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2022 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament
(all games played at home of higher seeded team)
Opening Round
Monday, February 28
#9 CCSU at #8 FDU, 7:00 pm
Watch Live: NEC Front Row
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 2
#8 FDU/#9 CCSU at #1 Bryant, 7:00 pm
#7 Saint Francis U at #2 Wagner, 7:00 pm
#6 Sacred Heart at #3 LIU, 7:00 pm
#5 St. Francis Brooklyn at #4 Mount St. Mary's, 7:00 pm
Watch Live: NEC Front Row
Semifinals
Saturday, March 5
Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed, 6/8 pm
3rd Highest Remaining Seed at 2nd Highest Remaining Seed, 6/8 pm
Watch Live: ESPN3, SNY, MASN, NEC Front Row
Championship
Tuesday, March 8
Watch Live: 7:00 pm on ESPN2, ESPN3
Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Things You Really Need To Know...75 Of 'Em!
1. The Northeast Conference will employ a campus site playoff format for the 18th 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. All nine eligible teams have qualified for the NEC Tournament. This year marks the first time all teams will participate in the event since 1997.
3. FDU, LIU and Mount St. Mary’s have each won six NEC titles, tied for the most among current conference members.
4. The longest current qualification streak belongs to Bryant and Sacred Heart at four in a row. Mount St. Mary’s has qualified the last three years. The longest streak in league history belongs to FDU, which made 18 straight appearances from 1984-01.
5. Bryant, Sacred Heart and St. Francis Brooklyn are shooting for their first-ever NEC Tournament crowns.
6. Charter NEC members have appeared in 12 of the last 13 NEC finals. The streak was broken last year when Bryant squared off with Mount St. Mary’s.
7. Home teams have posted a 38-10 (.792) record in the NEC quarterfinals over the last 13 years (QF were not contested in 2021) and a 47-13 (.783) mark since the switch to campus sites in 2005.
8. In 2016, FDU became the first school to win the NEC crown after failing to qualify for the tourney the previous year (when eligible).
9. Since the league scrapped a divisional format in 1984, #1 seeds are 37-1 in their opening game of the NEC Tournament with the only loss incurred by Wagner in the 2021 NEC semifinals.
10. Bryant enters the postseason as the top seed for the first time in program history after clipping Wagner on the final day of the regular season in Smithfield.
11. A team other than the top seed has won the NEC Tournament in seven of the last nine years and 11 of the last 17 seasons.
12. Only four schools have won the NEC title over the last 14 years. LIU, Mount St. Mary’s and Robert Morris won four times, and FDU hoisted the trophy twice.
13. The #1 seed has fallen on its home court in the NEC title game five of the last seven times. Only Mount St. Mary’s and Robert Morris avoided the upset with their 2017 and 2020 finals wins, both over SFU.
14. Likewise, the road team has won the NEC final in six of the last eight years.
15. Every head coach aside from CCSU’s first-year mentor Pat Sellers has won an NEC Tournament game.
16. Wagner head coach Bashir Mason has guided the Seahawks to a 7-8 record in the NEC Tournament. The Seahawks have been seeded in the top three in seven of his 10 seasons at the helm.
17. Only four teams in NEC history have claimed the league championship after winning on the road in both the semifinals and title contest. Mount St. Mary’s has done it three times, including in 2021 when the Mount won at Wagner in the semis and Bryant in the final. The Mount also turned the trick in 2014 with victories over Wagner in the semis and Robert Morris in the title tilt, and in 2008, downing Robert Morris in the semis and Sacred Heart for the championship. Monmouth did it in 2006, beating CCSU in the semis and FDU in the final. No NEC team has ever won three straight games on the road to win the league title. Teams that have won NEC title games on the road (not including neutral sites): Mount St. Mary’s (1995, 2008, 2014 and 2021), Robert Morris (1983, 2010 and 2015), FDU (1985, 1998, 2016 & 2019), LIU (2018) and Monmouth (2006).
18. Mount St. Mary’s became the lowest seeded team (#6) to win the NEC Tournament back in 1999. In 2008, 2014 and 2021, the Mount became the second lowest seeded team (#4) to win it all. LIU did the same as a #4 seed in 2018.
