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2025 NEC Women's Basketball Tournament Preview

Things You Really Need To Know...63 Of 'Em!

3/9/2025

 

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646912025 Northeast Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament
(all games played at home of higher seeded team)
    
Quarterfinals
Monday, March 10
    
#8 LIU at #1 FDU, 7 pm - WATCH | LIVE STATS
#7 Wagner at #2 Stonehill, 7 pm - WATCH | LIVE STATS
#6 Chicago State at #3 Central Connecticut U, 7 pm - WATCH | LIVE STATS
#5 Le Moyne at #4 Stonehill, 7 pm - WATCH | LIVE STATS

Watch Live: All games to air on NEC Front Row

Semifinals
Thursday, March 13
    
Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed, 7 pm
3rd Highest Remaining Seed at 2nd Highest Remaining Seed, 7 pm

Watch Live: ESPN+
    
Championship
Sunday, March 16
    
Watch Live: 12:00 pm on ESPNU, ESPN+
   
Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament

Things You Really Need To Know...64 Of 'Em!

1. Since 1994, the NEC Tournament champion has received an automatic bid to the NCAA’s Big Dance. Mount St. Mary’s earned the league’s first-ever auto berth and faced Iowa in the 1994 NCAA First Round.

2. Returning to its eight-team field for the third time in as many seasons in 2023-24, the NEC Women’s Basketball Championship Game will reach a national TV audience via ESPNU for the 18th consecutive year. This year’s title tilt is set for Sunday, March 16 at 12:00 pm ET.

3. No current NEC coach has won a conference championship with their respective team.

4. The 2025 NEC Tournament bracket contains two teams who were not here last year. Wagner is back after failing to qualify in 2024, while league newcomer Chicago State will be making its debut this season.

5. Exactly half of the eight-team Tournament field is searching for its first title. Central Connecticut has yet to cut down the nets since joining the league in 1998. Le Moyne and Stonehill, who both became eligible for the conference tournament in 2024, and Chicago State look to earn the trophy for the first time in their short tenure in the NEC.

6. FDU head coach Stephanie Gaitley, who is in her second year at the helm of the Knights, is the only current NEC coach to have led a team to an NEC Tournament title game. Previously spending six seasons as LIU’s head coach from 2002 to 2008 and three at Monmouth from 2008 to 2011, Gaitley piloted LIU to the Championship Game in 2007-08 before she brought the Hawks to the title game in the 2010-11 season. 

7. Of this year’s eight-team field, Saint Francis U was the last to hoist the NEC Tournament trophy when they went all the way in 2018.

8. The No. 1 seed has won it all 22 times in 38 years.

9. The NEC regular season champion has gone on to win the conference’s tournament title 26 times.

10. Le Moyne became the first NEC program in conference annals to reach the title game of the NEC Tournament in its inaugural season as a member of the league.

11. Following the cancellation of the semifinals and championship game in 2019-20 due to COVID-19, the NEC Tournament format was altered in 2020-21 and 2021-22. The usual eight-team field was trimmed to four in 2020-21, while in 2021-22, the tournament featured a nine-team field for the first — and only — time in conference history.

12. Sacred Heart, Rider and Loyola are the only three teams to have qualified for the NEC Tournament every year since each joined the league. The Greyhounds made the postseason each of the three years that they were in the conference (1987, 1988, 1989), while the Broncs earned a postseason bid every year from 1994 through 1997. The Pioneers, who joined the league in 1999, qualified for all 24 NEC postseasons that contested a full tournament field during their tenure (the lone exception came in 2020-21, when only semifinals and finals were contested due to COVID-19).

13. Saint Francis U has the most tournament wins (49) and most NEC titles (12) of any conference team, while FDU’s two titles are second-most among current NEC members.

14. Saint Francis U has made it through to the semifinal round more often than any NEC program. The Red Flash have been amongst the tournament’s final four on 20 occasions and proceeded to advance to the Championship Game 18 times.

15. Starting in 2026-27, Mercyhurst will be eligible to compete in the NEC postseason. If Le Moyne or Stonehill, both reclassifying institutions, wins the NEC Tournament championship, the runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the league’s automatic qualifier, per current policy.

