NEC

Poll: Who Will Win the Northeast Conference?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:21:15 -0400

College Basketball: Preseason Conference Ranking

CHN — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:43:04 -0400

After finishing 1st in the RPI the last two years, the ACC should fall back slightly thanks to the big-name departures at UNC & Wake Forest. This should allow one of the Big 12, Big Ten, or even SEC a shot at being #1. The Pac-10 is weak enough that a high-major like the A-10, MVC, or MWC could surpass it.

Chime in with your thoughts below if you agree or disagree with CHN's preseason conference ranking.

2009-10 Conference Ranking

*08-09 is last year's conference RPI. Commentary by Shawn Siegel, ranking by CHN.

	Conference	08-09*
1	Big Ten 9 of 11 teams go into season with ncaa hopes, and as many as 7 may reach that goal	2
2	Big 12 ku is the clear title contender. the bottom few teams are weak though and the middle-tier is hit or miss	3
3	ACC no dominant team like last year, but solid as always.	1
4	SEC rise of uk brings league back to prominence after down year..	6
5	Big East lose tons of big name players, and still held down by likes of depual, rutgers, etc	4
6	Pac-10 conceivable the pac-10 only receives 3 tourney bids.	5
7	Atlantic 10 should get at least 2 invites to the ncaa tournament	8
8	MVC with improvement expected from usual leaders creighton & siu, mvc should be solid all-around	9
9	MWC just about every top team loses a top player, but mwc should be one of the more entertaining leagues	7
10	Conference USA though memphis takes step back, rest of league is better than usual.	10
11	WAC after some down years, wac will once again be compeititve league	11
12	Horizon butler has top 10 hopes, but squads like csu and green bay lose key seniors.	12
13	Colonial while still 1 bid league, likes of odu, n'eastern, gmu, and vcu are all quality	14
14	Sun Belt more then just wku, the entire east division is solid	17
15	MAAC siena, niagara, and rider all have postseason hopes	13
16	WCC gonzaga and smc both worse then season ago	15
17	MAC #'s should be better than last year, but west division still a struggle	21
18	Big West led by up-and-coming long beach state. always finish around this #.	18
19	Summit darling ndsu loses a lot, so usual contenders like oru and oakland should be at forefront again	26
20	Big Sky with exception of sacramento st, this is a solid league top to bottom.	24
21	Southland underrated league always good for some non-conference upsets	19
22	Ivy cornell will be the best the ivy has offered in quite some years	29
23	Southern steph curry's departure opens up door for charleston	20
24	America East decimation of binghamton will hurt league #'s	16
25	Atlantic Sun the league's upper half is as solid as it's been for a few years	27
26	Patriot could use a rebound from former top gun bucknell.	22
27	OVC morehead st continues its improbable rise..	23
28	Big South outside of radford, not much to get excited about here..	25
29	NEC nec hasn't had much going for it in recent years	28
30	MEAC as usual, will battle swac for title of country's worst	30
31	SWAC solid jackson st gives swac hope of surpassing meac	31

College Basketball Preview - 144 Teams in 144 Days - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Robert Morris Going Dancing: Clip of the Day

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:36:22 -0400

Thanks to the genius of YouTube, the world has access to thousands of great college basketball videos to keep us busy every second of every day. We'll be featuring daily movies to whet your college basketball appetite. Even if you've seen them before, some clips are just too good not to watch again and again.

ROBERT MORRIS: DANCING

Robert Morris is heading to the Big Dance for the first time since 1992. This is a video shot from the crowd as Dallas Green hits the game winning shot with a few seconds to go, after picking up a loose ball. Listen for the "oh no" in the crowd as RMU loses the ball, and then the shrieks when the baseline shot goes in.

- Watch all of CHN's favorite College Basketball Videos!

- Also check out past Cheerleaders of the Day!

- And finally the Picture of the Day!

Conference Tournament Odds: Mid-Majors

Evan Dorey — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 10:47:53 -0400

Tournament Odds: Mid-Major Conferences

These are conference tournament log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find.

- more odds coming soon!

