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2026 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament
(all games played at home of higher seeded team)
        
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 4
    
#1 LIU 79, #8 Chicago State 75
#7 Wagner 70, #2 Central Connecticut 60
#3 Mercyhurst 70, #6 FDU 61
#5 Stonehill 81, #4 Le Moyne 71

Semifinals
Saturday, March 7
    
#3 Mercyhurst 56, #5 Stonehill 51
#1 LIU 64, #7 Wagner 56

Watch Live: ESPN+, YES, NESN Nation
    
Championship
Tuesday, March 10

#3 Mercyhurst at #1 LIU (Live Stats)
    
Watch Live: 7:00 pm on ESPN2, ESPN+

 
Who Will Cut the Nets?

Brooklyn, NY — Two teams in completely opposite stages of their respective NEC journeys are set to duke it out for the right to call themselves the 2026 NEC Men’s Basketball Champion on Tuesday. 
 
On one end, you have a high-scoring big city squad that has become quite accustomed to the NEC’s biggest stage with a storied history as an NEC charter member.
 
On the other side of the bracket is a gritty, up-and-coming conference newbie from the quiet shores of Lake Erie looking to make the biggest of splashes in its inaugural NEC postseason journey. 
 
It will all come down to Tuesday, when #3 Mercyhurst pays a visit to top-seeded LIU in the Championship Game of the NEC Tournament in a nationally televised showdown on ESPN2.
 
Before the ball has even been tossed up for Championship Tuesday’s 7:03 p.m. tip inside Steinberg Wellness Center, one finalist of the 2026 NEC Men’s Basketball Tournament already knows its fate, though, regardless of the outcome. 
 
LIU maintained perfection in Brooklyn against NEC opponents in 2026 and extended its home win streak to 12 — the nation’s 14th longest home win streak — after scoring a 79-75 quarterfinal win over #8 Chicago State and a 64-56 triumph against #7 Wagner. The Sharks not only punched their ticket to the NEC title game for the first time in 2018; they also secured the NEC’s automatic berth to the Big Dance, as Mercyhurst, which is amidst its first-ever postseason run as an NEC member, remains ineligible as a reclassifying Division I institution. 
 
But despite the ticket already being punched, the work isn’t done. 
 
The Sharks have checked the boxes on an incredible list of accolades and accomplishments this season. Undefeated home NEC slate, regular season title, first 20+ win season since 2016-17 and NCAA Tournament berth.
 
Putting the final tick mark next to “Tournament Title” would not only end an eight-year title drought in Brooklyn; it would cement LIU’s name in the NEC recordbook as the league’s winningest program among all 10 current members. With six titles under their belts, a seventh would separate the Sharks from FDU on the list of tournament crowns and pull the program closer to nine-time NEC conference winner Robert Morris. 
 
Hoisting the NEC trophy on Tuesday night would be the icing on the cake for a Mercyhurst squad that has already etched its name into the recordbook this season. Amidst its first-ever postseason run, the Lakers will look to become just the third team to win the NEC Tournament in its initial appearance. 

   
NEC Championship Key Storylines

LIU TICKET PUNCHED
With NEC Tournament finalist Mercyhurst’s current status as a reclassifying institution, LIU will represent the NEC as its automatic qualifier in this year’s March Madness.

It marks the second time since 2023 that the league’s automatic qualifier was determined in the semifinals. That season, FDU punched its ticket with a semifinal victory over Saint Francis U because Merrimack, which beat Sacred Heart in the other semifinal contest, was also ineligible for the NCAA Tournament in its first season partaking in the NEC Tournament.  

LET’S DANCE
LIU will be dancing in March Madness for the first time since 2018, and the seventh time in program history. The Sharks have also earned the NEC’s AQ to the NCAA Tournament in 1984, 1997, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2018.

FIRST TIMERS
Just three days after Mercyhurst made history with the program’s first-ever NEC Tournament victory— a 70-61 quarterfinal defeat of #6 FDU — the Lakers inked their name into the recordbook once again in Erie on Saturday. Joining the NEC for the 2024-25 campaign and becoming eligible for the conference’s postseason tournament for the first time in 2025-26, Mercyhurst will be playing for the chance to hoist the league trophy on Tuesday after defeating #5 Stonehill by a 56-51 final in the semifinals.