19. Robert Morris holds the NEC record with nine tournament titles.
20. There have been six back-to-back NEC Tournament winners. Robert Morris turned the trick three times (1982-83, 1989-90 and 2009-10), along with Marist (1986-87), Rider (1993-94) and LIU (2011-12-13).
21. LIU is the only NEC school to win three straight NEC Tournament championships (2011 to 13).
22. Since moving to an eight-team tourney format in 1998 (seven qualified in 2001 and four in 2021, along with nine this year), Wagner and Robert Morris qualified for the NEC Tournament 21 times, followed by 20 for St. Francis Brooklyn, 19 for CCSU, LIU and Mount St. Mary’s, 17 for FDU, 15 for Saint Francis U, 13 for Sacred Heart (first eligible in 2002) and eight for Bryant (first eligible in 2013).
23. Robert Morris owns the most home NEC Tournament wins in league history with 28. LIU is second with 23, followed by Wagner’s 16.
24. Mount St. Mary’s has recorded the third best winning percentage in NEC Tournament history and best among current conference programs. The Mountaineers are 29-18 (.617), trailing only Rider (11-3, .786) and Robert Morris (45-27, .625).
25. Mount St. Mary’s has posted a 20-7 (.741) NEC Tournament record against current conference teams, the best mark in the league by a wide margin.
26. First round opponents Wagner and Saint Francis U will meet for the first time in the postseason since the memorable 2017 NEC semifinals at the Spiro Center. In that wild back-and-forth affair, the two teams made their last seven shots from the field culminating in Keith Braxton’s improbable three-point fling that circled the rim and dropped in at the buzzer to give the Red Flash the 71-70 victory.
27. LIU and Sacred Heart are set to meet for the third time since 2016 in the #3/#6 game. The Sharks upset the Pioneers in Fairfield in both the 2016 and 2019 quarterfinals.
28. Mount St. Mary’s has posted a 5-0 mark against St. Francis Brooklyn in NEC Tournament play. The most memorable game of the series came in 2014 when the Mount rallied from 19 down with under ten minutes remaining and won it on a Rashad Whack three-pointer with two seconds to play. The Mountaineers went on to win the NEC title that season.
29. Mount St. Mary’s and St. Francis Brooklyn each won on the other’s home court during the regular season.
30. Bryant has not met potential quarterfinal opponents FDU or CCSU in the postseason.
31. Bryant’s only NEC setbacks this season were to #2 seed Wagner and #3 seed LIU.
32. Mount St. Mary’s has won three NEC titles as the #4 seed in 2008, 2014 & 2021.
33. Bryant (11-1), Wagner (10-1) and LIU (11-1) have combined to go 32-3 at home this year. In league play, Bryant went 9-0, LIU went 8-1 and Wagner went 7-1 for a combined 24-2 mark.
34. Mount St. Mary’s is 20-7 all-time in the postseason against this year’s NEC Tournament field.
35. Sacred Heart broke an 11-year drought between NEC Tournament wins, clipping Mount St. Mary’s, 61-59, in the 2020 NEC quarterfinals. Prior to that, the Pioneers last beat CCSU to reach the 2009 semis.
36. A #9 seed or lower has never reached the semifinals of the NEC Tournament. Each year from 1992-97 the conference took nine or ten teams to the playoffs.
37. The #1 seed has reached the NEC title game seven of the last eight years and 11 times in the last 13 seasons, but have won the crown only five times in that stretch.
38. If Bryant and Mount St. Mary’s both win their quarterfinal games, it will set up a rematch of the 2021 NEC final in the same venue that the Mount posted a 73-68 victory to win the program’s sixth title.
39. In 2021, Wagner became the first #1 seed in the history of the tournament to lose its initial game in the tournament, but that’s a deceiving stat. The NEC Tournament included just four teams a year ago, so the Green & White’s setback to Mount St. Mary’s came in the semifinal round.
40. The NEC Tournament’s top seed is 37-0 in first round/quarterfinal games over the history of the event.
41. 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, FDU’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.
42. After 12 straight years of the #2 seed advancing to the NEC semifinals, Robert Morris pulled off the quarterfinal upset as the #7 seed in 2017 and 2018. The Colonials edged LIU, 69-68, in 2017 and Mount St. Mary’s, 60-56, in 2018. Likewise, the #3 seed has gone down in three of the last six years with #6 LIU downing #3 Sacred Heart in both 2016 (84-76) and 2019 (71-62), and #6 FDU ousting #3 Saint Francis U, 84-75, in 2018.
