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2023 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament
(all games played at home of higher seeded team)
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 1
#8 LIU at #1 Merrimack, 7 pm
#7 St. Francis Brooklyn at #2 FDU, 7 pm
#6 CCSU at #3 Saint Francis U, 7 pm
#5 Wagner at #4 Sacred Heart, 7 pm*
Watch Live: All games to air on NEC Front Row (* also airs on ESPN3 & SNY)
Semifinals
Saturday, March 4
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, NEC Front Row
Championship
Tuesday, March 7
Watch Live: 7:00 pm on ESPN2, ESPN3
Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Things You Really Need To Know...77 Of 'Em!
1. The Northeast Conference will employ a campus site playoff format for the 19th 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. The 2023 NEC Tournament will mark a return to an eight-team format. Last year, all nine eligible teams will qualified and the field was trimmed to four for the 2021 tourney.
3. With the NEC’s new policy in place, which permits reclassifying institutions to participate in the NEC postseason championships in years three and four of the four-year reclassification process, Merrimack became postseason eligible this season. Stonehill will be eligible to compete in the 2025 tourney. If Merrimack wins the NEC Tournament championship, the tournament runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the NEC’s automatic qualifier.
4. FDU and LIU have each won six NEC titles, tied for the most among current conference members.
5. The longest current qualification streak belongs to Sacred Heart at five in a row. The longest streak in league history belongs to FDU, which made 18 straight appearances from 1984-01.
6. Merrimack, Sacred Heart and St. Francis Brooklyn are shooting for their first-ever NEC Tournament crowns.
7. Charter NEC members have appeared in 13 of the last 14 NEC finals.
8. Home teams have posted a 42-10 (.808) record in the NEC quarterfinals over the last 14 years (QF were not contested in 2021) and a 51-13 (.797) mark since the switch to campus sites in 2005.
9. In 2016, FDU became the first school to win the NEC crown after failing to qualify for the tourney the previous year (when eligible).
10. Since the league scrapped a divisional format in 1984, #1 seeds are 38-1 in their opening game of the NEC Tournament with the only loss incurred by Wagner in the 2021 NEC semifinals. A #1 seed has never lost in the quarterfinals.
11. Merrimack won its second NEC regular season title in four years, and makes its initial foray into the postseason as the #1 seed. The only other teams to secure the top-seed in their first-ever NEC Tournament appearance were Rider in 1993 and UMBC in 1999. Rider went on to win the NEC title, while UMBC fell in the semis.
12. A team other than the top seed has won the NEC Tournament in seven of the last ten years.
13. The #1 seed has fallen on its home court in the NEC title game five of the last nine years.
14. Likewise, the road team has won the NEC final in six of the last nine years.
15. Head coaches looking for their first-ever NEC Tournament wins: FDU’s Tobin Anderson, LIU’s Rod Strickland, Merrimack’s Joe Gallo and Wagner’s Donald Copeland. CCSU’s Pat Sellers (2000 and 2002 at CCSU, and 2019 at FDU) and Gallo (2015 at RMU) have won NEC titles as assistant coaches, and Copeland (2016 and 2018 at Wagner) has reached the NEC Tournament game twice.
16. Though seeded fifth this season, Wagner has been seeded third or better in seven of its last 11 tourney appearances.
17. No NEC team has ever won three straight games on the road to win the league title.
18. Teams that have won NEC title games on the road (not including neutral sites): FDU (1985, 1998, 2016 & 2019), LIU (2018), Mount St. Mary’s (1995, 2008, 2014 and 2021), Robert Morris (1983, 2010 and 2015) and Monmouth (2006).
19. 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 did 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.
20. 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.
21. Robert Morris holds the NEC record with nine tournament titles.
22. 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).
23. LIU is the only NEC school to win three straight NEC Tournament championships (2011 to 13).
24. Since moving to an eight-team tourney format in 1998 (seven qualified in 2001 and four in 2021, along with nine in 2022), Wagner qualified for the NEC Tournament 22 times, followed by 21 for St. Francis Brooklyn and Robert Morris, 20 for CCSU and LIU, 19 for Mount St. Mary’s, 18 for FDU, 16 for Saint Francis U, 14 for Sacred Heart (first eligible in 2002) and one for Merrimack (first eligible in 2023).
