NEC Tournament quarterfinal play commences on March 6, followed by the semifinal round on Saturday, March 9. All quarterfinal games will air on NEC Front Row, and the semis will air on both ESPN3 and NEC Front Row on March 9 at 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm. The championship game, to be televised by ESPN2, will be contested on Tuesday, March 12 at 7:00 pm.
The NEC’s return to a playoff format in 2005 came 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.
Preseason favorite
Saint Francis U (16-13, 12-6 NEC) put together another strong campaign - including a 9-2 mark to close out the regular season - that netted the Red Flash a quarterfinal home game for the third straight year. Seeded first for the first time since 1991, SFU has now made six straight NEC Tournament appearances, and has reached at least the semis in three of the last five years. The Red Flash, who won their lone NEC Tournament title in 1991, will meet eighth-seed
Bryant (10-19, 7-11 NEC). The Bulldogs are back in the postseason after failing to qualify in 2018. Bryant, under first year head coach Jared Grasso, pulled off a remarkable turnaround having improved its conference win total by five games. The Bulldogs and are in the hunt for their first tourney win since 2015 and the program's first NEC championship. It should be noted that a #8 seed has never beaten a #1 seed in the history of the NEC Tournament (35-0). The two teams split in the regular season.
2018-19 meetings: BRY 76, SFU 67 (1/21); SFU 84, BRY 75 (2/9)
Second-seeded
Fairleigh Dickinson (17-13, 12-6 NEC) ended the season strong, winning five straight and 11 of its last 13 outings to capture its first regular season title in 13 years. This marks the Knights' fourth straight trip to the postseason, which includes the program's fifth NEC title back in 2016. The Knights are set to face sixth-seeded
Wagner (13-16, 8-10 NEC) at the Rothman Center on Wednesday. The Seahawks have qualified nine straight years, advanced to the semis in six of the last seven seasons and reached the NEC final in two of the last three years. The Seahawks are in search of the program's second NEC Tournament championship, having won it all back in 2003. FDU and Wagner split their regular season meetings.
2018-19 meetings: WC 66, FDU 60 (1/12); FDU 74, WC 66 (2/23)
After winning three straight to close out the regular season,
Sacred Heart (15-16, 11-17 NEC) secured the #3 seed in its return to the postseason after missing out a year ago. This makes it four NEC Tournament appearances in five years for the Pioneers, who were picked ninth in the NEC preseason poll. The Pios are looking for their first playoff win since 2009 and the program's first NEC Tournament championship. SHU will square off with sixth-seed and defending NEC champion
LIU Brooklyn (15-15, 9-9 NEC) on Wednesday. The Blackbirds are headed to the NEC Tournament for the 11th time in 12 years. LIU became the first program to win three straight NEC Tournament titles from 2011-13 and has claimed six league crowns in school history. SHU and LIU split in the regular season.
2018-19 meetings: SHU 79, LIU 75 (1/3); LIU 92, SHU 84 (2/16)
Proud owner of a league-record eight NEC Championships, fourth-seeded
Robert Morris (16-15, 11-7 NEC) has qualified for 16 consecutive NEC Tournaments, the longest current streak in the conference. The Colonials pulled off the rare #7 over #2 upset in each of the last two seasons and at #3 have earned their highest seed winning it all in 2015 as the #2 seed. RMU has a quarterfinal date with fifth-seeded
St. Francis Brooklyn (17-14, 9-9 NEC). The Terriers have reached the postseason in eight-of-nine years under Glenn Braica and will be looking for the program's first NEC Tournament title and initial NCAA Tournament appearance. The Terriers last made an NEC Tournament run in 2015, advancing to the conference title game. RMU swept the season series with a pair of close wins over SFBK.
2018-19 meetings: RMU 52, SFBK 49 (1/10); RMU 67, SFBK 62 (2/23)
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 38th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#22), Baltimore (#26), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. Merrimack will join the NEC as a full-time member in July, 2019. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (
www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (
www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.