America East - March 6-14

The first three rounds will be played in Albany’s home court, SECFU Arena, with the final happening on Saturday morning at the higher remaining seed.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	Binghamton	100.00%	85.45%	53.64%	26.52%
2	Vermont	100.00%	87.92%	62.85%	45.92%
3	Boston University	100.00%	86.45%	32.33%	18.97%
4	New Hampshire	100.00%	28.09%	7.94%	0.82%
5	Stony Brook	100.00%	71.91%	34.71%	6.86%
6	UMBC	100.00%	13.55%	1.39%	0.19%
7	Albany	100.00%	12.08%	3.43%	0.47%
8	Maine	75.37%	12.98%	3.54%	0.24%
9	Hartford	24.63%	1.57%	0.18%	0.00%

Hometown team Albany got the worst possible opening draw, as the favorite, #2 Vermont will be a tough task. Binghamton and BU should be the main challengers, with Stony Brook a team from outside the top 4 that could cause a big surprise.

Atlantic Sun - March 4-7

With only seven eligible teams, champions Jacksonville get an opening round bye, while the bottom 6 teams play for the other semifinal spots. All games are held at the Allen Center, home to #4 Lipscomb.

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	Jacksonville	100.00%	54.37%	35.75%
2	East Tennessee St.	84.10%	52.47%	20.87%
3	Belmont	76.41%	37.58%	12.64%
4	Lipscomb	84.83%	43.25%	28.80%
5	Campbell	15.17%	2.38%	0.66%
6	Mercer	23.59%	5.87%	0.81%
7	Stetson	15.90%	4.07%	0.46%

Jacksonville’s first round bye doesn’t help them a whole lot, while Lipscomb’s home court advantage will give them a serious shot of breaking through to steal the bid.

(Ed: ETSU ended up winning, one of the few upset conference champions so far.)

Big Sky - March 7-11

The Big Sky Tournament features just 6 of the conference’s 9 teams, with the top two teams getting automatic semifinal byes. The first round games are played at campus sites, while Weber St. hosts the semis and final at the Dee Events Center.

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	Weber St.	100.00%	87.17%	73.11%
2	Portland St.	100.00%	58.13%	13.29%
3	Montana	94.12%	41.37%	7.97%
4	Idaho St.	70.40%	9.54%	4.30%
5	Northern Colorado	29.60%	3.30%	1.31%
6	Montana St.	5.88%	0.50%	0.02%

Weber would have been favorites at a neutral site. At home, they should be able to win the two games they’ll need.

Big South - March 3-7

The semis and finals will be hosted at regular season champs Radford.

#	Team	F	W
1	Radford	86.18%	69.39%
2	Virginia Military Inst	47.51%	12.44%
3	Liberty	52.49%	14.59%
4	NC Asheville	13.82%	3.58%

Radford’s home advantage should see them through, but the Liberty-VMI winner will give the Highlanders a tough fight

(Ed: As expected, Radford locked up the title.)

Big West - March 11-14

Hosted in Anaheim, the Big West conference tournament uses a bizarre style, which I don’t faithfully reproduce here, as they have a two-team double-level bye, just like the WCC, but also re-seeded at each level. These odds reflect the tournament without reseeding, so they somewhat hurt the top teams, but still give a basic idea of the overall picture.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	CS Northridge	100.00%	100.00%	59.70%	32.34%
2	Long Beach St.	100.00%	100.00%	58.41%	30.28%
3	Pacific	100.00%	73.63%	35.02%	17.31%
4	UC Santa Barbara	100.00%	60.42%	26.20%	12.48%
5	UC Irvine	71.81%	32.63%	12.71%	5.48%
6	UC Riverside	58.88%	17.18%	4.67%	1.35%
7	Cal St. Fullerton	41.12%	9.19%	1.90%	0.42%
8	UC Davis	28.19%	6.95%	1.39%	0.32%

The top two seeds get a huge boost by avoiding the opening two rounds, and look the likeliest to advance to the NCAA tournament. The two teams with single byes also have decent chances.

