NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Alex Morales, Wagner
6’5”, 195 lbs.
Gr., G, Paterson, NJ/Mainland Regional (Prince George’s CC)
Morales became the first two-time NEC Player of the Week this season after supplying the Seahawks with 15.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.5 spg in a pair of wins. He shot 50.0 percent from distance and made all nine of his free throws. Morales recorded 15 points, seven boards, four assists, three steals and sank 3-6 from three-point range on Monday as Wagner rolled over Delaware State, 93-51. Three days later, he tied for game-high scoring honors with 15 points to go along with six boards, two assists and two steals as Wagner posted a 63-50 at Fairfield to move to 6-2 overall. The Paterson, NJ product ranks among NEC leaders in virtually every statistical category, including scoring (15.9, second), rebounding (6.3, eighth), assists (3.9, fourth), steals (2.0, third), field goal percentage (.583, fourth), three-point percentage (.538, 2nd), free throw percentage (.870, second) and A/TO ratio (1.23, fifth).

NEC MEN'S BASKETBALL ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Zaire Williams, Wagner
6’4”, 190 lbs.
Fr., G, Brooklyn, NY/Eagle Academy (NY)
Williams has started to make a name for himself on a veteran Wagner squad that posted an NEC best 6-2 mark during non-conference play. Last Monday, the Brooklyn native dropped a career-high 14 points and drained a personal best three triples in the Green & White’s 42-point win over Delaware State. Williams also chipped in with two rebounds, two steals and an assist. For the week, he averaged 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals, while shooting 40.0 percent from three-point land. Williams, who has started all eight game of his young career, ranks third among NEC freshman with 6.1 ppg on the year

NEC PRIME PERFORMERS

Jordan Minor (MC, Jr, F)
Minor registered his league-leading fourth double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds in MC’s 49-47 win at Maine on Tuesday. He added two steals and a block. Minor enters NEC play ranked in the NEC top-10 in scoring (14.2, sixth), rebounding (6.8, fifth), steals (1.9, fifth) and blocks (2.2, second).

Aaron Clarke (SHU, Sr, G)
Clarke broke the 20-point mark for the third time this season with 23 in Wednesday’s setback to Hartford. He went 11-11 from the line and dished for four assists. He averages 15.4 ppg and 3.8 apg on the year.

Ramiir Dixon-Conover (SFU, R-Sr, G)
Dixon-Conover led the Red Flash with 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals against old rival RMU on Wednesday. He drained 3-4 three-pointers and was 7-13 overall from the floor. RDC continues to lead the NEC with 2.3 spg, and is also second in A/TO ratio (2.0), fourth in assists (4.0), fifth in scoring (14.5) and 19th in rebounding (5.0).

Alex Morales (WC, Gr, G)
Morales helped guide Wagner to a pair of victories with 15.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.0 apg and 2.5 spg in another strong all-around week. He led the Seahawks with 15 points and added six boards in Thursday’s 63-50 win at Fairfield. The reigning NEC Player of the Year ranks among league leaders in a host of categories, including scoring (15.9, second), rebounding (6.3, eighth), assists (3.9, fourth), steals (2.0, third), field goal percentage (.583, fourth), three-point percentage (.538, 2nd), free throw percentage (.870, second) and A/TO ratio (1.23, fifth).
 
TOP STORYLINES FROM #NECMBB WEEK SEVEN

PRESS RESET...#NECNEWYEAR HAS ARRIVED
 
After 45 days going toe-to-toe with the other 31, we’ve reached the #NECNewYear, a celebration of NEC hoops that will last 70 days until the coronation of the 41st NEC men’s basketball champion on March 8th.
 
The good times begin on Wednesday.
 
Before we fast forward to the week ahead, let’s hit the rewind button and reflect back at a time when NEC coaches transformed into pundits and took a stab at projecting the final standings:
 
NEC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Wagner (7)
2. Bryant (2)
3. Mount St. Mary’s (1)
4. LIU
5. Merrimack
6. Sacred Heart
7. St. Francis Brooklyn
8. Saint Francis U
9. Fairleigh Dickinson
10. CCSU
 
While these rankings make for great discussion and debate, there has been little correlation over the years between the preseason poll and year-end outcome.
 