25. Robert Morris owns the most home NEC Tournament wins in league history with 28. LIU is second with 24, followed by Wagner’s 18.
26. LIU has recorded the fourth best winning percentage in NEC Tournament history and best among current conference programs. The Sharks are 37-27 (.578), trailing only Rider (11-3, .786), Robert Morris (45-27, .625) and Mount St. Mary’s (30-19, .612).
27. FDU has posted a 20-12 (.625) NEC Tournament record this year’s field, the best mark in the league by a wide margin.
28. Despite 25 previous opportunities, this oddly marks the first-ever meeting between CCSU and Saint Francis U in the NEC postseason.
29. Quarterfinal round opponents FDU and St. Francis Brooklyn will meet for the first time in the postseason in 18 years. The two programs split four previous meetings, all in a nine-year span from 1997-05.
30. Sacred Heart and Wagner previously faced off in NEC Tournament play back in the 2007 quarters and 2008 semis with the Pioneers winning on both occasions. SHU dropped 100 points against the Seahawks in its 2007 quarterfinal win, one of just seven 100-point games in tournament history.
31. Merrimack and FDU both swept their quarterfinal opponents, while Saint Francis U/CCSU and Sacred Heart/Wagner both split during the regular season with the home team winning every game.
32. Sacred Heart posted the best record against fellow top-four seeds with a 4-2 mark during the regular season. Merrimack and FDU went 3-3 and Saint Francis U was 2-4.
33. Second-seeded FDU swept top-seeded Merrimack in regular season play.
34. FDU has won its last four NEC titles and five of its six championships as the #2 seed. The Knights are 21-6 all-time as a #2 seed and 13-21 when seeded other than second.
35. The four quarterfinal hosts only posted a combined 19-13 (.594) home record in league play: Merrimack (5-3), FDU (4-4), Saint Francis U (6-2) and Sacred Heart (4-4)
36. A #8 seed has never reached the semifinals of the NEC Tournament.
37. The #1 seed has reached the NEC title game eight of the last nine years, but won the crown only three times in that stretch.
38. If the seeds hold through the quarterfinals, that sets up a showdown between FDU and Saint Francis U in the semis. The two programs last met up in the postseason in the 2019 NEC title game won by the Knights.
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 that season, so the Green & White’s setback to Mount St. Mary’s came in the semifinal round.
40. The NEC Tournament’s top seed is 38-0 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. The #3 seed has gone down in three of the last seven 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. The average margin of victory in the #2 vs. #7 game the last three full NEC Tournaments is 31.0 ppg.
44. St. Francis Brooklyn snapped a 12-year stretch without an NEC Tournament win in 2015, advancing all the way to the NEC championship game.
45. 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.
46. 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.
47. 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.
48. Only four NEC Tournaments - in 1987, 1991, 1994 and 2020 - have gone exactly according to seeding.
49. 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.
50. Conference teams have posted a 83-36 record (.697) when hosting NEC Tournament games throughout the league’s history (current NEC teams only).
51. There are no players competing in this year’s tournament who possess an NEC Championship ring.
52. CCSU has won three NEC titles, but only when seeded first in the field (2000, 2002 and 2007).
53. LIU has a 16-2 record when playing as the top seed and won four of its six NEC titles when seeded first.
54. 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.
55. 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.
56. 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.
57. 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.
58. 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.
59. 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.
60. 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.
61. 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.
62. 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.
63. 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.
64. 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.
65. 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 34 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.
66. 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.
67. Saint Francis U’s Rob Krimmel (eight wins) St. Francis Brooklyn’s Glenn Braica (two), CCSU's Pat Sellers (one) and Sacred Heart’s Anthony Latina (one) are the lone current head coaches with NEC Tournament wins on their resume.
68. 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.
69. 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.
70. 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 (44) without winning a championship.
71. 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.
72. 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.
73. Robert Morris set a new NEC Tournament record on March 6, 2004, holding St. Francis U to just 43 points in a quarterfinal victory. That total was matched by Bryant in the 2022 NEC title game vs. Wagner.
74. LIU holds the NEC mark for points in a NEC Tournament with a 108-79 win over Monmouth on February 26, 1998.
75. 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.