16. In the 30 years since the Northeast Conference discontinued the six-team bracket, the No. 1 seed has won 20 times and has only missed the final on six occasions.

17. Saint Francis U became the lowest seed ever to win the event when the No. 5 seed Red Flash went all the way in 2010. St. Francis Brooklyn later matched that feat in 2015.

18. The two lowest seeds to ever meet in the Championship Game were No. 4 Robert Morris and No. 6 Wagner back in 1991. RMU prevailed, 69-61.

19. The 2015 St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (15-18) and 1991 RMU Colonials (13-17) are the only teams to win the tournament while finishing the season with a sub-.500 winning percentage.

20. The largest margin of victory in a tournament game (39) came in Quinnipiac’s 72-33 triumph over Saint Francis U in the 2013 Championship Game.

21. Sacred Heart won its three postseason games in 2024 by a 27.7 point average margin, the largest in the 38-year history of the tournament, in its victories over Saint Francis U (78-48), Merrimack (73-41) and Le Moyne (69-48).

22. Four schools have repeated as NEC champs, with Saint Francis U turning the trick in back-to-back years three times. Mount St. Mary’s and Robert Morris both posted a pair of repeats, while Sacred Heart did it once. 

23. Sacred Heart and Saint Francis U became the first-ever teams to score at least 100 points in a tournament game, and they did it while facing one another in a 2014 quarterfinal tilt. SFU prevailed, 132-124, in double overtime as the two teams accounted for the second-highest scoring game in NCAA Division I history. Both teams had exceeded the 100-point mark by the end of regulation play.

24. St. Francis Brooklyn is responsible for the lone 8-over-1 upset in NEC Tournament annals. The Terriers defeated top-seeded LIU in the 2007 quarterfinal round.

25. Current FDU head coach Stephanie Gaitley leads all active coaches with eight NEC Tournament wins (4 at LIU, 3 at Monmouth, 1 at FDU), while former Robert Morris head coach Sal Buscaglia owns a conference-record 20 tourney wins.

26. Saint Francis U’s Mary Markey (1998, 1997, 1996, 1995) and Jess Zinobile (2000, 1999, 1998, 1997) were named to the NEC All-Tournament team in each of their four years along with Robert Morris’ Anna Niki Stamolamprou (2017, 2016, 2015, 2014).

27. Jess Zinobile, a NEC Hall of Famer, is the only three-time NEC Tournament MVP (2000, 1999, 1997) in league annals.

28. Saint Francis U won an NEC-record 29-straight tournament games. The rally, which began with a quarterfinal victory over Robert Morris in 1997, came to a halt at the hands of Sacred Heart in the 2009 Championship Game.

29. Saint Francis U alumna Jess Kovatch set the record for most points (103) in a single NEC Tournament (three games), capturing MVP honors while leading the Red Flash to the 2018 title. Kovatch also hit a conference-record 19 three-pointers over that three-game span.

30. Robert Morris’ Chinata Nesbit, a former two-time Tournament MVP, owns the lone triple-double in tourney history (2008 QF vs. SFBK).

31. Quinnipiac’s Ashlee Kelly redefined “monster game” in 2004 when she poured in 38 points and grabbed 28 rebounds during a quarterfinal showdown with FDU. Two days after her tournament record 28-rebound performance, she hauled in 26 boards. Kelly still owns the top two spots on the tournament’s all-time single-game rebounding list.

32. Sacred Heart’s Ny’Ceara Pryor became the first player in NEC history to repeat as both NEC Player of the Year and NEC Tournament MVP in 2023-24. 

33. Eight different players from five programs have earned both Tournament MVP and Player of the Year accolades in the same season, with Sacred Heart’s Ny’Ceara Pryor being the last player to do so in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. Saint Francis U’s Jessica Kovatch did it in 2018 after Robert Morris’ Anna Niki Stamolamprou achieved the feat in 2017. Monmouth’s Linda Wilson was honored with both awards during the league’s inaugural season in 1986-87, followed by Mount St. Mary’s Susie Rowlyk in 1993-94 and Saint Francis U’s Jess Zinobile in 1999-2000. Amanda Pape of Sacred Heart was presented with both honors in 2005-06 and Robert Morris’ Artemis Spanou snagged both awards in 2014.