MAC - March 10-14

The MAC Tournament, held in Cleveland, gives four first round byes, and is mostly notable for the fact that the two division champs get the top two seeds, which elevates a below-.500 Ball St. team out of the first round up to #2.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	Bowling Green	100.00%	57.17%	18.32%	7.90%
2	Ball St.	100.00%	52.39%	13.83%	3.75%
3	Buffalo	100.00%	43.91%	30.38%	13.72%
4	Miami OH	100.00%	43.91%	29.09%	16.40%
5	Akron	94.36%	55.65%	41.06%	26.52%
6	Kent St.	90.15%	54.67%	42.38%	23.49%
7	Central Michigan	77.03%	41.65%	12.33%	3.74%
8	Western Michigan	39.43%	14.41%	3.09%	0.96%
9	Ohio	60.57%	28.42%	8.37%	3.38%
10	Eastern Michigan	22.97%	5.97%	0.68%	0.08%
11	Northern Illinois	9.85%	1.42%	0.40%	0.05%
12	Toledo	5.64%	0.45%	0.07%	0.01%

This conference is simply insane. The top two favorites don’t even get a bye, and Akron fans in particular must be steamed at the division winners rule. There look to be five teams that can potentially win the tournament, all from the East division, and no matter who gets it in the end, the MAC will retain its reputation for eating its own. Don’t be too surprised if you see the #5 or #6 seed make a long run in Cleveland.

MEAC- March 9-14

The MEAC Tournament features the 11 eligible teams meeting in Winston Salem, with the bottom six playing for spots in the quarterfinals.

#	Team	QF	SF	F	W
1	Morgan St.	100.00%	95.15%	83.06%	69.88%
2	South Carolina St.	100.00%	67.26%	36.98%	9.43%
3	Norfolk St.	100.00%	61.85%	33.51%	8.22%
4	NC A&T	100.00%	50.79%	8.05%	3.58%
5	Coppin St.	100.00%	49.21%	7.62%	3.33%
6	Bethune Cookman	90.11%	37.43%	17.18%	3.35%
7	Hampton	48.95%	15.79%	5.84%	0.90%
8	Florida A&M	41.68%	1.66%	0.37%	0.07%
9	Howard	58.32%	3.19%	0.91%	0.22%
10	Delaware St.	51.05%	16.95%	6.43%	1.02%
11	MD Eastern Shore	9.89%	0.72%	0.06%	0.00%

Morgan St. is a dominant favorite, but after that, its truly a free-for-all. Delaware St. is a fascinating potential long-shot, should it survive its first round game.

Northeast - March 5-11

The NEC Tournament has all game played at the higher seed with 8 of the 11 teams making the quarters.

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	Robert Morris	94.76%	82.61%	64.72%
2	Mount St. Mary's	91.99%	66.85%	22.16%
3	Sacred Heart	91.38%	31.18%	9.09%
4	Long Island	72.84%	12.75%	3.11%
5	Quinnipiac	27.16%	3.76%	0.71%
6	Central Connecticut	8.62%	0.98%	0.06%
7	Wagner	8.01%	0.99%	0.07%
8	St. Francis NY	5.24%	0.88%	0.09%

Robert Morris has separated itself from the rest of the conference all season, and with it hosting every game it plays, it should be on course for the NCAA bid.

Ohio Valley - March 3-7

With the semifinals set, all games will be played in Nashville from now on in the tournament.

#	Team	F	W
1	Tennessee Martin	62.54%	31.86%
2	Austin Peay	28.48%	10.72%
3	Murray St.	71.52%	42.86%
4	Morehead St.	37.46%	14.56%

Murray and Martin are both favored to make the final, where a battle between the two would be a lot of fun.

(Ed: Like ETSU above, Morehead St managed to defy the odds.)

Patriot League - March 4-13

All games in the Patriot League tournament are at the higher seed’s arena.

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	American	99.07%	97.22%	86.03%
2	Holy Cross	93.81%	80.21%	12.37%
3	Navy	85.31%	17.26%	1.28%
4	Army	66.79%	1.75%	0.16%
5	Lehigh	33.21%	0.83%	0.08%
6	Colgate	14.69%	1.39%	0.04%
7	Bucknell	6.19%	1.14%	0.03%
8	Lafayette	0.93%	0.19%	0.01%

American has had an excellent season, and should head back to the NCAA tournament, especially with all its games at home.

