy Chappell (2009), CCSU’s Javier Mojica (2007), Wagner’s Jermaine Hall (2003), Monmouth’s Rahsaan Johnson (2001), CCSU’s Rick Mickens (2000), LIU Brooklyn’s Charles Jones (1997), Rider’s Darrick Suber (1993), Robert Morris’ Myron Walker (1992), Saint Francis U’s Mike Iuzzolino (1991), Robert Morris’ Vaughn Luton (1989) and LIU Brooklyn’s Carey Scurry (1984) all were named NEC regular season and tournament Most Valuable Player. Incidentally, three of these players (Jones, Iuzzolino and Scurry) were named to the NEC’s 10-man 25th Anniversary team in January, 2006.
43. In what will forever be known as “The Shot,” Rider’s Darrick Suber earned a place in NEC annals and ESPN Championship Week history in 1993. The Broncs and Seahawks battled tooth-and-nail for 39-plus minutes as Suber and Wagner’s Bobby Hopson waged their own individual dual. With the Broncs trailing by a point in the game’s waning seconds, Suber went coast-to-coast and hit an off-balance leaner just inside the free-throw line as time expired. The victory sent the Broncs Zoo into a frenzy and for a short time, brought the NEC into the forefront of the college basketball world.
44. The longest win streak in NEC Tournament history is eight, shared by Robert Morris (1982-84 and 2009-11) and Rider (1993-95). LIU Brooklyn enters this year’s event on a six-game win streak.
45. In 2008, Mount St. Mary’s became just the second team in NEC annals to claim the league championship after winning on the road in both the semifinals (over Robert Morris) and title contest (over Sacred Heart). Monmouth also turned the trick in 2006, beating CCSU in the semis and FDU for the championship. No NEC team has ever won three straight games on the road to win the league championship. Teams that have won NEC title games on the road (not including neutral sites): Robert Morris (2010), Mount St. Mary’s (2008), Monmouth (2006), FDU (1998), Mount St. Mary’s (1995), FDU (1985) and Robert Morris (1983).
46. NEC Championship games have historically been tightly contested affairs. Six games have been decided by exactly one point, including Monmouth’s 49-48 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in 2006. A total of 15 have been decided by five points or less and 21 by ten or fewer points.
47. Prior to last season’s 17-point margin of the victory, the previous three NEC title games were decided by a combined total of seven points. The 2009 and 2010 title games were each two-point affairs and the 2011 title tilt was just the third in league history to go to overtime.
48. The 2011 NEC Tournament semifinals and championship games were decided by a combined total of seven points. The only tournament more closely contested was the 1996 event, in which six points separated the winners and losers.
49. The 2009 NEC title game between Robert Morris and Mount St. Mary’s was the lowest scoring finale in league history. The two teams combined for 94 points as the Colonials won 48-46, on a last second shot by RMU folk hero Dallas Green.
50. The 31 points scored by LIU Brooklyn’s Jamal Olasewere in the 2011 NEC championship game were the most in a final since FDU’s Rahshon Turner scored 37 in the 1998 title tilt.
51. Robert Morris sharpshooter Coron Williams established a new NEC Tournament single-game record for three-pointers with eight against Monmouth on March 1, 2012. The Colonials drained 16 that night, also a conference record.
52. LIU Brooklyn’s Jason Brickman holds the NEC Tournament single-game mark with 13 assists set against Sacred Heart on March 1, 2012. His 29 assists in the 2012 tourney is also a league record.
53. Robert Morris has qualified for 29 of the league’s 32 postseason tournaments - the most in league history - since the inception of the conference in 1982. Fairleigh Dickinson is second with 26 appearances. The Colonials missed out on the festivities in 1991, 2001 and 2003, while the Knights failed to qualify in 2002, 2008, 2009, and 2011-13.
54. CCSU’s Howie Dickenman is the only head coach in this year’s NEC Tournament field to have won a league championship. Dickenman’s Blue Devils won the title in 2000, 2002 and 2007. LIU Brooklyn’s Jack Perri (2011-12) and RMU’s Andrew Toole (2009-10) each won two NEC titles as assistants.