The Lakers hit the hardwood in Brooklyn on Tuesday looking to become just the third NEC squad to win the NEC title in their NEC Tournament debut. Rider and Merrimack are the only other conference teams to turn the trick with title runs in their first NEC Tournament appearances in 1993 and 2023, respectively.

FIRST DATE JITTERS
#1 LIU and #3 Mercyhurst meet for the first time ever in the NEC Tournament on Tuesday.
 
PUT A RING ON IT
Not a single player or coaching staff member competing in Tuesday’s title game possesses an NEC Championship ring.  

REGULAR SEASON REWIND
There was drama some between LIU and Mercyhurst in the 2026 conference slate.

The two teams split the regular season meetings with each team winning on its respective home court. 

The first meeting between the Sharks and Lakers on Jan. 8 went down to the wire. With 2:13 left in regulation, Mercyhurst led by a 58-56 count. But Jamal Fuller tied up the contest with a tip-in at the 1:36 mark before Malachi Davis delivered the go-ahead bucket on a jumper with just 11 seconds to go. Davis was one of four Sharks to net double figures in the win with 18 points.

The Lakers avenged that defeat in Erie last month on Feb. 21. With the score knotted up at 45-all at halftime, Mercyhurst powered past LIU to the tune of a 91-83 win behind a 25-point outing from Qadir Martin and a 20-point performance from Jake Lemelman. The Lakers used a 16-4 outburst to break a 58-58 tie and take a lead they would not relinquish and earn the regular season split with LIU.

JOIN THE CLUB
Mercyhurst looks to become the 12th different school to win the NEC title. If the Lakers were to win, they would join Central Connecticut, FDU, LIU, Wagner and Saint Francis U and former conference members Bryant, Merrimack, Monmouth, Mount St. Mary’s, Rider and Robert Morris.

CHARTERING TO THE FINALS
With LIU advancing to the title game of this year’s NEC Tournament, charter NEC members have now appeared in 17 of the league’s last 18 tournament finals. The only time the trend was bucked during that stretch was in 2002, when #1 Central Connecticut defeated #7 Quinnipiac by a 78-71 final.

POSTSEASON PEDIGREE
Tacking on two more wins to its count in its current run to the NEC title, LIU improved to 40-30 in the NEC Tournament. The Sharks’ .571 winning percentage in the league’s postseason tournament is the fourth-best among current conference programs (10 games or more) as it trails only Rider (11-3, .786), Robert Morris (45-27, .625) and Mount St. Mary’s (30-19, .612).

AN LIU SIX-PACK
LIU enters Tuesday’s NEC Tournament final with six NEC titles, a mark that is tied with FDU for the most among current conference members and is second all-time. Four of the Sharks’ titles came when seeded first in the field (1984, 1997, 2011 and 2012). The program’s other two titles came in 2013 and 2018 when they were seeded #3 and #4, respectively. 

TITLE GAME RECORDS
LIU enters Championship Tuesday with a 6-3 record in NEC title games. 

During its time as a member of the Division II PSAC, Mercyhurst made three runs to the conference’s championship game and went 1-2 with a title in 2016. All three of those title came appearances came under the tutelage of current head coach Gary Manchel. 
 
PRESEASON POLL REWIND
The league’s head coaches were on track with their preseason prediction of the top finisher in the NEC standings, but an LIU-Mercyhurst final wasn’t exactly on the BINGO cards of the league’s head coaches at the time of preseason polling.
 
Picked first in the poll, LIU lived up to its preseason billing by claiming the NEC regular season title — its first since 2011-12 — with a 15-3 record and a first-place finish in the standings. 

Mercyhurst, which rounded out the top four in the preseason projections, defied expectations and finished third in the league standings. 

CLOSE QUARTERS
This season bucked a recent trend of big wins for NEC squads in the quarterfinal round of the NEC Tournament. For the first time since 2016, all four quarterfinal contests were decided by 10 points or fewer as #1 LIU beat #8 Chicago State by four (79-75), #7 Wagner upended #2 Central Connecticut by 10 (70-60), #3 Mercyhurst topped #6 FDU by nine (70-61) and #5 Stonehill upset #4 Le Moyne by 10 (81-71). These are the only two instances since the league shifted to an eight-team field in 1998 that all four quarterfinal contests were separated by 10 points or less. 