Southland - March 12-15

Eight of the league’s 12 teams meet in Katy, TX to decide the Southland title.

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	Stephen F. Austin	70.74%	46.69%	28.36%
2	Nicholls St.	80.97%	40.99%	19.77%
3	Sam Houston St.	76.46%	46.90%	25.31%
4	Texas A&M Corpus Christi	63.42%	28.37%	14.03%
5	Texas Arlington	36.58%	11.81%	4.32%
6	Texas San Antonio	23.54%	8.15%	2.23%
7	Texas St.	19.03%	3.96%	0.74%
8	Southeastern Louisiana	29.26%	13.13%	5.23%

Prepare for good four-way battle between the top seeds, with the #8 Southeastern Louisiana potentially poised to bust some brackets.

Summit League - March 7-10

The Summit League Tournament is a pretty simple 8-team affair, with all games in Sioux Falls, SD.

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	North Dakota St.	92.48%	83.64%	52.90%
2	Oral Roberts	88.37%	61.87%	31.48%
3	Oakland	81.52%	32.35%	12.02%
4	IUPUI	54.58%	7.58%	1.39%
5	Southern Utah	45.42%	5.50%	0.87%
6	IUPU Fort Wayne	18.48%	2.75%	0.41%
7	South Dakota St.	11.63%	3.04%	0.48%
8	Centenary	7.52%	3.28%	0.46%

North Dakota St. will be a team to watch for an upset in the NCAA tournament, but only if they can get by tough challenges from the winner of an ORU-Oakland semifinal.

SWAC - March 11-14

Eight teams meet in Birmingham to determine the SWAC automatic bid.

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	Alabama St.	94.70%	81.39%	63.36%
2	Jackson St.	84.03%	57.22%	20.15%
3	Prairie View A&M	72.56%	31.36%	8.01%
4	Arkansas Pine Bluff	70.73%	14.11%	6.07%
5	Southern	29.27%	3.05%	0.75%
6	MVSU	27.44%	6.57%	0.84%
7	Texas Southern	15.97%	4.84%	0.55%
8	Alabama A&M	5.30%	1.44%	0.27%

Alabama St. is a big favorite, with only the top four looking to have any kind of shot, and the top two in particular dominant favorites to meet in the title game.

Also: BCS Tournament Odds

Also: High-Major Tournament Odds

More: Championship Week Coverage

+2009 NCAA Tournament
	• All Tournament Coverage • NCAA Tournament Capsules • NIT Capsules • NCAA Tournament Schedule • Venue Info & Tickets • Bracketology

NEC: Semifinals Preview & Notes

Press Release — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 18:03:02 -0500

With quarterfinal play now in the books, the 2009 NEC Men's Basketball Tournament resumes with semifinal action on Sunday, March 8. Top-seeded Robert Morris hosts #5 Quinnipiac in a game to air live at 2:00 pm on MSG and Fox College Sports. FSN-Pittsburgh will air the game on delay at 8:30 pm. The second game of the day features a rematch of the 2008 NEC title game as defending champion and #2 seed Mount St. Mary's hosts #3 Sacred Heart. Tipoff is at 7:00 pm. The winners will face off for the NEC championship on Wednesday, March 11 at 8:00 pm on ESPN2.

#1 Robert Morris (22-10, 15-3 NEC)
• Top-seeded Robert Morris raced out to a 22-point first half lead and held off a late St. Francis (NY) charge for a 73-60 win in an NEC quarterfinal matchup in Moon Township on Thursday.

• NEC Player of the Year Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, OH/Northwest) led the way for the Colonials with 19 points, five rebounds and six assists, while second team all-NEC performer Rob Robinson (Waldorf, MD/Globe Institute of Technology) chipped in with nine points and 13 rebounds.

• Robert Morris has won nine straight games at home and is 13-2 at the Sewall Center on the year.

• The Colonials will take on #5 Quinnipiac in Sunday's semifinals in a game to air live at 2:00 pm on MSG and Fox College Sports, and on delay at 8:30 pm on FSN-Pittsburgh.

