Click Here For 2026-27 NEC Men's Basketball Schedule Grid Graphic
Click Here For 2026-27 NEC Women's Basketball Schedule Grid Graphic
Bridgewater, NJ -- The NEC today unveiled its 2026-27 men's and women's basketball conference schedules.
Schedule Notes
- The NEC will feature a nine-team alignment, with men's and women's teams playing a 16-game double round-robin conference schedule.
- Conference play tips off on Saturday, January 2, for both the men and women.
- The men's regular season concludes on Saturday, February 27, while the women's regular season wraps up on Thursday, March 4.
- A one-year pilot program has been implemented in both men's and women's basketball that provides flexibility to move select games from Thursday to Wednesday to help alleviate travel challenges and create additional streaming and television opportunities. Each team was permitted to move one conference game to Wednesday.
- Each team will receive two bye dates during the conference season, occurring on either a Wednesday/Thursday or Saturday.
- The women's schedule opens and closes with single-game weeks.
- Game times will be announced at a later date.
- The 2026-27 NEC television and streaming schedule will be announced this fall.
- The NEC Basketball Championship will once again feature an eight-team format, with all games played at the home court of the higher seed. Following the quarterfinals, the field will be reseeded so the highest remaining seed faces the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals.
- The 2027 NEC Men's Basketball Championship will be held March 3, 6 and 9 at campus sites.
- The 2027 NEC Women's Basketball Championship will be held March 8, 11 and 14 at campus sites.
- All nine NEC institutions are eligible to compete in the NEC Tournament.
- Le Moyne has completed its DI reclassification and is eligible for the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Mercyhurst and New Haven remain ineligible for NCAA postseason competition while completing their DI reclassification.
- If a reclassifying institution wins the NEC Tournament championship, the tournament runner-up will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament under current NEC policy. If two reclassifying institutions advance to the NEC Tournament final, the NEC will stage an "AQ Game" between the two semifinal teams that did not advance. The winner of that game will earn the conference's NCAA automatic qualifier. Under the current membership, an AQ Game would only be necessary if Mercyhurst and New Haven meet in the championship game.
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 46th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 17 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (
www.necsports.com) and digital network (
www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.