Conducted annually, the coaches have only managed to correctly forecast the eventual NEC Tournament champion two times in the last 22 years. Over the last 34 years, the coaches have proven inaccurate on 30 occasions or 88 percent of the time.
 
A year ago, preseason number one Fairleigh Dickinson finished eighth in the regular season, marking the fourth time in six years the NEC favorite finished fifth or lower in the standings. In fact, the last time the coaches have made an accurate forecast was way back in 2013 when they selected LIU to win it all.
 
Conversely, being relegated to the bottom half of the poll isn’t necessarily a death sentence.
 
Two years ago, eventual NEC champion Robert Morris was predicted to finish fifth. In 2018, LIU was picked sixth and won it all. How about the 2016-17 season when FDU took home the trophy after being tabbed ninth in the ten-team league. In 2014, the Mount captured the title despite being picked sixth in the preseason.
 
With the coaches’ picks in mind, let’s take a look at what went down the first six plus week of the season and how those results potentially translate come league play.
 
Preseason favorite Wagner has lived up to its billing and then some, albeit with a truncated non-conference schedule due to a COVID pause that necessitated the cancellation of three games.

The Seahawks picked up the NEC’s best win of the non-conference season right out of the gate, toppling perennial NCAA participant VCU (NET: 70, KenPom: 78), 58-44, in Richmond on November 13. With a 6-2 record, the Green & White also posted double-digit triumphs over defending America East champion Hartford, preseason America East favorite Stony Brook and finally MAAC contender Fairfield last week to wrap its non-league schedule on a three-game win streak.

In search of its first conference title since 2003, Wagner jumps into NEC play as the league’s highest rated team both in terms of NET (42) and KenPom (118) rankings.
 
The Seahawks, who captured the 2020-21 NEC regular season crown with a 13-5 mark, are looking to end an 18-year drought and bring home the program’s second NEC Tournament title.
 
Saint Francis U could be a team in the same mold as a number of the aforementioned NEC champions who were not projected to be title contenders and outperformed expectations.
 
Picked eighth by the coaches, the Red Flash posted double-digit wins against Lehigh, Bucknell and Hartford, but it’s most impressive outing may have come in a setback. SFU dropped a three-point decision on the road against a 9-2 Ohio (NET: 87, KenPom: 102) team coming off a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament last spring.
 
Though ineligible for the NEC Tournament during its four-year DI transition, Merrimack once has the makings of an NEC contender. Slotted fifth by NEC head coaches, the defensive-minded Warriors won five non-league games, and were a couple of late missed shots away from closing out with a winning record. Merrimack snapped a five-game losing skid last Tuesday with a 49-47 win at Maine, and also picked up wins over NJIT, Lehigh and Hartford. MC held four different opponents under 50 points and eight of 13 foes under 70 points.
 
Selected second by the coaches following a run to the 2021 NEC title game, Bryant had its ups and downs, in part to being ravaged with COVID related issues in December. The Bulldogs did pick up some solid wins, most notably home victories over Brown and UNH. With a veteran lineup that includes a number of All-Conference caliber players fronting their patented high tempo, three-point reliant attack, the Black & Gold have all the pieces to make a deep tournament run come March.
 
Despite returning one of the league’s top backcourts and its top eight scorers following a third place NEC finish a year ago, Sacred Heart was picked sixth in the preseason poll. With a chip on their shoulder, the Pios had their moments during non-league play, earning road wins at La Salle, Lafayette and Columbia, and hung close with nearly every team on its schedule. SHU has posted a winning conference record in each of the last three years.
 
Defending champion and preseason No. 3 Mount St. Mary’s didn’t back down from taking on top-flight competition in non-league play, including games at high majors Kentucky and Villanova, along with road tilts at Santa Clara and Ohio. Sporting one of the NEC’s elite frontcourt and with its best basketball likely to come, the Mount showed glimpses of its potential, and ended 2021 on a high note with a 74-60 win over Morgan State.
 
Faced with a challenging non-conference slate (ranked 40th by KenPom), it took awhile for LIU to find its footing, but the battle-tested team put it all together in its final non-conference test with a 90-65 blowout win over Army. Tabbed fourth in the preseason rankings, the run-and-gun Sharks and their uber-talented frontcourt have the requisite pieces to secure a high seed in the NEC tourney.
 