• Robert Morris and Quinnipiac have never met in the postseason. The Colonials swept the Bobcats during the 2008-09 regular season.

• In the two games this season against Quinnipiac, Robinson averaged 18.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg and 4.5 spg.

• The Colonials have now reached the NEC semifinals in three of the last four years.

• Robert Morris claimed its second straight NEC regular-season championship and sixth overall (eight if its 1981-82 and 1982-83 divisional championships are included) with a 15-3 league record.

• In two seasons under Mike Rice, the Colonials are 31-5 (.861) in NEC play, the second-best two year stretch behind Marist's 28-4 (.875) run from 1986-88.

• Robert Morris is 48-18 (.727) overall the last two seasons.

• The Colonials received a vote in the AP Top-25 poll on February 9th and 16th and reached as high as #23 in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major poll on February 16th. During this period, RMU won 13 straight NEC games.

• Robert Morris set a new NEC record with 15 straight road wins over league opponents before the two-year streak was snapped with a three-point loss at Monmouth on February 19th.

• Robert Morris has posted back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1988-89 (21 wins) and 1989-90 (22 wins) and second time in school history.

• The Colonials have won a league-high five NEC titles, all between 1982 and 1992.

• Robert Morris has won the NEC championship in three of its four previous appearances when seeded first (1989, 1990 and 1992). The top-seeded Colonials were knocked by Mount St. Mary's in the 2008 semifinals.

• Robert Morris is 12-6 all-time in NEC Tournament games at home.

• The Colonials are 9-0 against the second through sixth seeds in the NEC Tournament. The team's three conference losses on the year came to #7 Wagner, #8 St. Francis (NY) and Monmouth, which didn't make the field.

• Junior guard Jimmy Langhurst (Willard, OH/Willard) is second in the NEC in 3PFG% (.423).

• Senior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, OH/Northwest) has established a school record with 121 games played and 117 starting assignments. On Thursday, he eclipsed Chipper Harris' (1980-84) program record with 97 double-digit scoring games.

• Chappell (16.7 ppg, second in NEC) is the leading active scorer and ninth in league annals with 1,824 points.

• Chappell is the only player in NEC history with over 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 250 steals and 200 three-pointers. He enters the postseason with 1,824 points, 661 boards, 330 assists, 261 steals and 235 3PFG.

• Chappell ranks in the NEC top-15 in nine individual categories, including first in steals (2.5 spg, 13th in nation).

• The Colonials lead the NEC in 3PFG percentage (.399) and are second in FG percentage (.476).

#2 Mount St. Mary's (18-12, 12-6 NEC)
• Defending NEC champion and #2 seed Mount St. Mary's held serve at home on Thursday, ousting #7 Wagner by a 72-62 margin in quarterfinal play.

• Sophomore guard Jean Cajou (Fairfax, VA/Paul VI) scored a game-high 21 points against Wagner, including seven points in the last two minutes of the contest. With Mount St. Mary's ahead by two, Cajou nailed a three-pointer to give the Mount a 64-59 leads with 1:35 left on the clock.

• Sophomore forward Shawn Atupem (Newport News, VA/Woodside) scored 16 points off the bench, while junior forward Kelly Beidler (Virginia Beach, VA/Tallwood) added 15 points and seven boards.

• Mount St. Mary's and Sacred Heart have met just once in NEC Tournament competition, with the Mountaineers going on the road to defeat the Pioneers, 68-55, in the 2008 NEC title game.

• The Mount and Sacred Heart split their two regular season games with each team winning on its own home floor.

• The Mount has won nine straight home games and is 11-2 at Knott Arena this season. It is the longest homecourt win streak by the Mount since winning 16 in a row from 1994-96.

• The Mount has qualified for the NEC semis in each of the last three years following a six-year absence.

• The Mount will attempt to become the first NEC program to repeat as champions since Rider in 1993 and 1994.

• Mount St. Mary's captured its three NEC titles in 1995, 1999 and 2008.