55. Mount St. Mary’s (1999) is the lone NEC school to win the conference title without having both a winning overall and conference record prior to entering the tournament.
56. Mount St. Mary’s became the lowest seeded team (#6) to win the NEC Tournament back in 1999. In 2008, the Mount became the second lowest seeded team (#4) to win it all.
57. Monmouth’s Alex Blackwell (1990), Rider’s Charles Smith (1994) and Robert Morris’ Karon Abraham (2010) are the only three players to win both NEC Rookie of the Year and NEC Tournament MVP in the same season.
58. St. Francis Brooklyn is the lone NEC charter member - a group that also includes Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Robert Morris, Saint Francis U and Wagner - that has yet to win an NEC title. The Terriers have also played the most games in NEC Tournament history (33) without winning a championship.
59. Fairleigh Dickinson’s Tom Green and Marist’s Dave Magarity are the only head coaches in league history to capture the NEC Tournament in their first season with their clubs.
60. The largest margin of victory in an NEC Tournament game is 35 points. That came on March 1, 1996 when Mount St. Mary’s defeated LIU Brooklyn, 93-58.
61. Robert Morris set a new NEC Tournament record on March 6, 2004, holding St. Francis (PA) to just 43 points in a quarterfinal victory.
62. Robert Morris has won the most NEC Tournament titles with seven and has posted 33 NEC Tournament wins, the highest total in league history and six ahead of Fairleigh Dickinson and LIU Brooklyn.
63. Monmouth’s Rahsaan Johnson holds the NEC Tournament single-game scoring mark with 40 points in an 86-70 loss to St. Francis (NY) on March 3, 2000.
64. LIU Brooklyn’s Carey Scurry once blocked 14 (!) shots in an NEC Tournament game against Baltimore on February 28, 1983.
and finally...
65. This year’s event marks the 32nd NEC Tournament. The first was was won by Robert Morris, which beat LIU Brooklyn, 85-84.
Team-By-Team Capsules
#1 Robert Morris (22-9, 14-4 NEC)
• Robert Morris won its fourth NEC regular season title in six years and tenth overall (counting a pair of divisional titles in 1982 and 1983). The Colonials have earned the NEC’s automatic bid to the Postseason NIT.
•The Colonials are making their tenth straight appearance in the NEC Tournament and 29th overall.
• Over the last six years, Robert Morris owns a record of 85-23 (.787) against league foes.
• Robert Morris has posted eight straight winning seasons, extending a school record.
• The Colonials have won five straight games and eight of their last nine heading into March.
• Robert Morris has become the first program in NEC history to post five 20-win campaigns in a six-year span. In that time, RMU has won 139 games, the most wins by an NEC program over a six-year stretch. It also marked the eighth 20-win campaign in school history.
• Robert Morris owns an all-time record of 33-21 (.611) in the NEC Tournament. The 33 wins are the most in conference history and the Colonials rank second all-time behind Rider (.786) in win percentage.
• The Colonials also hold the league record with seven NEC Tournament championships.
• The Colonials are 22-6 in NEC Tournament games held in MoonTownship.
• The longest win streak in NEC Tournament history is eight, shared by Robert Morris (1982-84 and 2009-11) and Rider (1993-95).
• Robert Morris has appeared in the NEC Tournament in each of the past nine seasons, advancing to the semifinals seven times and the NEC Championship game in each of the last four years.
• Robert Morris has won back-to-back league titles three times (1982-83, 1989-90 and 2009-10).
• The Colonials have advanced to the semifinals of the tourney five straight years and 16 times in school history, the second most of any NEC program behind Fairleigh Dickinson (17).
• Robert Morris has won at least 10 games at the Sewall Center in each of the last eight seasons and owns a record of 91-22 (.805) at home since the beginning of the 2005-06 campaign.
• The Colonials fell on the road to quarterfinal foe St. Francis Brooklyn on Janaury 31 by a 71-61 final score.