76. LIU’s Carey Scurry once blocked 14 (!) shots in an NEC Tournament game against Baltimore on February 28, 1983.
77. This year’s event marks the 42nd 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 Merrimack (15-16, 12-4 NEC)
• Merrimack is making its first-ever NEC Tournament appearance. The Warriors were ineligible for the NEC postseason in their first three years in the conference. Merrimack will become NCAA Tournament eligible next season with the completion of its mandatory four-year reclassification period.
• Merrimack has won the NEC regular season title in two of its first four years as a member of the conference. The Warriors went 14-4 in their inaugural NEC campaign back in 2019-20.
• The Warriors have won eight straight games entering the postseason.
• The Warriors went 5-3 at home in NEC play this season.
• Merrimack is an NEC-best 45-25 (.643) in conference play over the past four seasons.
• Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo does have NEC Tournament experience from his time as an assistant at Robert Morris from 2012-16. He owns a championship ring from RMU’s run to the 2015 title.
• The Warriors set a new conference record for defensive efficiency (88.2) during the KenPom era (starting in 2001-02).
• Merrimack and LIU will play for the second time in five days. The Warriors posted an 80-59 win in Brooklyn on Saturday to complete a season sweep of the Sharks.
#2 FDU (17-14, 10-36 NEC)
• FDU is back in the postseason for the seventh time in eight years and first under Tobin Anderson.
• FDU clinched the #2 seed on Saturday with its home victory over SFBK. The two teams will now square off again in Hackensack four days later. The Knights swept the Terriers this season.
• The Knights have now qualified for 34 of the 42 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 34-27 all-time in the NEC Tournament and has reached the finals 11 times (6-5).
• FDU’s #2 seed is the highest for the program since claiming the second seed in 2019.
• The Knights are 2-2 all-time vs. SFBK in the NEC Tournament, with wins in the 1997 and 2005 quarterfinals.
• FDU is 17-12 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 for second all-time behind RMU’s nine titles.
• FDU has won its last four NEC titles and five of its six championships as the #2 seed. The Knights are 21-6 all-time as a #2 seed and 13-21 when seeded other than second.
• The Knights are 15-6 at home in the NEC Tournament.
• 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.
#3 Saint Francis U (12-17, 9-7 NEC)
• Saint Francis U returns to the NEC playoffs for the ninth time in ten seasons.
• The seven straight years of NEC Tournament qualification 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 #3 seed for the second time in its history. Previously, the Red Flash fell to FDU in the 2018 quarterfinals.
• SFU last secured quarterfinal home games 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 five of the last nine 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.
• This year marks the first-ever meeting between SFU and CCSU in the NEC playoffs. The two teams split their 2022-23 season series with each winning at home.
• Rob Krimmel is 5-3 in quarterfinal appearances and 8-8 overall in NEC Tournament play as SFU’s head coach.
• This is Rob Krimmel’s 17th NEC Tournament as a player or coach.
• The Red Flash are 15-27 all-time in NEC Tournament play, including a 11-4 record at home, 4-18 record on the road and 0-5 at neutral sites.
#4 Sacred Heart (15-16, 8-8 NEC)
• Sacred Heart has qualified for the NEC Tournament five straight years and eight of the last nine seasons.
• The Pioneers secured a home game with its win at CCSU on Saturday.
• The Pioneers are the #4 seed for the first time in its history.
• The Pioneers will be making their 14th NEC Tournament appearance and are 6-13 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 4-8 in the NEC quarterfinals.
• SHU has compiled a 5-3 home record and 1-10 away mark in NEC tourney play.
• SHU is 1-10 all-time in the NEC Tournament against higher seeded teams with the one win coming over Wagner in the 2008 semifinals.
• SHU is 2-0 all-time against Wagner in the postseason, winning in the 2007 quarterfinals and in the aforementioned 2008 semis.
• SHU and Wagner split their season series with each team defending its home court.
#5 Wagner (15-12, 8-8 NEC)
• Wagner is back in the NEC Tournament for the 12th time in 13 years.
• Since 2012, Wagner has been seeded first three times (2016, 2018 & 2021), second four times (2012, 2013, 2014 & 2022), third (2017), fifth (2023) and seventh (2015 & 2019).