43. St. Francis Brooklyn snapped a 12-year stretch without an NEC Tournament win in 2015, advancing all the way to the NEC championship game.
44. After going 18 years without an NEC Tournament win, Saint Francis U reached the NEC semifinals in 2014 and 2015, and the NEC title game in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
45. Only seven #7 seeds have ousted a #2 seed in the NEC Tournament, with four of these upsets coming in a five-year stretch from 2000-04. In 2004, CCSU knocked out St. Francis Brooklyn (81-68) a year after FDU defeated Monmouth (63-61) in 2003. Quinnipiac topped Wagner (87-78) in 2002 and Mount St. Mary’s booted FDU (73-68) in 2000. Robert Morris ousted LIU (69-68) in 2017 and Mount St. Mary’s (60-56) in 2018, and Marist beat Monmouth (75-60) in 1992.
46. Only four NEC Tournaments - in 1987, 1991, 1994 and 2020 - have gone exactly according to seeding.
47. There have been three NEC championship games that have gone to overtime, the most recent being LIU’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.
48. Conference teams have posted a 95-42 record (.693) when hosting NEC Tournament games throughout the league’s history (current NEC teams only).
49. The only players on this year’s roster that possess NEC Championship rings are the returnees from last year’s Mount St. Mary’s squad.
50. CCSU has won three NEC titles, but only when seeded first in the field (2000, 2002 and 2007).
51. LIU has a 16-2 record when playing as the top seed and won four of its six NEC titles when seeded first.
52. 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.
53. FDU holds the league record for consecutive NEC semifinal appearances with nine in a row from 1983-91. Robert Morris (2008-15) reached the semis eight consecutive years, and St. Francis Brooklyn (1999-03) and Rider (1993-97) on five straight occasions.
54. LIU’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’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’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. Iuzzolino, Walker and Hall are NEC Hall of Famers.
55. 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.
56. The longest win streak in NEC Tournament history is nine, set by LIU from 2011-13. Robert Morris (1982-84 and 2009-11) and Rider (1993-95) each won eight straight.
57. Six NEC title games have been decided by exactly one point, the latest being Monmouth’s 49-48 win over FDU in 2006. A total of 17 have been decided by five points or less and 28 by ten or fewer points.
58. 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.
59. 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.
60. The 33 points scored by Bryant’s Charles Pride in the 2021 title game were the most in a final since FDU’s Rahshon Turner scored 37 in the 1998 title tilt.
61. LIU’s Jason Brickman holds the NEC Tournament single-game mark with 13 assists in the quarterfinals against Sacred Heart on March 1, 2012. His 29 assists in the 2012 tourney is also a league record.
62. Saint Francis U’s Ronnie Drinnon set a new NEC Tournament single-game rebounding standard when he hauled in 22 in a quarterfinal setback to FDU on March 2, 2016. It was matched on March 3, 2018 by FDU’s Kaleb Bishop in a semifinal loss to LIU.
63. While a member of the league, Robert Morris qualified for 36 of the league’s 39 postseason tournaments - the most in league history - since the inception of the conference in 1982. FDU is second with 33 appearances. The Colonials missed out on the festivities in 1991, 2001 and 2003, while the Knights failed to qualify in 2002, 2008, 2009, 2011-13, 2015 and 2021.
64. NEC Hall of Fame coaches Tom Green (FDU) and Howie Dickenman (CCSU) rank first and third in most NEC Tournament wins. Green won 26 from 1983-09 and Dickenman won 15 from 1997-2016. RMU’s Andy Toole won 16 from 2010-20.
65. FDU’s Greg Herenda (2016 and 2019), LIU’s Derek Kellogg (2018) and Mount’s Dan Engelstad (2021) are the only NEC head coaches to have won a league championship. Engelstad also hoisted the trophy as an assistant at the Mount in 2008.
66. 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.
67. 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.
68. St. Francis Brooklyn is the lone NEC charter member - a group that also includes FDU, LIU, 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 (43) without winning a championship.