• Robert Morris enters the postseason with a combined 45 games of experience in the NEC Tournament among players on the 2012-13 roster.
• Junior guard Coron Williams (Midlothian, VA/Christchurch School) has shot 61.3 percent (19-31) from beyond the arc in six career NEC Tournament games.
• Senior guard Velton Jones (Philadelphia, PA/Northeast Catholic) now ranks 11th on the NEC career chart with 534 assists, and is 22 shy of breaking the school record of 555 held by Forest Grant (1980-84).
• Velton Jones and senior forward Russell Johnson (Chester, PA/Chester) have scored 1,563 and 1,153 career points, respectively.
• Robert Morris leads the NEC with 8.7 three-pointers per game, and its 268 on the year ranks second in school history.
• Junior guard Karvel Anderson (Elkhart, IN/Elkhart (Glen Oaks CC)) ranks second in the NEC in 3PFG percentage (.446) and fifth in made 3PFG (2.6/game).
"I'm proud of the way our guys persevered. We started 0-2 in the league this year, and our guys understood there wasn't much room for error after that. They stayed focused and followed our formula. To accomplish what we did is a testament to the hard work and preparation they put forth.” - Robert Morris head coach Andrew Toole
#2 Wagner (18-11, 12-6 NEC)
• Wagner claimed the #2 seed in the NEC Tournament for the second year in a row and fifth time in program history.
• Wagner has now won 27 NEC games and 43 games overall the last two seasons.
• The Seahawks have won three straight and five-of-six entering the postseason.
• Wagner is 4-4 all-time when playing as the #2 seed,
• The Seahawks will host CCSU in their quarterfinal matchup for the second-straight year. Last season, the Green & White defeated the Blue Devils by an 87-77 count. It is also the only time the teams have met in the NEC Tournament.
• The Seahawks are 11-12 all-time in quarterfinal games and 8-5 in NEC playoff games in Staten Island, including posting a 4-4 record in the Spiro Sports Center.
• Wagner reached the NEC semifinals a year ago, falling at home to Robert Morris.
• Wagner is 16-24 all-time in the NEC Tournament.
• This year is the 10th anniversary of Wagner’s lone NEC championship team in 2002-03.
• Wagner leads the NEC in field goal percentage defense (.408) and ranks second in scoring defense (66.7).
• Junior guard Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ/Avon Old Farms (CT)) is the 10th leading active scorer in the conference with 1,105 points.
• Senior forward Jonathon Williams (Richmond, VA/Kennedy (CC of San Francisco)) leads Wagner and ranks seventh in the NEC with 15.2 ppg. He is also sixth in FG percentage (.535) and ninth in rebounding (6.6).
• Junior forward Naofall Folahan (Benin Republic, West Africa/Wilbraham and Monson Academy) is second in the NEC with 1.5 bpg.
• Junior guard Kenneth Ortiz (Newark, NJ/Science Park (Southern Mississippi)) ranks fourth in the conference with 5.2 assists per game and is Wagner’s third-leading scorer at 12.0 points per contest.
• Wagner sports ten players on the roster who play at least 15 minutes per game.
“Playing Central Connecticut will a great challenge for our guys. They can really score the ball and get up and down the court. As a program, Central has been to the last 15 conference tournaments so you know you will be getting a well-coached, battle-tested team that will be ready to play.” - Wagner head coach Bashir Mason
#3 LIU Brooklyn (17-13, 12-6 NEC)
• The two-time defending NEC champion Blackbirds will attempt to become the first team to win three straight titles. To do so, LIU Brooklyn, which enters the postseason as the #3 seed, will most likely have to win at some point on the road after winning six games at home the last two years.
• LIU has now posted a 44-10 record (.815) over the last three years in NEC play, the second-best
stretch in league history behind RMU’s 46-8 record (.852) from 2007-10.
• The Blackbirds started the year 0-3 in NEC play, but rebounded to win 12 of their last 15 games.
• LIU has posted a 38-4 record in its last 42 home games.
• The Blackbirds have won a combined 69 games the last three years.
