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We must start the NEC Tournament preview with a moment of silence for the fallen Division I basketball fate of Saint Francis University. By finishing 10th in the league, SFU did not qualify for the NEC Tournament in its final season before dropping to Division III. We thank the Red Flash for the memories. They will never be forgotten. We wish you great success in Division III, but as for Division I, we went from two Saints’ Francis to zero.
*Moment of silence*
Moving on to the eight teams that did qualify, they’ll play for the chance to go to the NCAA Tournament, or at least six of them will.
Le Moyne and Mercyhurst are still in their transition periods, and thus are ineligible to compete in the NCAA Tournament. If one of those two makes the final, then the automatic bid will go to their opponent in the final. If they both make the final, then the semifinal losers will play a consolation game for the automatic bid.
Let’s take a look at the schedule.
Northeast Conference Tournament Bracket
Northeast Conference Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, March 4 | NEC Front Row | 7 p.m. | Hosted by higher seed
No. 8 Chicago State at No. 1 Long Island | Brooklyn, N.Y.
No. 5 Stonehill at No. 4 Le Moyne | Syracuse, N.Y.
No. 6 FDU at No. 3 Mercyhurst | Erie, Penn.
No. 7 Wagner at No. 2 Central Connecticut | New Britain, Conn.
Semifinals – Saturday, March 7 | ESPN+ | 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. | Hosted by highest seed
Lowest remaining seed AT Highest remaining seed
Third highest remaining seed AT Second highest remaining seed
Championship Game – Tuesday, March 10 | ESPN2 | 7 p.m. | Hosted by highest seed
Lower seeded semifinal winner AT Higher seeded semifinal winner
All times eastern.
Here are the teams
1. Long Island (15-3 NEC, 21-10 overall)
The clear most talented team in the league, LIU won the NEC regular season title with games to spare. After a disappointing semifinal loss to Saint Francis last season, LIU won 20 regular-season games for the first time since 2016-17 this year. Between Malachi Davis, Greg Gordon, Jamal Fuller, and Jomo Goings, the Sharks have a plethora of players who can take over the game in different ways, while Shad Lasu patrols the paint.
2. Central Connecticut (12-6 NEC, 18-11 overall)
Since losing to LIU on January 31, Central Connecticut finished the regular season 7-1. Darin Smith, Jay Rodgers, and Max Frazier have all developed into legit stars in the league, and Patrick Sellers’ squad is out for vengeance after losing the championship game at home last year. This is the conference’s top offense, led by that three-headed monster as Rodgers and Frazier connect for alley-oops while Smithcan score from anywhere.
3. Mercyhurst (10-8 NEC, 15-16 overall)
After not being eligible to compete in the NEC Tournament last season, Mercyhurst will play its first Division I postseason game at home on Wednesday against FDU. The Lakers can’t play in the NCAA Tournament this year, but Gary Manchel’s squad has evolved offensively throughout the season. Bernie Blunt and Jake Lemelman are both playing really good basketball right now.
4. Le Moyne (10-8 NEC, 15-16 overall)
The Dolphins went from the NEC’s worst defense last season into the second-best in 2025-26. Shilo Jackson – one of the league’s best big men – has been a massive part of that turnaround, but any run in the NEC Tournament will hinge on the play of Le Moyne’s guards.
5. Stonehill (8-10 NEC, 11-20 overall)
The Skyhawks looked to be in free fall with five straight losses to start February, but Davante Hackett scored 30 and then 40 points in late February to win two in a row. But Stonehill still comes into the NEC Tournament off a loss, dropping in overtime to Mercyhurst on Saturday. On Hackett’s best nights, it lifted a Stonehill offense that ranks dead last in the NEC, providing a complement to the third-ranked defense.
6. FDU (8-10 NEC, 11-20 overall)
FDU lost three games in a row – and four of the last five – to finish the regular season. However, it swept its quarterfinal opponent, Mercyhurst during the campaign. Jack Castleberry has slowed the pace down from previous years, with a team that relies more on its potency on the glass than during the rest of his tenure.
7. Wagner (8-10 NEC, 13-16 overall)
Dwan McMillan took charge of the Seahawks program as interim coach just weeks before the season, and led Wagner to win seven of its final ten games of the regular season. The bad news for Wagner? Those three losses were all by double digits to the two top teams in the league, and as the seventh seed, the Seahawks have to face Central Connecticut.
8. Chicago State (5-13 NEC, 7-24 overall)
Just like last season, Chicago State will travel to Brooklyn to take on LIU in the quarterfinal of the NEC Tournament. The Cougars bounced back from an 0-8 start in conference play to win four of the next five games, but lost four of the last five headed into the tournament. Landon Bussie’s team has struggled for consistent scoring production, especially if Marcus Tankersley isn’t playing at his best.
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