Furthermore, The average margin of victory in this season’s quarters was 8.3 ppg. That mark is nearly six points below the average margin of victory in the last four years of the quarterfinals (14.1 ppg). Prior to 2026, only six of 16 games were decided by single digits while in 2025, the lone single-digit decision came in Saint Francis U’s 58-55 win over Wagner.

In addition, each of this year’s quarterfinal games featured ties or lead changes inside the final 12 minutes of regulation.

NAILBITERS IN THE SEMIS
This year’s semifinals were just as competitive as the quarterfinals. With top-seeded LIU squeaking by #7 Wagner by a 64-56 final and #3 Mercyhurst edging #5 Stonehill by a 56-51 score, the semifinals were won by a slim margin of 13 combined points. 

NEC semifinals have been tightly-contested as of late. In 2025, Central Connecticut and Saint Francis U’s combined margin of victory was seven points, which bucked a trend of five-straight semifinal rounds othat featured at least one double-digit victory.

DID YOU KNOW? 
Believe it or not, the Lakers’ 7.0 point differential in the quarters and semis of the 2026 NEC Tournament is the largest by a conference squad this season. Mercyhurst defeated #6 FDU by nine in Wednesday’s quarterfinals before punching its ticket to the title game with a five-point win over #5 Stonehill.  

SHARK BITE 
LIU is the only NEC school to win three straight NEC Tournament championships (2011, 2012, 2013).

HOME SWEET BROOKLYN
The confines of Steinberg Wellness Center have provided quite the home court advantage for LIU this year. Since falling to Big South Tournament runner-up Winthrop by a 94-92 final on Dec. 2, their lone defeat in Brooklyn this season, the Sharks have won 12-in-a-row to move to 13-1 on their home court. 

LIU’s current 12-game home win streak is currently tied with Merrimack for the 14th-longest in the nation. Duke holds the longest rally in NCAA Division I at 32 games.

The Sharks’ success inside Steinberg Wellness Center extends beyond this season. Since 2024-25, LIU has gone 23-6 at home, which includes an 19-2 mark against fellow conference mates. 

SHARKS AS THE TOP SEED
LIU has been seeded as the #1 team six times and as the NEC Tournament’s top seed, the program own an 18-2 record. Each of the team’s setbacks came in the championship game to FDU in 1998 and Robert Morris in 1983. As the top seed, the Sharks are 7-0 in the quarterfinals, 7-0 in the semifinals and 4-2 in the final. 

Since the turn of the century, LIU has not lost as the #1 seed and has gone 8-0 in that stretch.

FROM NBA ALL-STAR TO THE SIDELINES
If LIU skipper Rod Strickland guides the Sharks to the NEC Championship on Tuesday, he will become the third former NBA player that is currently on the sidelines as a head coach of a Division I program to lead a team to a conference tournament title. Penny Hardaway has guided Memphis to AAC tournament crowns in 2023 and 2024, while Reggie Theus piloted New Mexico State to a WAC title in 2007.

Selected 19th overall by the New York Knicks in the 1998 NBA Draft, Strickland played with the Knicks, Spurs, Trail Blazers, Wizards, Heat, Timberwolves, Magic, Raptors, and Rockets. In his rookie season, Strickland was the NBA assists leader and was named to the All-NBA Second Team.

A SEASONED VET
Gary Manchel might be amidst his first-ever NEC Tournament run, but this is not the 23rd-year head coach’s first postseason rodeo with Mercyhurst. He has coached the Lakers to 15 conference tournament appearances (14 with the PSAC), including three title games (2016, 2019, 2023) and a conference crown in 2016. 

In addition, the skipper became the first head coach to take the Lakers to the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2015, while just one year later, he guided the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, a 66-65 defeat of #4 Wheeling Jesuit. Since then, Manchel made six more NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, missing the field only in 2018, 2024. In addition, he racked up eight wins in the national tournament, including three in Mercyhurst’s run to the 2019 NCAA Division II Tournament’s Elite Eight.  

NEC-EED-OLOGY
This season marks the 37th time in 45 NEC Championships that the top seed will be playing for a league title.

The No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament has won the title 24 times since the first running of the championship in 1982. Sacred Heart was the last team to turn the trick as the top seed in 2023.

Advancing to the NEC title game nine times, the #3 seed has gone on to capture the tournament crown on four occasions.

LIU is the top seed in the tournament for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 2012. 