• LIU has won four NEC championships in 1984, 1997, 2011 and 2012.
• The Blackbirds are 27-21 all-time in NEC play. LIU is 16-2 as the top seed, but just 11-19 when entering as a lower seed.
• LIU has qualified for the NEC Tournament six straight years.
• The Blackbirds knocked Quinnipiac out of the 2012 NEC Tournament, rallying for a 78-75 win in the semifinals. The Bobcats had beaten LIU in the 2009 (quarters) and 2010 (semis) tourneys.
• LIU scored 62 second half points on Saturday to rally and beat Quinnipiac, 96-90, at the WRAC.
• Junior guard guard Jason Brickman (San Antonio, TX/Clark) is the NCAA leader with 8.5 assists per game.
• Brickman broke his own single-season school assists record on Saturday and needs five more assists to set a new NEC standard. His 256 assists are an NEC junior class record. He also holds the league freshman (180) and sophomore (249) marks for assists.
• Brickman’s 685 assists rank second on the NEC career list.
• Junior forward Jamal Olasewere (Silver Spring, MD/Springbrook) leads the nation with 8.4 free throws attempted per game.
• LIU is third in DI with 25.4 free throw attempts oer game. The Blackbirds have made 525 free throws this year, almost as many as their opponents have attempted (565).
• Olasewere is the second-leading active scorer in the NEC with 1,804 points and ranks first with 925 rebounds. Those numbers rank him 13th all-time in scoring and eighth in rebounding.
• Olasewere is second all-time in LIU in scoring, just 26 behind recordholder Charles Jones.
• Senior guard C.J. Garner (Silver Spring, MD/Springbrook) enters the playoffs red-hot. He scored a career-high 30 points against Quinnipiac on Saturday and is averaging 19.5 points over his last eight games. Olasewere had a career-high 33 in the same outing.
• LIU leads the NEC in scoring offense at 78.2 ppg and has tallied 92 or more points in three of its last five regular season outings.
"We have gone through a lot of adversity this year, from the suspensions to Julian Boyd's injury, but the team has been extremely resilient and battled throughout the season. With Jamal Olasawere and Jason Brickman continuing to show why they are such special players in this league, and the leadership and growth of CJ Garner, we were able to maintain a high level of success. Our five seniors are excited about the opportunity to go for a third straight championship and understand that it is truly a one game at a time mentality.” - LIU head coach Jack Perri
#4 Bryant (19-10, 12-6 NEC)
• The Bulldogs claimed the #4 seed in the NEC Tournament, finishing the regular season with a 19-10 overall record while boasting the best single-season turnaround in NCAA history entering Wednesday's quarterfinal matchup (17.5 games).
• Bryant also leads the nation in pure win turnaround, earning 17 more wins in 2012-13 than a season ago (2-28).
• Bryant’s 17-win improvement is the biggest in NEC history, eclipsing CCSU’s 15-win jump from 1997-98 to 1998-99.
• Likewise, the Bulldogs’ 11-win jump in NEC play was the most in league annals, one better than LIU Brooklyn’s 10-win improvement from 1995-96 to 1996-97.
• Bryant will be competing in its first NEC Tournament following the completion of a five-year NCAA reclassification.
• Bryant leads the NEC in both field goal percentage (.481) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.19).
• The Bulldogs sport three of the NEC’s top-12 scorers. Sophomore guard Dyami Starks (Duluth, MN/Duluth East (Columbia)) is fourth (17.7 ppg), junior forward Alex Francis (Harlem, NY/Holderness Prep (NH)) is fifth (17.1 ppg) and senior guard Frankie Dobbs (Berea, OH/Saint Edward (Ohio U.)) is 12th (13.6 ppg).
• Francis has put up some big numbers in other categories as well, ranking first in the NEC in double-doubles (10), third in rebounding (8.7) and third in field goal percentage (.574).
• Starks is the league leader with 88 three-pointers and 3.0 per game, and sits second in free throw accuracy at 84.4 percent.
• Dobbs is averaging 5.1 apg, the fifth-best mark on the circuit.