• The Mount owns the distinction of being both the lowest (#6 seed in 1999) and second-lowest (#4 seed in 2008) seeded teams to win the NEC Tournament.

• Mount St. Mary's is 16-10 all-time in NEC Tournament games, including 5-3 under Brown. The Mount's .615 winning percentage in the postseason ranks second among current NEC institutions.

• The Mount's #2 seed is the highest for the program since a #1 seed in 1996. That year, the Mount fell to Rider in the semifinals. In 1995, the Mountaineers won their first NEC title as the #2 seed.

• Mount St. Mary's is 9-4 all-time in NEC quarterfinal games with victories in each of the last three years.

• Mount St. Mary's is 18-12 this season, the third-most wins by a Mount team since moving to NCAA Division I in 1988-89. The record is 21 set by the 1995-96 squad (21-7), while the Mountaineers went 19-15 during last year's NEC Tournament run.

• The Mount is 7-2 all-time at home in the NEC Tournament.

• The Mount's 12-6 conference record tied for the second-most league wins in program history. • Mount St. Mary's leads the NEC in scoring defense at 63.3 ppg.

• First team all-NEC guard Jeremy Goode (Charlotte, NC/Providence Day) stands fourth among active NEC players with 1,254 points. Goode ranks 23rd on the NEC's career assist list with 460.

• Cajou is second on the team in scoring with 13.5 ppg. He leads the NEC and is seventh nationally in FT percentage (.891).

• The Mount is one of just four teams in the nation to start the same lineup in every game this year. The others are Butler, Clemson and North Dakota State.

#3 Sacred Heart (17-13, 12-6 NEC)
• In NEC quarterfinal action on Thursday, #3 seed Sacred Heart defeated in-state rival CCSU for the third time this season with a 76-64 win over the sixth seeded Blue Devils in Fairfield.

• Junior guard Chauncey Hardy (Middletown, CT/Xavier), who had missed the previous two games with a wrist injury, scored a game-high 22 points in the victory.

• First team all-NEC forward Joey Henley (Kent, WA/Kentride) recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

• Sacred Heart now gets a long-awaited rematch with Mount St. Mary's, which beat the Pioneers in last year's NEC championship tilt, 68-55.

• The Pioneers and Mountaineers split their two regular season meetings with each defending its home court.

• A win will give Sacred Heart its third consecutive NEC title game appearance. The Pioneers are 5-3 all-time in the tournament.

• Sacred Heart is now 3-2 against CCSU in NEC Tournament play. The Pioneers have faced the Blue Devils in each of their five NEC Tournament appearances.

• The Pioneers have won six straight games by an average margin of 19.3 points.

• Sacred Heart has now posted three straight winning seasons, a first at the Division I level and first time since the 1987-88 (16-13), 1988-89 (22-10) and 1989-90 Division II campaigns (15-14).

• The Pioneers are the NEC's top scoring team, averaging 73.8 ppg. Sacred Heart also paces the league in field goal percentage (.483, 15th nationally) and assists (17.1 apg, 10th in nation).

• Over the last seven games, Sacred Heart is producing 84.5 ppg, while allowing just 67.4 ppg.

• Sophomore forward Mehmet Sahan (Istanbul, Turkey/Tilton School) averaged 14.5 ppg and shot 82.3 percent (14-17) from the floor in two games against the Mount this season.

• Since inserting junior guard Corey Hassan (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack (Boston U.)) into the starting lineup, the Pioneers are 13-4.

• Last year the Pioneers went 7-3 down the stretch and finished 13-5 in conference play. In 2006-07, Sacred Heart finished 12-6 in the NEC and won five of its last six regular season games.

• Graduate student forward Joey Henley (Kent, WA/Kentride) leads the NEC and is sixth nationally in field goal percentage (.621). He is also sixth in the conference in scoring (15.7 ppg), sixth in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and fourth in blocks (1.3 bpg).

• Henley is up to 1,383 career points and 642 rebounds, both second among active NEC competitors.

• Four Sacred Heart players average in double figures: Henley (15.8 ppg), Hardy (11.5 ppg), Hassan (11.2 ppg) and senior forward Ryon Howard (Bronx, NY/Holderness School) (10.6 ppg).

