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2020 NEC Men’s Basketball Tournament Basics

Dates

Wednesday, March 4th (quarterfinals); Saturday, March 7th (semifinals); Tuesday, March 10th (championship)

Format

Bracket with reseeding

Site(s)

Higher seeds host on campus

TV/Streaming Info

ESPN2 has the final on Tuesday night. NEC Front Row will stream the quarterfinals and semifinals for free with ESPN3 also streaming the semis. The NEC’s cable TV affiliates will also air the semifinals.

Participants

The Northeast Conference expanded to 11 teams this year with the addition of the Merrimack Warriors (20-11, 14-4) from the Division II ranks. Since the NCAA doesn’t allow teams in their four transitional seasons to compete in itsTournament or the NIT, the regular-season champs are forced to sit this one out.. The 10th- and 11th-placed teams in the final standings, the Wagner Seahawks (8-21, 5-13) and Central Connecticut State Blue Devils (4-27, 3-15), join the Warriors on the sidelines.

Downloadable Bracket

Schedule

Quarterfinals (Wed., March 4)

NEC Front Row will stream all four games.

Game 1: No. 8 St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (13-18, 7-11) 58, No. 1 Robert Morris 59
The season series was a home split.

Game 2: No. 7 Bryant Bulldogs (15-17, 7-11) 61, No. 2 St. Francis (Pa.) 87
The season series was a home split.

Game 3: No. 6 Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (11-21, 7-11) 59, No. 3 Sacred Heart 61
The Pioneers won the lone meeting at home.

Game 4: No. 5 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (11-19, 9-9) 72, No. 4 LIU 73
The Sharks swept the season series.

Semifinals (Sat., March 7)

NEC TV will air and NEC Front Row and ESPN3 will stream both games.

Teams are reseeded.

Game 5: No. 3 Sacred Heart Pioneers (20-13, 12-6) 72, No. 2 St. Francis (Pa.) 84
The Red Flash swept the season series.

Game 6: No. 4 LIU Sharks (15-18, 9-9) 66, No. 1 Robert Morris 86
The Colonials won the lone meeting on the road.

Championship (Tue., March 10)

Game 7: No. 2 St. Francis (Pa.) Red Flash (21-10, 13-5) 67, No. 1 Robert Morris Colonials (29-14, 13-5) 77
The season series was a home split.

10-Year Mayhem Potential

Data from Bob Vetrone Jr. on Twitter.

Over the past 10 seasons, one of the NEC’s top two seeds has won the automatic bid seven times. The No. 2 has won four titles, with the top seed winning just three, the last time in 2017.

• 2 seed (4): 2010, 2015, 2016, 2019
• 1 seed (3): 2011, 2012, 2017
• 4 seed (2): 2014, 2018
• 3 seed (1): 2013

10-Year NCAA Seeding Record

Years with an NCAA win are in bold.

• 15 seed (2): 2010, 2011
• 16 seed (3): 2012, 2013 (First Four), 2014 (First Four), 2015 (First Four), 2016 (First Four), 2017 (First Four), 2018 (First Four), 2019 (First Four)

If the pattern of the past six years continues, the 2020 NEC representative will lose in Dayton.

Last NCAA Tournament Appearances

Fairleigh Dickinson: 2019 (16 seed, 1st Round)
LIU: 2018 (16 seed, First Four)
Mount St. Mary’s: 2017 (16 seed, 1st Round)
Robert Morris: 2015 (16 seed, Round of 64)
St. Francis (Pa.): 1991 (15 seed, 1st Round)

Bryant, Sacred Heart, and St. Francis Brooklyn have never qualified, with the Terriers being one of the four original Division I members that has never done so. Merrimack must wait until 2024 to be eligible. Central Connecticut State (2007, 16 seed) and Wagner (2003, 15 seed) will be unable to return this season.

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