• Nearing the end of his junior year, Francis has accumulated 1,449 points and 713 rebounds. Those figures rank him fifth and fourth, respectively, among active NEC players.
• Dobbs has also crossed the 1,000-point mark at Bryant earlier this year and heads into the playoffs with 1,135 points.
• Starks has scored 513 points and Francis is just three points shy of 500 on the year. The last time Bryant had two players record 500 points in the same season was back in 1978-79, when Ernie DeWitt (531) and John Mangum (514) did so.
• Francis has recorded double-doubles in each of the last three games and in six of the last nine contests (10 on the year, 26 in career).
• Should the Bulldogs win on Wednesday against Mount St. Mary’s, they would earn the program's first 20-win season since 2006-07.
"We are excited because one of our major goals this season was to qualify for the NEC postseason and our second goal was to earn a home game. We have achieved both of those, and we are really proud of that fact. The school had never seen what Division I basketball could do. The success gives a glimpse into what a successful basketball team could do for a school because of the exposure and the media attention college basketball receives. It’s also a sense of pride. Not many things can get a couple thousand people together in one place on a cold winter night like we did against Robert Morris." - Bryant head coach Tim O'Shea
#5 Mount St. Mary's (16-13, 11-7 NEC)
• Mount St. Mary’s ended the regular season with a seven-game win streak to improve to 16-13 and clinch a winning record for the first time since 2009-10. The 16 wins are tied for the fifth most by a Mount team at the DI level.
• The seven-game win streak is the fourth-longest for the program in the DI era.
• Mount St. Mary’s is 18-13 all-time in NEC Tournament games. Bryant will be the 13th different team that the Mount has played in the NEC Tournament.
• The Mount is is 1-1 in the opening round, 10-5 in the quarterfinals, 4-6 in the semifinals and 3-1 in the championship game.
• The Mount is 10-5 all-time in NEC quarterfinal games, going 6-1 at home, 1-3 on the road, and 3-1 at a neutral site. The Mount’s last quarterfinal matchup was a 78-59 loss at Quinnipiac in 2011.
• Mount St. Mary’s has posted a .500 or better record in seven of the past eight seasons in NEC play, and has qualified for 17 of the 22 NEC Tournaments since joining the league in 1989-90.
• The Mount owns the distinction of being the lowest (#6 in 1999) and second lowest seed (#4 in 2008) to win the NEC title.
• The Mountaineers have a 2-3 record in the NEC Tournament as the No. 5 seed.
• Since freshman Shivaughn Wiggins (Charlotte, NC/North Mecklenberg) was inserted into the starting lineup at Bryant on Jan. 14, the Mountaineers have posted a 10-4 record. Wiggins is averaging a team-high 14.6 ppg over that stretch, shooting 52.3 percent from the floor, 58.6 percent from three-point range and 75.8 percent at the foul line.
• The Mount is averaging 77.6 points over the past 14 games, scoring 75 or more points nine times and 80 or more points six times. Over the past six games, the Mount is averaging 84.3 ppg with five players averaging in double figures.
• Four Mount players have scored 20 or more points in a game this season. Wiggins and junior guard Rashad Whack (Hyattsville, MD/Bishop McNamara (George Mason)) have done it four times, junior guard Julian Norfleet (Virginia Beach, VA/Landstown) three times and junior guard Sam Prescott (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) once.
• Prescott scored a career and NEC single-game season-high 44 points in the Mount’s 84-70 win over Bryant on February 14.
• Head coach Jamion Christian’s 16 wins this year are the most by a Mount coach in his first season in 59 years. Jim Phelan went 22-3 in his debut season at the Mount in 1954-55.
• Whack is second in the NEC with 2.2 spg and sixth with 2.5 three-pointers per game.