Under new head coach Pat Sellers, CCSU has undergone a transformation with a host of freshmen undergoing a trial by fire approach that has already paid dividends. With five rookies in their playing rotation, the Blue Devils took down Maine, Holy Cross and Hartford, and fell to Fordham in double overtime in the lead-up to NEC play. Slotted tenth by coaches, CCSU could be a wildcard as it looks to reach the postseason for the first time since 2018.
 
Sporting a host of newcomers in its rotation, St. Francis Brooklyn was another team that started slowly, but gained steam in December. The Terriers, who were picked seventh by NEC coaches, won three straight to wrap its non-conference slate, including a double-digit win at MAAC contender Saint Peter’s.
 
Tackling the 34th toughest non-conference slate in the country and eight straight road games to begin the campaign, FDU went winless, but a youthful, talented Knights squad was competitive in a host of games. Chosen ninth, look for FDU to follow its typical pattern of peaking in February.
 
The wide open nature of the NEC this season will bring the talk of parity back to the forefront.
 
KenPom has pegged Wagner as the eventual regular season champion with 15 wins, but only four games separate second place Bryant (11 wins) with eighth place SFBK (seven wins).
 
If history has any say in the matter, there will be one or more teams that eventually separate from the pack. The NEC regular season champion has won at least 14 games in 14 of the last 17 years. Only in 2015-16 (Wagner, 13 wins), 2018-19 (FDU and SFU, 12 wins) and 2020-21 (Wagner, 13 wins) was the magic number less than 14.
 
If there’s one thing that parity brings, it’s competitive games night-in and night-out and a high level of intrigue as teams battle not only for the regular season crown, but for the right to host postseason games.
 
The most intriguing games on #NECNewYear week may be Wagner’s road contests at SFU and reigning champion Mount St. Mary’s.
 
Opening Weekend NEC Slate
Wed., Dec. 29           Bryant at CCSU, 7 pm
                        Wagner at Saint Francis U, 7 pm
                        LIU at Sacred Heart, 7 pm
                        FDU at Mount St. Mary’s, 7 pm
                        SFBK at Merrimack, 7 pm
Fri., Dec.31            Sacred Heart at Bryant, 1 pm
                        LIU at Merrimack, 2 pm
                        Wagner at Mount St. Mary’s, 2 pm
                        FDU at Saint Francis U, 4 pm
                        CCSU at SFBK, 4 pm
 
All games can be viewed free of charge on NEC Front Row or via the NEC on the Run series of streaming and mobile apps.
 
So, as the New Year approaches, we reboot.
 
Let the journey to madness begin.
 
WAGNER NON-CONFERENCE SLATE IN PERSPECTIVE
 
With its impressive 63-50 at MAAC contender Fairfield last Thursday, Wagner concluded its non-conference season with a 6-2 record, a mark that ranks among the elite performances in league history.
 
The Seahawks, who posted double-digit road wins at VCU, Stony Brook and Fairfield, and fell only at Seton Hall and Penn St., tied Monmouth for the fifth-highest win percentage on the league’s all-time list.
 
In fact, Wagner has accounted for three of the top-five non-conference campaigns in NEC annals, highlighted by a 9-2 mark in 2011-12.
 
Robert Morris holds the record for the best non-conference season, going 8-1 in 2006-07.
 
Ten Best NEC Non-Conference Record By Percentage*#
1.  Robert Morris^           8-1        .889         2006-07
2.  Marist                   7-1        .875         1995-96
3.  Wagner                   9-2        .818         2011-12
4.  Wagner^                  7-2        .778         2005-06
5.  Wagner^                  6-2        .750         2021-22
    Monmouth                 9-3        .750         1991-92
7.  LIU                      8-3        .727         2010-11
    Quinnipiac               8-3        .727         2010-11
    Wagner                   8-3        .727         2008-09
    LIU                      8-3        .727         2007-08
    Monmouth                 8-3        .727         1990-91
    LIU!                     8-3        .727         1986-87
 
^ Includes one non-DI win
! Includes two non-DI wins
* Does not include postseason wins/losses
# Excludes 2020-21 season with limited non-conference games

MASON’S MILESTONE WIN
 
As Wagner closed out a 6-2 non-conference slate with a big victory over Fairfield last Thursday, it proved to be a double celebration as the win was the 150th in Bashir Mason’s head coaching career.
 