The Sharks have not lost an NEC Tournament as the top seed since 1998. 

The Sharks are 7-1 against the #3 seed all-time, including 3-0 in the title game with consecutive wins over Robert Morris in 2011 and 2012. LIU’s lone blemish came last season when it fell to #3 Saint Francis U as the #2 seed in the semifinals by a 71-68 final. 

ONE’S AND THREE’S
This year marks the seventh time — and the second time in as many seasons – that we will see a #1 vs. #3 matchup in the NEC title game. It marks the first time in NEC annals that the #1 and #3 seeds will tangle for the conference tournament title. 

The #1 seed has held the upperhand in the #1 vs. #3 matchup with a 4-2 advantage.

2025 --  #3 Saint Francis U def. #1 Central Connecticut, 46-43
2012 -- #1 LIU def. #3 Robert Morris, 90-73
2011 -- #1 LIU def. #3 Robert Morris, 85-82 (ot)
2006 -- #3 Monmouth def. #1 FDU, 49-48
2000 -- #1 Central Connecticut def. #3 Robert Morris, 63-46
1997 -- #1 LIU def. #3 Monmouth, 72-67

#1 SEED HISTORY
With five-straight appearances, the #1 seed has been a regular in the NEC title game as of late. This trend has not been a recent one, as the top seed has reached the championship tilt in 11 of the last 13 years and winning it all four times in that stretch. The Sharks look to become the 25th #1 seed — and the first since Merrimack in 2023 – to win it all.
 
Since the first iteration of the NEC Tournament in 1982, the top seed, which has missed the final just eight occasions in 45 years, is 24-13 all-time in the title game.

#3 SEED HISTORY
Teams seeded third have posted a 4-5 record in NEC title games. Saint Francis U is the last team to be crowned NEC Tournament champs as the #3 seed when the Red Flash beat top-seeded Central Connecticut by a 46-43 final a year ago in 2025.

LIU — which defeated the #3 team as the tournament’s top seed in the final three times in 1997, 2011 and 2012 — won it all as the #3 seed when it topped Mount St. Mary’s, 91-70, in 2013.  Prior to LIU’s win, the #3 squad in the NEC Tournament had dropped three-straight decisions in title games (2008, 2011, 2012).

Monmouth was the first team to hoist the trophy as the #3 seed when the Hawks scored a 60-59 win over #4 Rider in 1996. The Hawks turned the trick and won it all as the #3 seed in 10 years later 2006 with a 49-48 win over #1 FDU. 
 
2026 -- #3 Saint Francis U def. #1 Central Connecticut, 46-43
2013 -- #3 LIU def. #5 Mount St. Mary’s, 91-70 
2012 -- #1 LIU def. #3 Robert Morris, 90-73 
2011 -- #1 LIU def. #3 Robert Morris, 85-82 (OT)
2008 -- #4 Mount St. Mary’s def. #3 Sacred Heart, 68-55
2006 -- #3 Monmouth def. #1 FDU, 49-48 
2000 -- #1 Central Connecticut def. #3 Robert Morris, 63-46
1997 -- #1 LIU def. #3 Monmouth, 72-67 
1996 -- #3 Monmouth def. #4 Rider, 60-59 

#TRENDING
Several recent trends in the NEC Tournament favor an upset for #3 Mercyhurst against #1 LIU on Championship Tuesday. 

In nine of the last 13 years — and 13 of the last 21 seasons — a team other than the top seed has won the NEC Tournament. 

The road team has won the NEC final in eight of the last 12 years. Most recently, #3 Saint Francis U won at #1 Central Connecticut (2025) while #6 Wagner won at #1 Merrimack (2024). 

The #1 seed has fallen on its home court in the NEC title game seven times since 2014. (Merrimack in 2024 and Central Connecticut in 2025). 
 
FINS UP
To say that Rod Strickland’s Sharks have been on the up-and-up since he inherited the program in 2022-23 is an understatement. LIU went from a three-win program in his first year at the helm to a team that will be dancing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years in 2026.

In addition to ending an eight-year March Madness hiatus, the Sharks, who claimed their first NEC regular season title since 2012, are amidst their first 20-win campaign since they went 20-12 in 2016-17. In addition, LIU’s 23 victories are the third-most in program history and the most since a 25-9 campaign in 2011-12.