34. In the 29 years that quarterfinals have been contested, there has been at least one upset in 18 of those years. 

35. The 2023 season marked the second time in seven years that the No. 1 seed fell in the championship game.

36. The top seed has advanced to the NEC Tournament final 29 times but has fallen short of the title on seven occasions. 

37. The top four seeds have advanced to the semifinals 11 times in the 29 NEC Tournaments that have contested quarterfinal rounds (1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2023, 2024).

38. Gaitley’s combined nine NEC tournament appearances and eight postseason victories and at LIU and Monmouth are first among current NEC head coaches.

39. Two NEC head coaches will be making their postseason debuts: Corry Irvine (Chicago State) and Nick DiPillo (Le Moyne).

40. In just its second year of NEC postseason eligibility, Stonehill will be hosting a tournament game for the first time in program history. 

41. FDU is the seventh NEC squad in conference annals to carry an undefeated record against league competitors into the postseason. The Knights join Monmouth (1986-87, 1987-88), Mount St Mary’s (1993-94), Saint Francis U (2003-04), Sacred Heart (2008-09) and Quinnipiac (2012-13) as the only squads to go unbeaten in conference play.

42. Of those six teams, all but one went on to capture the NEC Tournament title. The 1987-88 Monmouth squad is the only team to buck the trend, as Robert Morris ended up going all the way in the Tournament that year.

43. The two top seeded teams tangled for the NEC Championship for the 14th time in 2023-24 (No. 1 Sacred Heart and No. 2 Le Moyne), and the third time in the past four years.

44. In 2022-23, Sacred Heart became the first No. 2 seed to win it all since 2007-08, when Robert Morris defeated No. 4 LIU in 2007-08. The Pios were also the first No. 2 seed to defeat the No. 1 seed in the Championship Game since 1995-96, when No. 2 Saint Francis U took down No. 1 Mount St. Mary’s.

45. Sacred Heart etched its name in school and conference history in the 2022-23 season, securing a 57-47 victory over Southern in the NCAA Tournament First Four matchup. The triumph not only marked The Pioneers’ first-ever NCAA Tournament win in any sport but it also became the inaugural postseason victory for a NEC women’s basketball team.

46. Sacred Heart’s Ny’Ceara Pryor put a bow on an unprecedented freshman season with her stellar play in in the 2022-23 NEC Tournament. Becoming the first player in NEC history to win the NEC Player of the Year, NEC Defensive Player of the Year and NEC Rookie of the Year, the guard added to her Triple Crown season by earning NEC Tournament MVP honors.

47. Five players have repeated as NEC Most Valuable Player, with Sacred Heart’s Ny’Ceara Pryor being the last to do so in 2023 and 2024.

48. FDU rides the nation’s fourth-longest winning streak into the postseason. The Knights’ 19-straight wins are tied with James Madison, while Grand Canyon (27-straight wins), Florida Gulf Coast (21) and Green Bay (20) are ahead of the Knights.

49. Only two NEC Tournaments — in 1994 and 2024 — have gone exactly according to seeding.

50. FDU has been a top four NEC Tournament seed in five straight seasons.

51. There have been seven NEC championship games that have gone to overtime, the most recent being Robert Morris’ 65-61 win over Wagner in the 2020 quarterfinals. 

52. Two games have needed two overtime sessions to settle the score. Saint Francis U battled Sacred Heart to a 132-124 double-overtime win in the 2014 semifinals, while Quinnipiac needed two extra periods to defeat FDU, 80-76, in the 2004 quarterfinals. 

53. There has never been an overtime game in the NEC Tournament final.

54. FDU looks to advance to the semifinals for the fifth time in as many seasons in 2024-25. Having advanced to the semifinals every year since 202, the Knights already own the longest active streak by a current NEC team. 

55. FDU is making its 11th-straight appearance in the NEC Tournament in 2024-25, which includes a bid in the 2020-21 season when only semifinals and finals were contested, marking the longest postseason rally among current teams. 