69. LIU’s Derek Kellogg and Jack Perri, FDU’s Tom Green and Marist’s Dave Magarity are the only head coaches in league history to capture the NEC Tournament in the first season with their clubs.
70. The largest margin of victory in an NEC Tournament game is 38 points. That came on March 6, 2019 when FDU defeated Wagner, 84-46.
71. Robert Morris set a new NEC Tournament record on March 6, 2004, holding St. Francis U to just 43 points in a quarterfinal victory.
72. LIU holds the NEC mark for points in a NEC Tournament with a 108-79 win over Monmouth on February 26, 1998.
73. Monmouth’s Rahsaan Johnson set the NEC Tournament single-game scoring mark with 40 points in an 86-70 loss to St. Francis Brooklyn on March 3, 2000.
74. LIU’s Carey Scurry once blocked 14 (!) shots in an NEC Tournament game against Baltimore on February 28, 1983.
75. This year’s event marks the 41st NEC Tournament. The first was won by Robert Morris, which beat LIU, 85-84, on a Phil Coles buzzer beater.
Team-By-Team Capsules
#1 Bryant (19-9, 16-2 NEC)
• In a pair of firsts for the program, Bryant claimed the top seed in the NEC Tournament for the first time as the Bulldogs captured their initial regular season title on Saturday with a 78-70 win over Wagner in a winner-take-all affair at the Chace.
• Bryant is competing in its fourth straight NEC Tournament, the longest such stretch since joining the NEC.
• The Bulldogs have qualified for eight of the ten NEC Tournaments since becoming eligible in 2012-13.
• The Bulldogs are 2-7 in the NEC Tournament.
• Bryant is 1-5 in the NEC quarterfinals, including 1-2 at home.
• Both of Bryant’s postseason wins have come over Sacred Heart. The Bulldogs ousted the Pios in last year’s semis to reach their first-ever NEC final. Bryant also beat SHU, 91-85 in double overtime, in the 2015 quarterfinals in what is affectionately known as the Joe O’Shea “Shot Heard Round Smithfield” game. That was the last quarterfinal game Bryant has hosted.
• The Bulldogs have faced four different schools in tournament play in their history, taking on Saint Francis U four times, Mount St. Mary’s and Sacred Heart twice, and RMU once.
• Bryant has also hosted tourney games in 2021 (#2 seed), 2015 (#4), 2014 (#3) and 2013 (#3).
• Head coach Jared Grasso himself played in the NEC title game back in 2002 when he was a senior at Quinnipiac. The Bobcats dropped a 78-71 decision to CCSU.
• Prior to last year, Bryant’s last three trips to the NEC Tournament resulted in quarterfinal setbacks at Saint Francis U.
• Bryant is 11-1 at home this year and 21-2 over the last two seasons.
#2 Wagner (19-5, 15-3 NEC)
• Wagner matched a school record with 15 NEC wins this season. The Seahawks previously posted 15 wins in 2001-02, 2007-08 and 2011-12.
• Wagner is back in the NEC Tournament for the 11th time in 12 years, including ten times trips in 11 seasons under Bashir Mason. With Mason at the helm, the Seahawks have been seeded first three times (2016, 2018 & 2021), second three times (2013, 2014 & 2022), third (2017), sixth (2019) and seventh (2015 & 2019).
• Wagner is 4-6 in the NEC Tournament in six appearances as the #2 seed. The Seahawks were the #2 seed three straight years from 2012-14, falling in the semifinals on each occasion.
• The Seahawks have earned a #3 or higher seed in seven of the last 10 years and have advanced to the semis in seven of the last ten seasons.
• Wagner is 6-2 in its last eight NEC quarterfinal appearances.
• Wagner is 7-8 in the NEC Tournament under head Mason.
• When playing in Staten Island, the Seahawks are 16-13 in NEC Tournament play, including going 12-11 in the Spiro Sports Center (opened February, 1999). Wagner is 7-19 in the postseason in road and neutral sites.
• The Seahawks are 16-14 all-time in NEC quarterfinal games.
• Wagner’s has been ousted from the NEC Tournament at home in seven of its last nine NEC appearances, with five setbacks coming in the semis and two in the 2016 and 2018 title games.
