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2023 Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament

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2023 Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament
ClassificationDivision I
Season2022–23
Teams8
SiteCampus sites
ChampionsMerrimack (1st title)
Winning coachJoe Gallo (1st title)
MVPZiggy Reid (Merrimack)
TelevisionNEC Front Row, ESPN3, ESPN2
← 2022
2024 →

The 2023 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Northeast Conference for the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The tournament took place on three dates between March 1, and March 7, 2023, and all tournament games were played on home arenas of the higher-seeded school. The winner, Merrimack, did not receive the conference's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament due to not being eligible because of a transition from Division II. Instead, the runner-up, Farleigh Dickinson, earned lucky loser status and was awarded the conference's automatic bid.

2022–23 Northeast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Merrimack*† 12 4   .750 18 16   .529
Fairleigh Dickinson^ 10 6   .625 21 16   .568
Stonehill** 10 6   .625 14 17   .452
Saint Francis (PA) 9 7   .563 13 18   .419
Sacred Heart 8 8   .500 16 17   .485
Wagner 8 8   .500 15 13   .536
Central Connecticut 7 9   .438 10 22   .313
St. Francis Brooklyn 7 9   .438 14 16   .467
LIU 1 15   .063 3 26   .103
* ineligible for the 2023 NCAA tournament due to transition period
** ineligible for both the 2023 NEC tournament and the 2023 NCAA tournament due to transition period
^ received automatic bid for the 2023 NCAA tournament as conference tournament runner-up, due to Merrimack's ineligibility
† 2023 NEC tournament winner

There was no defending champion for the 2023 tournament, as Bryant moved to the America East Conference after the 2021–22 academic year.

Seeds

All eight eligible teams of the nine members of the conference will qualify. Effective for the 2022–23 academic year, NEC teams transitioning from Division II are eligible for the NEC tournament during their third and fourth years of the transition period.[1] If a reclassifying institution wins the NEC tournament championship, the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament goes to the NEC tournament runner up.[1][2] The rule change regarding reclassifying institutions results in Merrimack being eligible for the 2023 NEC tournament,[1] since it is in its fourth transition year.

Teams will be seeded by record within the conference,[3] with a tiebreaker system to seed teams with identical conference records.[4]

Stonehill College joined the Northeast Conference from the Division II Northeast-10 Conference. Stonehill is ineligible for the NCAA tournament until the 2026-27 season during its four-year reclassification period and won’t be eligible for the NEC tournament until the 2024-25 season.[5]

Seed School Conf. Tiebreaker
1 Merrimack 12–4
2 Fairleigh Dickinson 10–6
3 Saint Francis (PA) 9–7
4 Sacred Heart 8–8 2-2 vs. CCSU/SFC
5 Wagner 8–8 1-3 vs. CCSU/SFC
6 Central Connecticut 7–9 2-2 vs. FDU/Stonehill
7 St. Francis Brooklyn 7–9 0-4 vs. FDU/Stonehill
8 LIU 1–15

Schedule

Session Game[6] Time* Matchup Score Television
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, March 1
1 1 7:00 pm No. 8 LIU at No. 1 Merrimack 76-91 ESPN3/NEC Front Row
2 7:00 pm No. 7 St. Francis Brooklyn at No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson 75-83
2 3 7:00 pm No. 6 Central Connecticut at No. 3 Saint Francis (PA) 69-83
4 7:00 pm No. 5 Wagner at No. 4 Sacred Heart 55-67
Semifinals – Saturday, March 4
3 5 6:00 pm No. 4 Sacred Heart at No. 1 Merrimack 57-71 ESPN3
6 8:00 pm No. 3 Saint Francis (PA) at No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson 50-70
Championship – Tuesday, March 7
4 7 7:00 pm No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson at No. 1 Merrimack 66-67 ESPN2
*Game times in ET. Rankings denote tournament seed

Tournament notes

Quarterfinals

Ziggy Reid had a career-high 33 points, including 20 in the first half, to lead Merrimack to a 91–76 quarterfinal win over LIU. Reid shot 11 for 13 from the field, including 6 for 7 from three-point range, and added nine rebounds for the Warriors, who led 54–33, at halftime. Midway through the first half, Merrimack stretched a six-point lead to 18 with a 12–0 run, which started and concluded with three-pointers by Reid. Javon Bennett scored 26 points on 10-for-13 shooting, including 4 for 5 from beyond the arc, and added three steals for the Warriors, while Jordan Minor contributed 17 points, five rebounds, five steals, four blocks and two assists. Jacob Johnson had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Sharks.[7][8]