“We obviously played much better at the end of the year than we did at the beginning. I believe this is to be attributed to our team growing together and fully learning our system inside and out.” - Mount St. Mary’s head coach Jamion Christian
“Bryant under Head Coach Tim O'Shea has had a story book season in completing one of the top turnarounds in Division 1 basketball. They are an extremely talented team and they showed our conference how playing unselfishly can elevate a program. We played them twice this season, and the games could have gone either way. I believe we both would agree we were happy with a split. Playing on the road with as much success as Bryant has had this season will be a tough task. As they have won, their crowds have continued to grow and their players have elevated their games because of it.” - Mount St. Mary’s head coach Jamion Christian
#6 Quinnipiac (15-15, 11-7 NEC)
• Quinnipiac will participate in the NEC playoffs for the eighth straight year. The Bobcats have reached at least the NEC semifinals four straight years and in five of the last six seasons.
• Following a 2-4 start in NEC play, Quinnipiac won nine of its last 12 league games.
• The Bobcats have now finished over .500 in NEC play in each of the last seven seasons.
• The Bobcats have outrebounded all 30 of their opponents this season.
• The Bobcats lead the NEC and rank second in the nation in rebound margin at +10.2 per game.
• The Bobcats reached the NEC title game in 2010, losing to Robert Morris, 52-50.
• Quinnipiac has reached the postseason in each of the last three years, playing in the Postseason NIT (2010), CIT (2011) and CBI (2012).
• Quinnipiac is 9-9 in NEC Tournament competition (4-2 at home, 3-7 on the road, 2-0 at neutral sites), including a run to the 2002 title game after entering the tourney as the #7 seed. That year, Quinnipiac knocked off #2 Wagner and #3 UMBC before falling to top-seeded CCSU, 78-71, in the championship.
• Quinnipiac has won 78 games over the last four seasons.
• The Bobcats are 49-23 in NEC play over the last four years.
• This will mark the fourth time Quinnipiac will play LIU Brooklyn in NEC tourney play over the last five years. The Bobcasts defeated LIU in the 2009 quarter and 2010 semis, but fell in the 2012 semis.
• Junior forward Ike Azotam (Boston, MA/John D. O’Bryant (Marianpolis Prep) is tied for the league lead with 10 double-doubles, ranks sixth in rebounding (8.1) and 13th in scoring (13.6).
• Among active NEC players, Azotam is 11th in scoring (1,065) and fifth in rebounding (694).
• Sophomore guard Evan Conti (Bayside, NY/Holy Cross) has raised his scoring average from 1.8 ppg as a freshman to 8.3 ppg as a sophomore.
"We are looking forward to participating in the upcoming NEC Tournament. We have played very well over the last part of the season and hope to continue that strong play. Traveling to defending-champion LIU Brooklyn in the first round will be a big challenge that I'm sure our guys will be excited about. We split two well-played games during the regular season and have had two great games with them in the NEC semis in 2010 and 2012.” - Quinnipiac head coach Tom Moore
#7 Central Connecticut (13-16, 9-9 NEC)
• The Blue Devils have qualified for 15 straight NEC Tournaments, the longest current streak in the league.
• Howie Dickenman and CCSU are 15-11 (.600) all-time in NEC Tournament play. Dickenman’s 15 postseason wins are the most among active NEC coaches and second most in league history.
• The Blue Devils have won three NEC titles under Dickenman (2000, 2002 and 2007).
• The Blue Devils are 7-7 in NEC quarterfinal games, 5-2 in semifinal games and 3-2 in the finals.
• CCSU and Wagner are set to meet for the second straight year in the NEC quarterfinals. In 2012, the Seahawks eliminated the Blue Devils, 87-77, at the Spiro Center.
• Counting neutral site games, CCSU is 6-3 in NEC Tournament games played at the Spiro Center.
• CCSU is 9-5 all-time in NEC Tournament play versus the teams that make up the 2013 bracket.
• The Blue Devils went 4-8 this season against teams that make up the tourney field.
• The Blue Devils are 2-3 all-time as the #7 seed. Prior to last year’s setback to Wagner, CCSU lost in the first round on the road at Robert Morris in 2010. In 2004, CCSU advanced all the way to the finals by defeating #2 St. Francis Brooklyn and #3 Fairleigh Dickinson before losing to top seeded Monmouth, 67-55.