• Bike, now in his 31st year at Sacred Heart, leads all current NEC coaches with 481 career victories.

#5 Quinnipiac (15-15, 10-8 NEC)
• The #5 seeded Bobcats were the only road team to emerge victorious in Thursday's NEC quarterfinals with an 86-78 overtime win at #4 seed Long Island. Quinnipiac swept all three games with LIU on the year.

• Quinnipiac led by 11 points with 2:37 to play, but LIU ended regulation with a 15-4 run, including a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. In the extra session, senior guard Bryan Geffen (Queens, NY/St. Francis Prep (Boston U.)) hit a clutch three-pointer with 2:43 to go to give the Bobcats a four-point lead. Quinnipiac scored the remainder of their points from the line.

• Sophomore forward Justin Rutty (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy), a first team all-NEC selection, had a monster game with 18 points and 16 boards. Junior forward James Feldeine (New York, NY/Cardinal Hayes), the winner of the inaugural NEC Most Improved award and a second team all-NEC performer, led all scorers with 22 points.

• The Bobcats last reached the NEC semifinals in 2007.

• Quinnipiac and Robert Morris have never met in the NEC playoffs. The Colonials won both outings against the Bobcats in the regular season.

• The Quinnipiac-Robert Morris game will air live on MSG and Fox College Sports at 2:00 pm.

• Feldeine averaged 21.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 3.5 spg versus the Colonials in two games this season.

• The Bobcats are 5-5 in NEC Tournament competition (3-0 at home, 2-5 on the road), including a run to the 2002 title game after entering the tourney as the #7 seed. That year, Quinnipiac knocked off #2 Wagner and #3 UMBC before falling to top-seeded CCSU, 78-71, in the championship.

• The Bobcats have now finished over .500 in NEC play in each of the last three seasons.

• Quinnipiac has been strong on the boards all year long. The Bobcats lead the NEC and rank 25th nationally in rebound margin at +5.7 per game.

• In league play, the Bobcats ranked first on the circuit in FG% defense at 40.7 percent.

• Feldeine is the NEC scoring leader at 17.0 ppg. He has more than doubled his scoring average from last season when he posted 8.3 ppg.

• Feldeine is averaging 21.7 ppg over his last three outings.

• Rutty is first in the league with 9.7 rpg (21st in the nation) and 12 double-doubles.

• Rutty ranks second in the nation with 4.5 offensive rebounds per game, second only to Pittsburgh All-American candidate DeJuan Blair.

• Rutty is also tenth in the NEC in scoring at 15.0 ppg, and sits second in the conference and 10th nationally in field goal percentage (.608).

• NEC All-Rookie guard James Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Loughlin) is the league's freshmen leader in three categories with 4.1 apg, 1.6 spg and a 1.53:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

• Geffen has hit 56 three-pointers on the year to pace the Bobcats.

Northeast Conference Tournament: Preview & Prediction

Evan Dorey — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:22:42 -0500

This is one in a series of conference tournament previews, in which I run down all the teams involved, give a brief statistical review and present the log5 projections, using in-conference offensive and defensive efficiency. The basic log5 methodology comes from Bill James, and this is an area Ken Pomeroy has looked at in the past as well. I claim nothing new in the application, but obviously with slightly different methodologies, these numbers may differ from others you find. I don’t claim to be an expert on any particular conference, and I’m sure there are some mis-characterizations on some players I’ve seen sparingly at best, so please add your thoughts in the comments. Anyway, with no further ado, the preview follows below:

NEC Tournament

The NEC Tournament has all game played at the higher seed with 8 of the 11 teams making the quarters.

#	Team	SF	F	W
1	Robert Morris	94.76%	82.61%	64.72%
2	Mount St. Mary's	91.99%	66.85%	22.16%
3	Sacred Heart	91.38%	31.18%	9.09%
4	Long Island	72.84%	12.75%	3.11%
5	Quinnipiac	27.16%	3.76%	0.71%
6	Central Connecticut	8.62%	0.98%	0.06%
7	Wagner	8.01%	0.99%	0.07%
8	St. Francis NY	5.24%	0.88%	0.09%

Robert Morris has separated itself from the rest of the conference all season, and with it hosting every game it plays, it should be on course for the NCAA bid.