Mason, who at 29 was the youngest head coach at the DI level when he was named the 18th men’s basketball coach in school history on March 26, 2012, reached the 150-win mark in his tenth year leading the Green & White.
 
Mason is the fastest NEC coach to hit the 150 overall win mark since RMU’s Andy Toole won exactly 150 in his first eight seasons from 2010-18.
 
Mason is one of just two coaches in the NEC’s 40-year history to win three Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honors, joining NEC Hall of Fame coach Howie Dickenman, who earned the distinction four times in his storied career at CCSU.
 
WATKINS DRAINS GAME-WINNER AS WARRIORS TAME BEARS
 
Despite misfiring on his previous 11 shots from distance over his last five outings, Merrimack senior guard Mikey Watkins (Roselle, NJ/Linden) didn’t hesitate when called upon in a big spot at Maine last Tuesday.
 
With the Bears clinging to a one point lead, the Warriors swung the ball to the Roselle, NJ native, who confidently drilled an NBA range triple with 34.5 seconds to play to give the Warriors the lead for good in its 49-47 win in Orono.
 
Watkins finished the low scoring affair with nine points, five boards, three assists and a steal as Merrimack snapped a five-game losing streak with its fifth win of the non-conference campaign.
 
Over its 13 non-conference games, the Warriors allowed just 62.1 ppg and posted league-leading figures in steals per game (9.85), steal percentage (14.6), turnover margin (+5.69) and turnover percentage (24.5). Merrimack is seventh nationally in steal rate and 18th in turnover rate.
 
NEC ANNOUNCES 2022 TOURNAMENT EXPANSION, MAINTAINS CANCELLATION/FORFEIT POLICY
 
Northeast Conference (NEC) administrators last Thursday approved a one-time expansion of the 2022 NEC Men’s and Women’s Tournament fields to include all nine eligible teams.
 
NEC administrators also voted to maintain the league’s basketball game cancellation and forfeit policy.
 
The policy reads as follows:
 
If a team is unable to compete due to COVID-19 related issues, the NEC contest will not be rescheduled and will be considered a forfeit. For purposes of conference regular season standings and tiebreakers, a forfeit will count as an NEC win for the team that was cleared to compete, and a loss for the team that could not compete.
If two opponents are unable to compete due to COVID-19 issues, both teams shall be deemed to have forfeited and each team will be charged with a loss.
As per NCAA policy, a COVID-19 related forfeit will not change a team’s official won-lost record, nor will it impact statistics or coaching records.
In the event of a forfeit during an NEC championship, the bracket will not be modified and the team cleared to compete will advance
 
The conference reserved the right reassess the policy at any point during the 2021-22 season, giving due consideration to the latest NCAA and CDC guidance, and state/local health indicators.
 
NEC-TV OVERVIEW
 
We are just ten days away from the NEC’s first national TV appearance of the league season.
 
The NEC-TV opener is set for Thursday, January 6 at 7 pm when Merrimack visits FDU in a game to air on SNY, ESPN3 and NEC Front Row.
 
The veteran crew of Dave Popkin (PxP) and Tim Capstraw (analyst) are in the booth. Popkin is in his 22nd year and Capstraw his 23rd year calling NEC games.
 
The 13-game men’s TV package includes a pair of linear telecasts on CBSSN and one on ESPNU. Seven regular season games will be broadcast on ESPN3/ESPN+ with two games also airing on SNY and one on MASN.
 
The NEC semifinals are set to be carried on SNY and ESPN3 on March 5, and the final on ESPN or ESPN2 on March 8.
 
NEC ANALYTICS ZONE WITH RYAN PETERS
 
Each week throughout the 2021-22 season, NEC Overtime! blogger and NEC on the Run podcast collaborator Ryan Peters (@pioneer_pride) will contribute a series of analytically based tidbits covering NEC hoops.
 