• The Seahawks won their lone NEC championship in 2003, and reached the NEC final in 1993 (losing to Rider), 2005 (losing to FDU), 2016 (losing to FDU) and 2018 (losing to LIU).
• Wagner has posted a 1-1 postseason mark against Saint Francis U, with the win coming in the 1986 quarterfinals.
• Wagner has compiled an all-time NEC Tournament record of 23-32 in 31 trips.
#3 LIU (15-13, 12-6 NEC)
• LIU is back in the postseason for the seventh time in eight years after missing out on the festivities last season when it was a four team field. The Sharks have now qualified for 13 of the last 14 tourneys.
• LIU is the only team in league history to win three straight NEC Tournament titles. The Sharks’ three-year run came from 2011-13.
• LIU has won six NEC championships in 1984, 1997, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2018. The six titles are tied for the most among current league programs.
• In 2018, LIU became the fourth team in NEC history to win the tournament championship as a #4 or lower seed.
• LIU has posted a 4-1 record in two appearances as the #3 seed, with a quarterfinal win over Wagner back in 1985 and a three-game run to the NEC title in 2013 with victories against QU, Wagner and Mount.
• LIU is 3-0 all-time against SHU in the postseason, beginning with a quarterfinal win at home in 2012 as the #1 seed, followed by a pair of road victories in 2016 and 2019 as the #6 seed.
• The Sharks are 36-26 all-time in NEC play. LIU is 16-2 as the #1 seed, and 20-24 when entering as a lower seed.
• LIU is 16-13 in NEC quarterfinal games.
• LIU’s nine straight playoff wins from 2011-13 is the longest streak in league history.
• The Sharks are 23-5 (.821) all-time at home in the NEC Tournament. The 23 wins are the second-most in league history.
#4 Mount St. Mary's (13-15, 9-9 NEC)
• The Mount has qualified for the NEC Tournament in nine of the last ten years, 15 of the past 17 and 25 times in 31 years since joining the NEC.
• The Mount is 8-4 in quarterfinal play since the 2007 season.
• Mount St. Mary’s is 29-18 all-time in NEC Tournament games. The Mount’s .617 tournament winning percentage is third all-time in the conference and first among current NEC institutions.
• The Mount has won three NEC titles as the #4 seed and is 8-2 all-time in the playoffs when seeded fourth. The Mountaineers downed Quinnipiac, RMU and Sacred Heart to win the 2008 championship, beat SFBK, Wagner and RMU in 2014, and dropped Wagner and Bryant in 2021.
• The Mountaineers are hosting an NEC Tournament game for the first time since a 60-56 loss as the #2 seed to Robert Morris in 2018.
• The Mount is 1-1 in the opening round, 14-8 in the quarterfinals, 8-7 in the semifinals and 6-2 in championship affairs.
• The Mount is 14-8 all-time in NEC quarterfinal games, going 8-3 at home, 3-4 on the road and 3-1 at neutral sites.
• Since 2006-07, the Mount is 16-9 in the NEC Tournament, posting an 8-2 mark at home and 8-7 record on the road.
• The Mount is 13-4 at home and 11-11 on the road in the NEC Tournament.
• The Mount won NEC titles in 1995, 1999, 2008, 2014, 2017 and 2021. The six titles is tied for the most among current NEC schools.
• Head coach Dan Engelstad was an assistant at the Mount from 2007-10. The Mount went 6-2 in the playoffs in those three seasons and won it all in 2008.
• The Mount owns the distinction of being the lowest (#6 in 1999) and second-lowest seed (#4 in 2008, 2014 and 2021) to win the NEC title.
• In 2008, the Mount became the second team to win both the semifinals and finals on the road to capture the tournament title. Mount St. Mary’s did it again in 2014, winning at Wagner in the semis and at Robert Morris in the final, then repeated the feat in 2001 by toppling Wagner in the semis and Bryant in the championship.
• The Mount is 5-0 all-time in the NEC Tournament against SFBK with wins in 1993 (QF), 1994 (OR), 1999 (SF), 2014 (QF) and 2016 (QF).
#5 St. Francis Brooklyn (10-19, 7-11 NEC)
• St. Francis Brooklyn has qualified for the NEC Tournament in ten of the 12 years since Glenn Braica took over as head coach. The Terriers only missed out on the proceedings in 2017 and 2021.