• CCSU is 2-2 all-time against the #2 seed in the Tournament. The Blue Devils lost to Robert Morris in 2010 and Wagner in 2012, but defeated #2 St. Francis (NY) in 2004 and #2 Sacred Heart in 2007.
• The Blue Devils have never won a true road game in the NEC Tournament. They are 0-7 as the road team in conference tournament action.
• Sophomore guard Kyle Vinales (Detroit, MI/Phelps School) is tied for first in the NEC with 21.6 ppg.
• It took Vinales just 52 games to reach 1,000 for his career. He has racked up 1,129 points in two seasons. Looking ahead, there have been just five players in NEC history to reach 2,000 points.
• Vinales and junior guard Matt Hunter (Detroit, MI/Henry Ford (Odessa JC)) are the only teammates across the nation to both score 40 points in a game this year.
• Hunter ranks first in the NEC with 2.7 steals per game.
• Sophomore guard Malcolm McMillan’s (Baltimore, MD/John Carroll) 2.50 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks first in the league.
• Vinales has played 1,107 of a possible 1,180 minutes this season, an NEC-high average of 38.2 per game.
"I don't care who we play. But we have to PLAY. If we PLAY, we'll make it interesting." - CCSU head coach Howie Dickenman
#8 St. Francis Brooklyn (12-17, 8-10 NEC)
• The Terriers, who are seeking their first NEC title, have qualifed for the NEC Tournament in each of the last three years.
• The Terriers have lost seven consecutive NEC quarterfinal contests. St. Francis last won in March during the 2002-03 season with victories over CCSU and FDU before losing in the finals against Wagner.
• St. Francis Brooklyn won a “play-in” game against Sacred Heart on Saturday, 92-80, to edge out the Pioneers for the eighth and final NEC playoff spot.
• From 1991-2005, St. Francis Brooklyn qualified for 15 straight NEC Tournaments.
• The Terriers reached the NEC semifinals five straight seasons from 1999-03.
• St. Francis reached the league championship game in 2001 (losing to Monmouth, 67-64) and 2003 (losing to Wagner, 78-61).
• The Terriers have beaten quarterfinal opponent Robert Morris in three of their last four meetings, including a 71-61 win over the Colonials on January 31 in Brooklyn.
• St. Francis is 10-24 all-time in the NEC Tournament.
• The Terriers last won at Robert Morris on January 28, 2012 by a score of 81-68. Sophomore guard Brent Jones (Brooklyn, NY/Bedford Academy) scored a career-high 19 points in the contest.
• Sophomore forward Jalen Cannon (Allentown, PA/William Allen) is not only tied for the league lead with 10 double-doubles, but also ranks in the NEC top-10 in rebouding (second, 8.9), field goal percentage (fifth, .554) and scoring (tenth, 14.7).
• Cannon recently passed 500 rebounds in his young career and has amassed 523 boards entering the postseason, eighth among active NEC players.
• In his final regular-season game, senior forward Akeem Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Susan S. McKinney) became the 28th player in Terrier history to score 1,000 career points. He has also corralled 526 career boards, seventh among current NEC competitors.
• Junior guard Ben Mockford (Shoreham-by-Sea, England/Oak Hill Academy (VA) (Iona)) has drilled 82 treys this season and is third in the league with 2.83 per game.
• The Terriers lead the NEC in three-point percentage defense at 33.1 percent.