• Wagner is 1-1 in the NEC Tournament as the #5 seed. The Seahawks knocked off LIU, 88-83, in the 2001 quarterfinals in a neutral site game at the then named Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton before falling to SFBK in the semis.
• The Seahawks have earned a #3 or higher seed in seven of the last 11 years and have advanced to the semis in eight of the last 11 seasons.
• Wagner is 7-2 in its last eight NEC quarterfinal appearances.
• When playing in Staten Island, the Seahawks are 18-13 in NEC Tournament play, including going 14-11 in the Spiro Sports Center (opened February, 1999). Wagner is 7-20 in the postseason in road and neutral sites.
• The Seahawks are 17-14 all-time in NEC quarterfinal games.
• Wagner’s has been ousted from the NEC Tournament at home in seven of its last ten 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), 2018 (losing to LIU) and 2022 (losing to Bryant).
• Wagner has posted an 0-2 postseason mark against Sacred Heart, with setbacks in the 2007 quarterfinals and 2008 semifinals.
• Wagner has compiled an all-time NEC Tournament record of 25-33 in 32 trips.
• While this is Donald Copeland’s first NEC postseason appearance as a head coach, he took part in six conference tournaments as an assistant coach at Wagner from 2015-21.
#6 CCSU (10-21, 7-9 NEC)
• Pat Sellers brings CCSU to the postseason for the second time in his two years as head coach.
• CCSU’s opening round victory over FDU last season was the first NEC Tournament win for the program since winning in the 2011 NEC quarterfinals against SFBK.
• The 2022 win at FDU was also the first true road victory in the NEC Tournament for the Blue Devils. They entered 0-10 as the road team in conference tournament action.
• 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 has compiled an 0-3 record in its appearances as a #6 seed.
• CCSU is 16-15 (.516) all-time in NEC Tournament play.
• The Blue Devils have won three NEC titles (2000, 2002 and 2007).
• The Blue Devils are 1-0 in NEC opening round games, 7-11 in quarterfinal games, 5-2 in semifinal games and 3-2 in the finals.
• CCSU has never met Saint Francis U in the NEC postseason.
• Sellers won a pair of NEC championship rings during his time as a CCSU assistant in 2000 and 2002. He also earned a ring as an assistant at FDU in 2019.
#7 St. Francis Brooklyn (14-15, 7-9 NEC)
• St. Francis Brooklyn has qualified for the NEC Tournament in 11 of the 13 years since Glenn Braica took over as head coach. The Terriers only missed out on the proceedings in 2017 and 2021.
• SFBK is 0-3 in the NEC Tournament as the #7 seed. The Terriers were last the #7 seed back in 1997.
• 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 a 2-2 record against FDU in NEC Tournament play, securing wins in the 1999 quarterfinals and 2003 semifinals.
• St. Francis Brooklyn is 12-32 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 (44) without winning a championship. SFBK is also one of four schools (along with Army, William & Mary and The Citadel) that have never made the NCAA Tournament since the modern reclassification of the Division in 1948.
#8 LIU (3-25, 1-15 NEC)
• LIU is back in the postseason for the eight time in nine years. The Sharks have now qualified for 14 of the last 16 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 1-4 record in four appearances as the #8 seed, with an opening round win over St. Francis Brooklyn back in 1996.
• The Sharks are 37-27 all-time in NEC play. LIU is 16-2 as the #1 seed, and 21-25 when entering as a lower seed.
• LIU is 17-13 in NEC quarterfinal games.
• LIU’s nine straight playoff wins from 2011-13 is the longest streak in league history.
• The Sharks are 24-5 (.828) all-time at home in the NEC Tournament. The 24 wins are the second-most in league history.
NEC TOURNAMENT TITLES AND RECORDS
SCHOOL TITLES LAST TOURNEY RECORD
LIU 6 2018 37-27
FDU 6 2019 34-27
Central Connecticut 3 2007 16-15
Wagner 1 2003 25-33
Saint Francis U 1 1991 15-27
Sacred Heart 0 6-13
St. Francis Brooklyn 0 12-32
PAST NEC TOURNAMENT WINNERS AND MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS
2022 -- #1 Bryant def. #2 Wagner, 70-43 (Peter Kiss, BRY)
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)