• SFBK is 2-6 in the NEC Tournament as the #5 seed. The wins came in the 1992 (over Wagner) and 2002 (over Monmouth) quarterfinals.
• The Terriers have now been the #5 seed in three of their last four NEC playoff appearances.
• SFBK competed in the league championship game in 2001 (losing to Monmouth, 67-64), 2003 (falling to Wagner, 78-61) and 2015 (losing to Robert Morris, 66-63).
• The Terriers had lost eight consecutive NEC quarterfinal contests and nine straight overall in the postseason prior to winning twice to advance to the 2015 NEC title game. The victories broke a 12-year winless drought in March.
• The Terriers reached the NEC semifinals five straight seasons from 1999-03 and nine times in program history.
• SFBK twice earned the top seed in the NEC Tournament in 2001 and 2015.
• From 1991-2005, SFBK qualified for 15 straight NEC Tournaments.
• The Terriers have posted an 0-5 record against the Mount in NEC Tournament play.
• St. Francis Brooklyn is 12-31 all-time in the NEC Tournament.
• SFBK is the lone NEC charter member that has yet to win a tournament title. The Terriers have played the most games in NEC Tournament history (43) without winning a championship. SFBK is also one of four schools that have never made the NCAA Tournament since the modern reclassification of the Division in 1948.
#6 Sacred Heart (10-19, 6-12 NEC)
• Sacred Heart has qualified for the NEC Tournament four straight years and seven of the last eight seasons.
• The Pioneers are the #6 seed for the second time in its history. SHU dropped a 91-85 decision to Bryant in OT as the #6 seed in the 2015 quarterfinals.
• SHU was seeded third in the 2020 and 2021 NEC playoffs.
• The Pioneers will be making their 13th NEC Tournament appearance and are 6-12 all-time in the postseason.
• In 2020, SHU won its first postseason game since 2009 with a quarterfinal win over Mount St. Mary’s at the Pitt Center.
• SHU hosted NEC quarterfinal games in 2016, 2019 and 2020, and three straight seasons from 2007-09.
• SHU reached the NEC title game as the #2 seed in 2008 (falling at CCSU) and #3 seed in 2009 (losing at home to Mount St. Mary’s).
• The Pioneers are 4-7 in the NEC quarterfinals.
• SHU has compiled a 5-3 home record and 1-9 away mark in NEC tourney play.
• SHU is 1-9 all-time in the NEC Tournament against higher seeded teams with the one win coming over Wagner in the 2008 semifinals.
• Sacred Heart is 0-3 all-time against LIU in the postseason, suffering quarterfinal losses on the road in 2012, and at home in 2016 and 201
#7 Saint Francis U (9-20, 5-13 NEC)
• After missing out last year, Saint Francis U returns to the NEC playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons.
• The seven straight years of qualifying from 2014-20 marked the first seven-year postseason stretch for the Red Flash since making ten straight appearances from 1989-98.
• SFU is the #7 seed for the third time. Previously, the Red Flash fell to Monmouth in the 1993 first round and FDU in the 2016 quarterfinals.
• SFU secured quarterfinal home games in each of its previous four appearances from 2017-20. That came after a stretch of playing 15 consecutive NEC playoff games on the road or neutral sites.
• The Red Flash have reached the NEC semifinals in four of the last five and six of the last eight seasons.
• SFU’s championship game appearances in 2017, 2019 and 2020 were the first for the program since winning its lone NEC title in 1991.
• Prior to a victory in the 2014 quarterfinals, SFU had not won an NEC Tournament game since 1995.
• SFU and Wagner met in one of the most memorable NEC semifinal games of all time back in 2017 that ended on Keith Braxton’s improbable, off-balance three-pointer at the buzzer for a 71-70 win that sent the Red Flash to their first title tilt since 1991.
• Rob Krimmel is 5-2 in quarterfinal appearances and 8-7 overall in NEC Tournament play as SFU’s head coach.
• This is Rob Krimmel’s 16th NEC Tournament as a player or coach.
• The Red Flash are 15-26 all-time in NEC Tournament play, including a 11-4 record at home, 4-17 record on the road and 0-5 at neutral sites.
#8 FDU (4-21, 5-13 NEC)
• FDU and CCSU will meet in the first NEC opening round game since 1997.