56. Taking the 2020-21 postseason out of consideration (the field was limited to just four teams), Sacred Heart made 25-straight appearances to set a conference standard. 

57. St. Francis Brooklyn is the only team to post a perfect record in Championship Games, claiming the title in its lone appearance in 2015.

58. Saint Francis U owns the most dominant stretch of consecutive NEC Tournament championships. The Red Flash ran the table from 1995 to 2000, winning five straight titles in that stretch. SFU nearly pulled off the feat again, winning four-in-a-row in 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05.

59. Merrimack became the first-ever team to come away with a win in its postseason debut. The Warriors, who were eligible for the NEC Tournament for the first time in 2023, defeated Saint Francis U in the quarterfinals. 

60. Le Moyne went on to turn the trick in its first-ever NEC Tournament game last year. The Dolphins beat Stonehill, 79-59, in the quarterfinals in a season that saw them advance to the title game. 

61. Of teams that have won at least one NEC Tournament championship, Wagner has suffered the longest drought. The Seahawks’ last NEC Tournament title came in 1989, 35 years ago.

62. FDU’s current title-less drought is the second longest. The Knights’ last NEC Tournament championship came 33 years ago in the 1991-92 campaign.

63. Of the four current members that have won a NEC Tournament championship, Wagner and LIU are the only teams to have just one title to its name.

64. Saint Francis U owns the most wins against current NEC members in the NEC Tournament with 15, six of which have come against LIU. Wagner is second with seven.   

Team-By-Team Capsules

#1 FDU (26-3, 16-0 NEC)

  • FDU will be making its 27th overall appearance in the NEC Tournament.
  • The Knights claimed their third regular season crown and the #1 seed on Feb. 22 following a 27-point home win over Saint Francis U. 
  • FDU ran the table in NEC play and posted the program’s first-ever undefeated season. In the process, the Knights became the seventh team in NEC annals to go through their league slate without a loss.
  • Of the six teams that have previously turned the undefeated trick, all but one (Monmouth in 1987-88) went on to win the NEC Tournament title.
  • FDU rides some serious momentum into the NEC postseason. The Knights have not lost a game in nearly three months, since falling at Big Ten opponent Rutgers on Dec. 11, 2024. Their current 19-game winning streak is the third longest in the nation.
  • FDU is one of 16 teams nationwide to post an undefeated record at home. Going a perfect 14-0 inside Bogota Savings Bank Center this season, the Knights have won 15-straight at home dating back to last season’s quarterfinal victory over LIU (March 11, 2024). That rally is tied for the eighth-longest active home winning streak in the nation.
  • The Knights have now qualified for each of the past 10 NEC Tournaments.
  • FDU is a two-time NEC Tournament Champion (1990, 1992).
  • FDU has been a top-four seed in each of the past six years.
  • This will be the third time since 2021-22 — and the fourth time in program history — that FDU is the #1 seed. The Knights have never claimed the tournament title as the top seed.
  • The Knights own a 14-28 record in the NEC postseason, including a 4-9 mark against current NEC squads.
  • This season marks FDU’s second postseason appearance under second-year head coach Stephanie Gaitley.
  • Gaitley is the conference’s only current coach to have NEC postseason experience at multiple institutions as a head coach. She piloted LIU Brooklyn to tournament appearances in each of her five years at the helm (2002-08), going 4-4 with a title game run in 2007-08. Gaitley also led Monmouth to the semifinals (2008-09), the quarterfinals (2009-10) and the title game (2010-11) in her three seasons as head coach of the Hawks. 
  • A win over LIU would propel the Knights into the tournament’s semifinals for the 11th time in program history, and the fifth time in as many seasons.
  • Since last winning it all in 1992, FDU has advanced to the NEC Tournament title game just one time (2022-23), despite seven semifinal appearances since then.
  • FDU will be facing LIU in the postseason for the fifth time, and the second time in as many years. The teams have split four postseason meetings.
  • The Knights meet LIU for the second-straight year in the NEC quarterfinals. Last year’s 71-59 win marked their first-ever over the Sharks in the Round of 8, as they were previously 0-2 with defeats in 2001-02 and 2007-08.
  • The Knights have won nine-consecutive regular-season games against their quarterfinal opponent in a rally that dates back to a 57-36 regular-season triumph on Feb. 5, 2021.
  • FDU defeated LIU by an average of 28.5 points, its largest margin of victory vs. an NEC squad, this season.
  • All-time against the #8 seed, FDU owns a 2-1 record. The Knights are 2-0 when facing the #8 team as the top seed. Their lone setback came in 1995, when they fell to #8 St. Francis Brooklyn as the #9 seed.