In what would prove to be the final men's basketball game in the history of St. Francis Brooklyn,[9] Fairleigh Dickinson scored the first seven points and led wire to wire to complete a season sweep of three games over the Terriers with an 83–75 victory. The Knights were led by Sean Moore and Ansley Almonor, who scored 18 points each. Almonor shot 7 for 11, including 4 for 6 from three-point range, and added five rebounds. Moore had seven rebounds and five steals for Fairleigh Dickinson. The Knights' biggest lead was 16, at 30–14, in the first half, and they led, 45–30, at halftime. St. Francis Brooklyn cut the deficit to four points with 1:48 to play, after an 11–4 run, led by redshirt freshman Zion Bethea, but the Knights hit their free throws down the stretch. Bethea and Tedrick Wilcox Jr. finished with 17 points each for the Terriers. Wilcox added six assists and three steals.[7][10]

Josh Cohen's 25 points and 12 rebounds led Saint Francis (PA) past Central Connecticut, 83–69. Trailing 26–24, the Red Flash got eight points from Ronell Giles, Jr. during a 15–2 run that helped them secure a 39–30 lead at the break. Cohen had 15 of his points in the first half. After Saint Francis pushed their lead to 14, at 51–37 with 14:26 to play, the Blue Devils got no closer than an 11-point deficit the rest of the way. Maxwell Land scored 23 points, on 9-for-15 shooting, and Giles finished with 14 points for the Red Flash. Jayden Brown and Kellen Amos each scored 13 points for Central Connecticut. Brown added six rebounds and two blocks. Andre Snoddy contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Blue Devils.[7][11]

Tanner Thomas and Nico Galette scored 14 points each to lead Sacred Heart to a 67–55 victory over Wagner. The Pioneers used a 10–2 run to expand their 46–44 lead and go up by 10 points with 5:45 to play. Thomas added eight rebounds for Sacred Heart. Brandon Brown scored 15 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Seahawks.[7][12]

Bracket

Teams are reseeded after each round with highest remaining seeds receiving home court advantage.

Quarterfinals
Wednesday, March 1
ESPN3/NEC Front Row
Semifinals
Saturday, March 4
ESPN3/NEC Front Row
Championship
Tuesday, March 7
ESPN2
         
1 Merrimack 91
8 LIU 76
1 Merrimack 71
4 Sacred Heart 57
3 Saint Francis (PA) 83
6 Central Connecticut 69
1 Merrimack 67
(Pairings are reseeded after the first round)
2 Fairleigh Dickinson 66
2 Fairleigh Dickinson 83
7 St. Francis Brooklyn 75
2 Fairleigh Dickinson# 70
3 Saint Francis (PA) 50
4 Sacred Heart 67
5 Wagner 55

# Due to Merrimack's ineligibility, the semifinal between Saint Francis and Fairleigh Dickinson decided the NEC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Awards and honors

Tournament MVP: Ziggy Reid

First Team
  • Ziggy Reid, Merrimack
  • Javon Bennett, Merrimack
  • Jordan Minor, Merrimack
  • Ansley Almonor, Fairleigh Dickinson
  • Demetre Roberts, Fairleigh Dickinson

References

  1. ^ a b c "2022 NEC Spring Meeting Recap". Northeast Conference. June 28, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "2023 Northeast Tournament". Hoops HD. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  3. ^ "2023 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Championship". Northeast Conference. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  4. ^ "NEC Men's Basketball Tiebreaker Procedure". Northeast Conference. February 24, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  5. ^ "Stonehill Announces Transition to NCAA Division I for 2022-23 Academic Year". 2022-04-05. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ "2023 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Championship - Northeast Conference". northeastconference.org. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  7. ^ a b c d "#NEC23 Men's Quarterfinal Recaps: The Favorites All Advance". Northeast Conference. March 1, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  8. ^ "Reid Scores 33 in Merrimack's NEC Quarterfinal Win". The Associated Press. March 1, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  9. ^ McDaniel, Mike (March 21, 2023). "St. Francis Brooklyn to Eliminate Entire Athletics Program". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  10. ^ "Fairleigh Dickinson Advances in NEC Tournament". CBS Sports. March 1, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  11. ^ "Saint Francis (PA) Defeats CCSU in NEC Tournament Quarters". The Associated Press. March 1, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  12. ^ "Thomas Scores 14, Sacred Heart Tops Wagner in NEC Quarters". The Associated Press. March 1, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.