• FDU is back in the postseason for the seventh time in nine years under Greg Herenda.
• The Knights have now qualified for 33 of the 41 NEC Tournaments. FDU has made 20 semifinal appearances and 11 championship game appearances.
• FDU won NEC Tournaments in 1985, 1988, 1998, 2005, 2016 and 2019.
• FDU is 34-26 all-time in the NEC Tournament and has reached the finals 11 times (6-5).
• FDU is 0-1 all-time in the NEC playoffs as the #8 seed (loss to RMU in 2014 QF).
• FDU is 17-11 all-time in NEC quarterfinal/first round games, 11-9 in the semifinals, 6-5 in championship games and 0-1 in outbracket games.
• FDU’s six NEC Tournament championships is tied with LIU and Mount for second all-time behind RMU’s eight titles.
• FDU is 7-4 in the NEC Tournament under Herenda.
• FDU qualified for a league record 18 straight NEC Tournaments from 1984-01. The Knights also hold the NEC mark with nine consecutive semifinal appearances from 1983-91.
#9 CCSU (7-23, 5-13 NEC)
• CCSU and FDU will meet in the first NEC opening round game since 1997.
• In his first year as head coach, Pat Sellers brings CCSU to the postseason for the first time since 2018.
• CCSU qualified for 16 straight NEC Tournaments from 1999 to 2014, but then missed out on the festivities in six of the next seven seasons.
• CCSU is the #9 seed for the first time.
• CCSU is 15-14 (.517) all-time in NEC Tournament play.
• The Blue Devils have won three NEC titles (2000, 2002 and 2007).
• The Blue Devils are 7-10 in NEC quarterfinal games, 5-2 in semifinal games and 3-2 in the finals.
• CCSU last won a quarterfinal game (over SFBK) and advanced to the NEC semifinals back in 2011.
• The Blue Devils have never won a true road game in the NEC Tournament. They are 0-10 as the road team in conference tournament action.
• CCSU is 1-0 all-time against FDU in the postseason with a 76-73 OT win in the 2004 semis.
• Neither CCSU or FDU have met Bryant in the NEC Tournament.
NEC TOURNAMENT TITLES AND RECORDS
SCHOOL TITLES LAST TOURNEY RECORD
Mount St. Mary’s 6 2017 29-18
LIU 6 2018 36-26
Fairleigh Dickinson 6 2019 34-26
Central Connecticut 3 2007 15-14
Wagner 1 2003 23-32
Saint Francis U 1 1991 15-26
Sacred Heart 0 6-12
St. Francis Brooklyn 0 12-31
Bryant 0 2-7
PAST NEC TOURNAMENT WINNERS AND MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS
2021 -- #4 Mount St. Mary’s def. #2 Bryant, 73-68 (Nana Opoku, MSM)
2020 -- #1 Robert Morris def. #1 Saint Francis U, 77-67 (Dante Treacy, RMU)
2019 -- #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #1 Saint Francis U, 85-76 (Darnell Edge, FDU)
2018 -- #4 LIU def. #1 Wagner, 71-61 (Joel Hernandez, LIU)
2017 -- #1 Mount St. Mary's def. #4 Saint Francis U, 71-61 (Elijah Long, MSM)
2016 -- #2 Fairleigh Dickinson def. #1 Wagner, 87-79 (Earl Potts Jr., FDU)
2015 -- #2 Robert Morris def. #1 St. Francis Brooklyn, 66-63 (Rodney Pryor, RMU)
2014 -- #4 Mount St. Mary’s def. #1 Robert Morris, 88-71 (Rashad Whack, MSM)
2013 -- #3 LIU def. #5 Mount St. Mary’s, 91-70 (C.J. Garner, LIU)
2012 -- #1 LIU def. #3 Robert Morris, 90-73 (Julian Boyd, LIU)
2011 -- #1 LIU 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, 105-91 (Rahshon Turner, FDU)
1997 -- #1 LIU 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 def. #2 Robert Morris, 87-81 (Carey Scurry, LIU)
1983 -- #1S Robert Morris def. #1N LIU, 79-67 (Chipper Harris, RMU)
1982 -- #1S Robert Morris def. #2N LIU, 85-84 (Tom Parks, RMU)