  
#2 Stonehill (15-14, 11-5 NEC)

  • With Stonehill’s win over Wagner, the Skyhawks sealed the #2 seed in the NEC Tournament.
  • Monday marks the first time that Stonehill will be hosting an NEC Tournament contest.
  • The #2 seed marks the program’s highest ranking in the NEC postseason.
  • The Skyhawks made their NEC postseason debut in their first eligible season in 2024 as the #7 seed. They were ineligible for the NEC Tournament in their first Division I season in 2022-23.
  • Stonehill fell to #2 Le Moyne, the eventual league runner-up, in the quarterfinal round.
  • Already making history by posting a program record in overall wins (15) and NEC victories (11), the Skyhawks look to add to their résumé by picking up their first-ever postseason win. 
  • Stonehill swept the season series from their quarterfinal opponent, including a 68-60 triumph on the final day of the regular season last Thursday.
  • Stonehill owns a 4-2 record against Wagner in the regular season.
  • Merkert Gymnasium has treated the Skyhawks well during NEC play, as they are 6-2 against league opponents this season. 
  • Like Le Moyne, Stonehill remains ineligible for the NEC’s AQ to the NCAA Tournament due to its current status as a reclassifying institution.
 
#3 Central Connecticut (11-18, 10-6 NEC)
  • The Blue Devils are back in the postseason for the fourth time in as many seasons.
  • Central Connecticut will be making its 16th NEC Tournament appearance since joining the conference for the 1997-98 campaign.
  • The Blue Devils are the #3 seed for the first time in program history.
  • The #3 ranking marks Central Connecticut’s best postseason positioning since the 2014-15 season, when the Blue Devils earned the top seed as regular season co-champs.
  • Central Connecticut has never faced the #6 seed in the NEC Tournament.
  • Central Connecticut is coming off the program’s first 10-win league slate since going 14-4 in 2014-15.
  • The Blue Devils have posted as many wins in 2024-25 as the 2022-23 (3-13) and the 2023-24 (7-9) campaigns combined.
  • The Blue Devils will be looking to snap a six-game postseason skid that includes three consecutive quarterfinal setbacks in 2016, 2017, 2018, an opening-round matchup in 2022 back-to-back defeats in the quarterfinals in 2023 and 2024.
  • Central Connecticut is 6-7 in NEC quarterfinal games.
  • The Blue Devils have never advanced to the NEC title game despite the program’s six semifinal appearances.
  • Overall, the Blue Devils are 6-15 in the NEC Tournament.
  • Chicago State and Central Connecticut will be meeting for the first time in the postseason.
  • Central Connecticut’s last quarterfinal win was in 20-15, when it defeated #8 LIU Brooklyn as the top seed by a 72-51 final.
  • The Blue Devils own a .500 record when playing inside Detrick Gymnasium, including a one-point win over their quarterfinal opponent on Feb. 20.
  • Central Connecticut enters the postseason having won five of its final six games.
  • Graduate student Belle Lanpher is the only current NEC player to be playing in her fifth career NEC Tournament. Classmate Meghan Kenefick, who was also on the Blue Devils’ roster in 2020-21, will be appearing in a postseason game for the fourth-straight year.  
  • Lanpher, who enters the NEC Tournament averaging 23.0 pg vs. league competitors, has netted twin figures in each of her 19 games with 12 20-plus-point games.