HOME COOKING
Teams hosting the NEC championship game on their home court have posted a 24-14 record (.650).

Robert Morris holds the record for the most home NEC Tournament wins in league history with 28, while LIU is one behind the Colonials with 27. The Sharks are followed by 18 home wins for Wagner and 17 for FDU.

WORKING OVERTIME... OR NOT!
In 44 runnings of the NEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, there have been just three 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 regulattion were FDU’s 63-59 win over Loyola (MD) in 1985 and Marist’s 57-56 triumph over FDU in 1986. 

HEY NOW, YOU’RE AN ALL STAR
There will be no shortage of star power on Tuesday. Two of the NEC’s five major award winners will suit up, as well as six NEC all-stars.  

The NEC final features the following:

NEC Defensive Player of the Year: Greg Gordon (LIU)
Jack Phelan Coach of the Year: Rod Strickland (LIU)
All-NEC First Team: Bernie Blunt III (MU)
All-NEC First Team: Malachi Davis (LIU)
All-NEC First Team: Jamal Fuller (LIU)
All-NEC Second Team: Greg Gordon (LIU)
All-NEC Third Team: Jake Lemelman (MU)
All-Defensive Team: Greg Gordon (LIU)
All-Defensive Team: Qadir Martin (MU)

CLOSE CALLS!
There has been some parity in the NEC title game in recent years. Ten of the last 11 championships have been decided by 10 points or fewer, with four of those games being decided by five points or fewer.

A total of 19 NEC title games ahve been decided by five points or fewer, including Saint Francis U’s 46-43 win over Central Connecticut last season, while 31 have been settled by 10 points or less. 

In adidtion, seven NEC title games have been decided by exactly one point, the latest being Merrimack’s 67-66 win over FDU in 2023..

HALF A CENTURY
LIU’s semifinal win over #7 Wagner also came with a milestone for third-year head coach Rod Strickland. Piloting the Sharks back to the NEC final for the first time since 2018, the 2026 Jack Phelan Coach of the Year also picked up his 50th career win at the helm. 

   
Team-By-Team Capsules

#1 LIU (22-10, 15-3 NEC)

• Fourth-year head coach Rod Strickland has brought LIU back to the NEC title game for the first time since 2018, and the 10th time in program history.
• The fourth-year head coach has piloted LIU to semifinal appearances of the NEC Tournament in each of the last two seasons. 
• The Sharks will be dancing in March Madness for the first time since 2018, and the seventh time in program history. The Sharks have also earned the NEC’s AQ to the NCAA Tournament in 1984, 1997, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2018.
• LIU is 6-3 all-time in the NEC final, with its three blemishes coming to FDU in 1998 and Robert Morris in 1983 and 1984.
• With a 23-10 overall record, the Sharks have posted their first 20-win season since 2016-17 (20-12) and the most victories since 2011-12 (25-9).
• LIU is 3-0 in the NEC Tournament championship game against the #3 seed. As the #1 seed, the Sharks defeated third-seeded Robert Morris in back-to-back years in 2011 (85-82, ot) and 2012 (90-73) after they posted a 72-67 win over third-seeded Monmouth in 1997.  
• All-time against the #3 seed in the postseason, the Sharks are 7-1, including 3-0 in the title game. The Sharks’ lone blemish against the #3 seed came last season when it fell to #3 Saint Francis U as the #2 seed in the semifinals by a 71-68.
• The Sharks have advanced to the semifinals of the NEC Tournament 22 times in program history. That mark ties FDU, which leads all current conference members with 22 semifinal appearances.
• The Sharks’ current 12-game home win streak is currently tied for 14th with Merrimack for the longest rally in the nation.
• LIU is in the postseason for the 11th time in 12 years in 2025-26. The lone exception of that stretch came when the NEC did not sponsor a full tournament field in 2020-21 due to COVID-19. 
• The Sharks have now qualified for 17 of the last 19 NEC Tournaments.
• LIU is the only team in league history to win three straight NEC Tournament titles. That three-year title spree stretched from 2011-13.
• LIU’s six titles are tied with FDU for the most among current league programs while ranking second overall. The program’s six titles came in 1984, 1997, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2018.
• The Sharks boast a 40-30 all-time NEC Tournament record, the most victories among active NEC programs.
• LIU has claimed the #1 seed for the seventh time in program history, and the first time in 14 years (2026, 2012, 2011, 1998, 1997, 1984, 1983).
• As the #1 seed, LIU is 18-2, and 23-28 when entering as a lower seed. In addition, since the turn of the century, the Sharks own a perfect 8-0 record as the tournament’s top seed.
• The Sharks look to become the 25th #1 seed — and the first since Merrimack in 2023 — to win it all.
• With Wednesday’s victory over Chicago State, the second-straight quarterfinal meeting between the two squads, LIU improved to 19-15 in that round.
• LIU rattled off nine-straight playoff wins from 2011-13, marking the longest streak in league annals.
• LIU is one just six teams in NEC history to capture the tournament title as a #4 or lower seed, pulling it off as the fourth-seeded squad in 2018.
• The Sharks have been dominant at home in the NEC Tournament, registering a 27-6 (.818) record in Brooklyn. The 27 home triumphs are the second-most in conference history.
• LIU and Mercyhurst will be squaring off for the NEC Tournament crown for the first time ever.
• LIU and title game opponent Mercyhurst split this year’s regular season series, with each team winning on their respective home court. Both games were single-digit decisions, with the Sharks winning by two (60-58) on Jan. 8 and the Lakers scoring a 91-83 deicsion on Feb. 21.
• Jamal Fuller averaged 19.5 points during the regular season against the Lakers, including 26 in February’s defeat.