The Seahawks concluded their non-conference tilt with an impressive victory over Fairfield by locking down the Stags offense in typical Bashir Mason fashion. While the Stags scored 17 points on their first 12 possessions of the contest, Wagner was dominant over the final 31 minutes by holding Fairfield to just 33 points in their final 49 possessions. Over that stretch, Fairfield made 9 of 36 from the floor (25.0 percent) and committed 10 turnovers for a 20.4 percent turnover rate. Wagner currently has the best defensive efficiency in the conference, giving up just 97.1 points per 100 possessions (adjusted based on schedule). That mark is in the top-100 of college basketball.
 
Despite dropping a home game to Hartford, SHU senior guard Aaron Clarke (Parsippany, NJ/Pope John) scored a team-high 23 points for the Pioneers, registering a pristine 146 KenPom offensive rating (100 is considered average). For just the fifth time in his collegiate career, Clarke attempted at least 10 free throws in a game after converting all 11 of his charity stripe attempts against the Hawks. The slashing Clarke is now drawing a career best 5.2 fouls per 40 minutes this season, the 182nd best rate among DI players.
 
Eager to break a five-game losing streak, Merrimack got back into the win column doing what they thrive at: making life miserable for their opponent on the offensive end of the floor. In the second half against Maine, the Warriors were relentless and stout guarding their opponent, allowing Maine just a handful of quality looks at the basket. Per the analytics site Shot Quality, Maine had 18 bad possessions versus just seven good possessions in terms of shot quality over the final 20 minutes. For the season, Joe Gallo’s squad has forced their opponents to take the typically less efficient mid-range jumper on 25 percent of its shots, the second-best mark in the nation.
 
QUICK HITTERS
 
Bryant graduate student forward Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream South (New Mexico JC)) ranks 24th nationally with an 11.1 percent block rate. Two years ago he ranked third in the country (14.0) and was 31st last season (9.2).
 
CCSU’s game at Rutgers that was postponed on December 23 has been rescheduled for January 1 at 5:00 pm.
 
CCSU has received 35.6 of its point production this season from freshmen.
 
FDU’s junior backcourt tandem of Brandon Rush (Warrensville, OH/Warrensville Heights) and Devon Dunn (Washington, D.C./St. John’s College) have combined to hit 41-48 shots from the three-point line, an 85.4 percent conversion rate.
 
The LIU frontcourt trio of Ty Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart HS (UMass)), Eral Penn (Brooklyn, NY/St. Francis Academy (MD)) and Isaac Kante (Brooklyn, NY/Paul Robeson (Hofstra)) have combined for 58.8 percent of the Sharks’ scoring and 54.7 percent of their rebounding. All three rank among NEC leaders in scoring and rebounding.
 
Mount St. Mary’s newcomer Jalen Benjamin (Raleigh, NC/Meadowcreek (GA) (UAB)) is the NEC leader in both assists (4.4) and free throw percentage (.902). The UAB transfer guard is 37-41 from the stripe on the year.
 
Over his last three games, SHU sophomore forward Nico Galette (Rahway, NJ/Rutgers Prep) has put up 15.0 ppg on 53.1 percent shooting from the field and 54.5 percent from outside the arc, where he has made 6-of-11. He has raised his season average to 10.0 ppg and continues to lead the NEC with 8.8 rpg.
 
St. Francis Brooklyn junior guard Rob Higgins (Middletown, NJ/Middletown North) averaged 14.0 ppg on 55.2 percent shooting over the Terriers’ three-game win streak to conclude its non-league ledger. He hit 6-9 from three-point range following a 3-20 start from outside the arc, and also dished for ten assists without committing a single turnover in 79 minutes of action.
 
Of the NEC’s top-20 scorers, just two are underclassmen and both hail from Saint Francis U. SFU sophomore guard Ronell Giles. Jr. (Brandywine, MD/Charles Herbert Flowers) is ninth with 13.5 ppg and redshirt sophomore center Josh Cohen (Lincroft, NJ/CBA) ranks 17th with 11.2 ppg.
 
SFU redshirt senior guard Ramiir Dixon-Conover (Newark, NJ/South Kent (Southeastern CC)) is 8-15 (.533) from outside the arc over his last four games.
 
SFU sophomore guard Ronell Giles. Jr. (Brandywine, MD/Charles Herbert Flowers) has scored in double-digits in eight straight games, averaging 14.8 ppg over the stretch.