#4 Saint Francis U (11-18, 9-7 NEC)
  • Saint Francis U will be making the program’s 30th appearance in the NEC Tournament, which is the most of any conference team, both past and present.
  • The Red Flash have qualified for the NEC Tournament in each of the past 10 years.
  • Saint Francis U is hosing a postseason game for the first time since 2019.
  • Saint Francis U’s 10-year postseason streak is a league-best rally behind Sacred Heart, which made the cut for the postseason every year since joining the league in 1999-2000 with the 2021 campaign being the only exception when only semifinals and finals were contested.
  • Saint Francis U has captured a league-best 12 NEC Tournament championships, but seek its first conference title since 2018.
  • The Red Flash’s 49 tournament wins are the most of any conference team.
  • Saint Francis U is the only team in conference history to win five straight NEC Tournament titles from (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000). Saint Francis U also strung together four consecutive titles in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, before going back-to-back in 2010 and 2011.
  • The Red Flash have been amongst the Tournament’s final four on 20 occasions, and have proceeded to advance to the Championship Game on 18 occasions out of 37 installments.
  • Saint Francis U has made it through the semifinal round more often than any NEC program.
  • The Red Flash own a league-best .742 winning percentage in the NEC Tournament with a 49-17 record.
  • Saint Francis U is 0-3 in first round games, 19-6 in the quarterfinals, 18-2 in the semifinals and 12-6 in the Championship Game.
  • Saint Francis U became the lowest seed to ever win the event when the No. 5 seeded Red Flash went all the way in 2010.
  • Head coach Keila Whittington seeks her first-ever postseason victory at the helm of the Red Flash.
  • The Red Flash have been seeded fourth five times, and they are 5-5 as the #4 seed. They were last seeded fourth in 2020.
  • When facing the #5 seed in the postseason, the Red Flash are 5-2.
  • This is Saint Francis U’s most fruitful season since going 12-4 in NEC play in 2020-21.


#5 Le Moyne (6-23, 6-10 NEC)

  • Le Moyne is the #5 seed in the NEC Tournament for the first time. 
  • The Dolphins will be facing the fourth-seeded team in the postseason for the first time.
  • As a reclassificying NCAA Division I institution, the Dolphins are ineligible for the NCAA Tournament.
  • Le Moyne wasted no time to make noise in its NEC arrival last season, marching their way to the NEC title game, where they fell to Sacred Heart.
  • Last season, the Dolphins joined Merrimack (2023), Central Connecticut (1998) and Mount St. Mary’s (1990) as the only programs out of the 11 institutions that came on board the NEC in the years folllowing its inception as a women’s league in 1986 to win their first-ever NEC Tournament game.
  • Of those teams, Mount St. Mary’s (1990) was the only one to advance to the title game in its inaugural season as an NEC member. Le Moyne became the second team to turn the trick in 2024.
  • Le Moyne, which went 14-2 in NEC play in its first year as an NEC member in 2024-25, joined Merrimack (13-5 - 3rd place in 2019-20) as teams to finish with winning conference records and a top-four finish in the NEC standings in their inaugural Division I season.
  • The Dolphins had two statement wins in its first-ever run to the NEC Tournament title game, which included a 20-point win over No. 7 Stonehill (79-59) and a 14-point victory against No. 3 FDU (52-38).
  • The Dolphins’ .875 winning percentage in conference play a year ago was the second-best mark among the 12 other institutions that joined the NEC in the years following its inception as a women’s league in 1986. Le Moyne’s mark ties that of Mount St. Mary’s, which won 14-of-16 games and finished on top of the league standings in its debut NEC season in 1986-87. 
  • The Dolphins have seen their share of struggles away from Syracuse this season, as they are one of 12 teams in the nation that are winless on the road. 