#3 Mercyhurst (16-16, 10-8 NEC)

• In its first year of postseason eligibility, Mercyhurst has made a run to the NEC Tournament finals.
• The Lakers will look to become just the third team to win the NEC Tournament in its initial appearance. In addition to Rider, Merrimack, which was not eligible to compete in the NEC playoffs in its first three years as a league member, captured the tourney crown in its first season of postseason eligibility in 2023.
• With Wednesday’s quarterfinal victory over #6 FDU, the Lakers became the fifth NEC member to come out with a win in their conference postseason debut. Le Moyne (2024), Merrimack (2023), UMBC (1999) and Rider (1993) have also turned the trick with wins in their first-ever NEC Tournament game. 
• Mercyhust qualified for the NEC Tournament in its first season of postseason eligibility in 2025-26.
• Mercyhurst secured the #3 seed with a comeback overtime win at Stonehill, its semifinal opponent, to wrap up the regular season.
• The Lakers are currently ineligible for the NCAA Tournament until they complete their mandatory reclassification period.
• Mercyhurst became the fourth NEC program to finish with a winning conference record and place in the top-four of the NEC standings in their inaugural Division I season after going 9-7 in 2024-25. The Lakers joined Merrimack (14-4 in 2019-20), Stonehill (10-6 in 2022-23) and Le Moyne (9-7 in 2023-24).
• Manchel is one of three head coaches that made their NEC Tournament coaching debuts in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. He joined Wagner head coach Dwan McMillan as the only two to come out with wins.
• Mercyhurst closed out its tenure as a Division II member by qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in four of its final five seasons. Under Manchel, the Lakers made a run to the Elite Eight in 2018-19.
• Mercyhurst has been hot inside the Merchurst Athletic Center, winning seven of its last eight against NEC opponents, including Wednesday’s quarterfinal matchup against FDU and Saturday’s semifinal game against Stonehill.
• On the road, the Lakers have seen their share of troubles. Mercyhurst went 5-13 away from Erie, including a 4-4 record against NEC foes. The Lakers lost on the road at LIU earlier this season, but the margin of defeat was just two points at 60-58 on Jan. 8.  

NEC TOURNAMENT TITLES AND RECORDS
 
SCHOOL                     TITLES    LAST    TOURNEY RECORD
LIU                          6       2018        38-30
FDU                          6       2019        37-30
Central Connecticut          3       2007        19-17
Wagner                       2       2024        28-35
Saint Francis U              1       1991        17-29
Le Moyne                     0                   1-2
Chicago State                0                   0-1
Stonehill                    0                   0-1
  

PAST NEC TOURNAMENT WINNERS AND MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS

2025 -- #3 Saint Francis def. #1 CCSU, 46-43 (Juan Cranford Jr., SFU)
2024 -- #6 Wagner 54, #2 Merrimack 47 (Tahron Allen, WC)
2023 -- #1 Merrimack def. #2 FDU, 67-66 (Ziggy Reid, MC)
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)