2022 Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament Info, Facts, & Preview Links
The Official 2022 NEC Tournament Bracket can be found here: https://northeastconference.org/tournaments/?id=247
Opening Round (At Higher Seed)
Monday, February 28, 2022
Game 1: (9) Central Connecticut St. 67 (7-23 overall; 5-13 conf) at (8) Fairleigh Dickinson 66 (4-21 overall; 5-13 conf) at 7 p.m. ET (NEC Front Row) [Fairleigh Dickinson ELIMINATED]
Quarterfinals (At Higher Seed)
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Game 2: (9) Central Connecticut St. (8-23 overall; 6-13 conf) at (1) Bryant (19-9 overall; 16-2 conf) at 7 p.m. ET (NEC Front Row)
Game 3: (7) St. Francis (Pa.) (9-20 overall; 5-13 conf ) at (2) Wagner (19-5 overall; 15-3 conf) at 7 p.m. ET (NEC Front Row)
Game 4: (6) Sacred Heart (10-19 overall; 6-12 conf) at (3) LIU (15-13 overall; 12-6 conf) at 7 p.m. ET (NEC Front Row)
Game 5: (5) St. Francis (NY) (10-19 overall; 7-11 conf) at (4) Mount St. Mary’s (13-15 overall; 9-9 conf) at 7 p.m. ET (NEC Front Row)
Semifinals (At Higher Seed; teams re-seeded after Quarterfinal Round)
Saturday, March 5, 2022
Game 6: TBA vs. TBA at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN3/MASN/NEC Front Row/SNY)
Game 7: TBA vs. TBA at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN3/MASN/NEC Front Row/SNY)
Championship Game (At Higher Seed)
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Game 8: Championship Game (Auto Bid) at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Tournament Winners (last 10 years):
2021: (4) Mount St. Mary’s (12-11 overall; 9-7 conf)
2020: (1) Robert Morris (20-14 overall; 13-5 conf) [Note: Merrimack finished 14-4 in conference but was ineligible for the tournament]
2019: (2) Fairleigh Dickinson (21-14 overall; 12-6 conf)
2018: (4) LIU Brooklyn (18-17 overall; 10-8 conf)
2017: (1) Mount St. Mary’s (20-16 overall; 14-4 conf)
2016: (2) Fairleigh Dickinson (18-15 overall; 11-7 conf)
2015: (2) Robert Morris (20-15 overall; 12-6 conf)
2014: (4) Mount St. Mary’s (16-17 overall; 9-7 conf)
2013: (3) LIU (20-14 overall; 12-6 conf)
2012: (1) LIU (25-9 overall; 16-2 conf)
NET ratings through games of 2/26/22 (358 teams)
Wagner-125
Bryant-228
LIU-239
Mount St. Mary’s-277
*Merrimack-301 (ineligible for conference tournament due to transition from D-II)
St. Francis (NY)-310
St. Francis (Pa.)-326
Sacred Heart-328
Central Conn. St.-344
Fairleigh Dickinson-348
Kenpom ratings as of 2/26/22
Wagner-142
Bryant-197
LIU-232
Mount St. Mary’s-261
*Merrimack-301 (ineligible for conference tournament due to transition from D-II)
St. Francis (NY)-312
St. Francis (Pa.)-318
Sacred Heart-323
Fairleigh Dickinson-345
Central Conn. St.-349
Here are the preview links:
My take on the NEC tournament: As you can see above, it's slim pickings for previews on the NEC tournament despite it being the first of the conference tourneys to tip off. This could be because the auto-bid winner is likely going to Dayton for a play-in game unless the two-seed Wagner wins it. Unfortunately for the conference, Wagner lost 3 of its last 5 games and is slumping at the wrong time. On the other hand, both Bryant (1-seed) and LIU (3-seed) come in riding winning streaks of 4 and 6 games respectively. All nine eligible teams (sorry Merrimack) get a shot this year, and all games will be hosted by the higher seed. For the semifinals, the highest remaining seed after the quarters will get to host the lowest remaining seed, then the highest other remaining seed will get to host the other lowest remaining seed. This tourney has seen some 4-seeds pull some upsets and win it, including last year.
My prediction: I am taking Peter Kiss (oh to hear Bill Raftery say "Kiss with the kiss!") and 1-seed Bryant to win over 3-seed LIU in what should be a competitive championship game. However, any of the top 4 seeds are capable of winning three games. Enjoy!
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