#6 Chicago State (6-25, 6-10 NEC)

  • Head coach Corry Irvine and the Cougars will be making their postseason debuts at Central Connecticut on Monday.
  • The Cougars are back in conference play for the first time since 2020-21, when they competed in the opening round of the WAC Tournament against Utah Valley.
  • Chicago State will attempt to become the first team to win the NEC Tournament title in its first season as a conference member.
  • Chicago State is chasing the program’s first postseason win since 2011, when it claimed the Great West tournament championship with a 74-66 win over North Dakota.
  • In the first-ever meeting against Central Connecticut on Jan. 23, the Cougars took down the Blue Devils by an 84-77 final.
  • Chicago State has faced overtime a league-leading six times this season, going 2-4 in those contests.
  • All but two of the Cougars’ setbacks against conference competitors have been decided by seven points or fewer, with three of those games being either one- or two-point decisions.
  • Chicago State is riding back-to-back victories over Mercyhurst and Saint Francis U into the postseason. It marked the first time this season that the Cougars posted wins in consecutive outings.


#7 Wagner (8-20, 5-11 NEC)

  • After a one-year hiatus, Wagner is back in the NEC Tournament for the fourth time in the past five seasons in 2024-25.
  • This is the Seahawks’ third appearance in the NEC Tournament under fourth-year head coach Terrell Coburn.
  • The Seahawks have not advanced past the quarterfinals since their last title game appearance in 2021.
  • Wagner, which has made five appearances in the NEC Tournament Championship Game (1989, 1991, 1998, 2000, 2021), is searching for the program’s first title since 1989.
  • The 33-year postseason drought is the longest among NEC charter members.
  • All-time in the NEC Tournament, the Seahawks own a 16-24 record. That mark includes a 5-3 record in first-round games, a 5-11 mark in the quarterfinals, a 5-6 record in the semifinals, and a 1-4 mark in the finals.
  • Wagner has qualified for the NEC Tournament 26 times, including a program-best 18-consecutive apearances from 1987 through 2004. 
  • Of all NEC squads — both past and present — Wagner owns the second-best winning percentage when taking on the #2 seed in the tournament. The Seahawks’ 4-6 record is second behind Saint Francis U’s 9-2 mark.
  • The Seahawks’ last NEC Tournament win against a #2 seed came in 2000, when they knocked off Mount St. Mary’s in the semifinals before falling to Saint Francis U in the title game.
  • Wagner has been seeded seventh three other times in 1994, 2014 and most recently, 2018. The program’s lone win as a #7 seed came in 1994 after a first-round victory over #10 FDU.


#8 LIU (6-23, 3-13 NEC)

  • This year marks the 26th time that LIU qualifies for the NEC Tournament.
  • LIU looks to make its first semifinal appearance since 2018.
  • LIU’s lone championship came in 2001 when the third-seeded Sharks upset top-seeded Mount St. Mary’s.
  • LIU has made four NEC title game appearances, with its most recent one coming in 2010.
  • LIU is 15-24 all-time in the NEC Tournament. The Sharks have advanced to the semifinals nine times and the title game four times.
  • When seeded eighth, the Sharks are 0-3 in the NEC Tournament.
  • Under sixth-year head coach Rene Haynes, the Sharks will be making their fifth postseason appearance (Due to COVID-19, the usual eight-team field was trimmed to four in 2020-21).
  • The Sharks were swept by the Knights in 2024-25, and with those two defeats, they have dropped nine-straight regular season games — and 10-in-a-row — to FDU.
  • In the two teams’ first-ever meeting, LIU fell to eventual champion FDU in the semifinals of the 1992 NEC Tournament. The Knights and Sharks have since met three times in the quarterfinals in 2002 (LIU, 80-60), 2008 (LIU, 64-53) and 2024 (FDU, 71-59)
  • LIU’s first — and only — NEC tournament title came in 2001 when it defeated top-seeded Mount St. Mary’s as the third seed by a 70-61 final.
  • The Sharks are one of 12 teams nationwide that have not scored a win on the road this season. Dating back to last season’s quarterfinals, LIU has dropped 15-straight games away from Brooklyn.
  • Junior transfer Sirviva Legions rides the NEC’s longest active double-figure scoring streak into the postseason at 20 games.
  • LIU is one of five teams in NEC annals to have two wins over the #1 seed. In 2001, the third-seeded Sharks defeated #1 Mount St. Mary’s in the title game, while in 2008, they knocked off top-seeded Quinnipiac in the quarterfinals as the #4 seed. Overall, the Sharks are 2-8 in the NEC Tournament when taking on the top seed.