“Our players are really pumped to have this opportunity to compete in the NEC Tournament. We came into Saturday’s game with the mindset that our playoffs were starting against Sacred Heart and that we had four games to win. We accomplished he first step and now we must go face a great team in Robert Morris. It’s no coincidence that they are the top-seed as they are well-coached and have a lot of talent. We will have to be ready from the very opening whistle in a very difficult environment. But our kids are a resilient group and I think we’ll be up for the challenge.” - St. Francis Brooklyn head coach Glenn Braica
NEC TOURNAMENT TITLES AND RECORDS
SCHOOL TITLES LAST TOURNEY RECORD
Robert Morris 7 2010 33-21
LIU Brooklyn 4 2012 27-21
Fairleigh Dickinson 4 2005 27-22
Monmouth 4 2006 21-17
Mount St. Mary's 3 2008 18-13
Central Connecticut 3 2007 15-11
Wagner 1 2003 16-24
Saint Francis U 1 1991 7-19
Quinnipiac 0 9-9
Sacred Heart 0 5-6
St. Francis Brooklyn 0 10-24
Bryant -- --
PAST NEC TOURNAMENT WINNERS AND MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS
2012 -- #1 LIU Brooklyn def. #3 Robert Morris, 90-73 (Julian Boyd, LIU)
2011 -- #1 LIU Brooklyn def. #3 Robert Morris, 85-82 (OT) (Jamal Olasewere, LIU)
2010 -- #2 Robert Morris def. #1 Quinnipiac, 52-50 (Karon Abraham, RMU)
2009 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #2 Mount St. Mary’s, 48-46 (Jeremy Chappell, RMU)
2008 -- #4 Mount St. Mary’s def. #3 Sacred Heart, 68-55 (Jean Cajou, MSM)
2007 -- #1 Central Connecticut def. #2 Sacred Heart, 74-70 (Javier Mojica, CCSU)
2006 -- #3 Monmouth def. #1 Fairleigh Dickinson, 49-48 (Marques Alston, MU)
2005 -- #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #6 Wagner, 58-52 (Tamien Trent, FDU)
2004 -- #1 Monmouth def. #7 Central Connecticut State, 67-55 (Blake Hamilton, MU)
2003 -- #1 Wagner def. #6 St. Francis Brooklyn, 78-61 (Jermaine Hall, WC)
2002 -- #1 Central Connecticut def. #7 Quinnipiac, 78-71 (Damian Battles, CCSU)
2001 -- #2 Monmouth def. #1 St. Francis Brooklyn, 67-64 (Rahsaan Johnson, MU)
2000 -- #1 Central Connecticut def. #3 Robert Morris, 63-46 (Rick Mickens, CCSU)
1999 -- #6 Mount St. Mary’s def. #4 Central Connecticut , 72-56 (Gregory Harris, MSM)
1998 -- #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #1 LIU Brooklyn, 105-91 (Rahshon Turner, FDU)
1997 -- #1 LIU Brooklyn def. #3 Monmouth, 72-67 (Charles Jones, LIU)
1996 -- #3 Monmouth def. #4 Rider, 60-59 (Corey Albano, MU)
1995 -- #2 Mount St. Mary’s def. #1 Rider, 69-62 (Silas Cheung, MSM)
1994 -- #1 Rider def. #2 Monmouth, 62-56 (Charles Smith, RID)
1993 -- #1 Rider def. #2 Wagner, 65-64 (Darrick Suber, RID)
1992 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #7 Marist, 85-81 (Myron Walker, RMU)
1991 -- #1 St. Francis U def. #2 Fairleigh Dickinson, 97-82 (Mike Iuzzolino, SFPA)
1990 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #2 Monmouth, 71-66 (Alex Blackwell, MU)
1989 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #2 Fairleigh Dickinson, 67-66 (Vaughn Luton, RMU)
1988 -- #1 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #2 Monmouth, 90-75 (Jaime Latney, FDU)
1987 -- #1 Marist def. #2 Fairleigh Dickinson, 64-55 (OT) (Drafton Davis, MAR)
1986 -- #2 Marist def. #1 Fairleigh Dickinson, 57-56 (OT) (Rik Smits, MAR)
1985 -- #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #4 Loyola (MD), 63-59 (Larry Hampton, FDU)
1984 -- #1 LIU Brooklyn def. #2 Robert Morris, 87-81 (Carey Scurry, LIU)
1983 -- #1S Robert Morris def. #1N LIU Brooklyn, 79-67 (Chipper Harris, RMU)
1982 -- #1S Robert Morris def. #2N LIU Brooklyn, 85-84 (Tom Parks, RMU)