#1 – Robert Morris Colonials (21-10, 15-3) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.162

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1992 (1^st Round)

Besides one bad weekend in which they lost twice on the road, the Colonials have looked untouchable in NEC play. This is mostly thanks to their ability to defend the inside and force a lot of turnovers. They are vulnerable to the outside shot, and foul a lot, both areas that can be exploited. Offensively, they commit a lot of turnovers themselves, but are solid shooters from all over the floor.

Players to watch:

6-3 SR Jeremy Chappell, 16.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 2.5 SPG, 56.2 eFG% - No player in the conference could replace what Chappell does for RMU, he’s a spectacular player who leads the team in every major category except blocks, and leads the NEC in steals. He’s also a 40% three-point shooter, but he does have a bit of a turnover problem.

5-11 JR Jimmy Langhurst, 10.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 60.4 eFG% - Chapell is a good shooter, but Langhurst is lights-out, at 43% from behind the arc. Any opponent focusing too strongly on Chapell will get burned by Langhurst’s scoring ability.

#2 – Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (17-12, 12-6) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.115

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2008 (1^st Round)

The only team that looks to have a serious chance of stopping Robert Morris, the Mountaineers ran off an eight-game winning streak in January that moved them from 0-3 into contention for the league title. Like the Colonials, Mount St. Mary’s relies on its defense, and while it isn’t quite as good as the league leaders in that area, it still has a strong group that forces a lot of turnovers and causes a lot of problems on the outside. When they get the ball, the Mountaineers tend to send it inside, to reasonable success. They are also good offensive rebounders who rarely turn the ball over.

Players to watch:

5-9 JR Jeremy Goode, 15.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 48.2 eFG% - Goode is the best three-point shooter for the Mountaineers, but takes most of his shots from inside, where he’s not too successful. He leads the team in steals and assists, and is a effective lead guard.

6-3 SO Jean Cajou, 13.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 50.3 eFG% - Cajou is another perimeter player, and is most notable for his free-throw shooting, a stellar 84-for-95 on the season. He’s a solid, double-digit scorer who doesn’t make much of an impact on the other lines of the box-score.

#3 – Sacred Heart Pioneers (16-13, 12-6) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.099

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

The Pioneers, who are the third team that the numbers give a serious chance of making of the final, will hope that the conference’s best offense will help them to make their first NCAA Tournament. They shoot 50% from the field, and do it with a balanced attack that is excellent on both twos and threes. Sacred Heart needs to be efficient with its shots, as it turns the ball over a lot and is one of the nation’s worst teams at getting to the free throw line. The Pioneer defense isn’t as strong, but is a solid unit that does a lot of things well, but nothing really well.

Players to watch:

6-5 SR Joey Henley, 15.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 62.0 eFG% - Henley is the perfect fit as an NEC ‘big’ man, leading the team in points, rebounds and blocks, and having the conference’s best field goal percentage. He’s a purely inside player who will cause a lot of problems for opponents.

6-6 SR Ryon Howard, 10.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 54.4 eFG% - Howard is also a strong inside player, but while he’s a bit better of a rebounder, he lags well behind in most of the other statistical areas.

#4 – Long Island Blackbirds (16-13, 12-6) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.061

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 1997 (1^st Round)

Long Island may be tied with the two teams above them, but in terms of efficiency margin there is a pecking order, and LIU clearly sits 4^th. The Blackbirds are the last team in the tournament which average more than a point-per-possession, and do it despite a terrible FG%. They manage to be effective by leading the league in turnovers, and doing an excellent job at the free throw line. Long Island’s defense is also a pretty solid unit, thanks to the Blackbirds’ strong rebounding and keeping opponents from scoring much behind the arc or at the stripe.

Players to watch:

6-1 JR Jaytornah Wisseh, 15.2 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 4.5 APG, 1.5 SPG, 41.7 eFG% - Wisseh is one of those odd players that shoots better from three than two, and his 36% from inside the arc is a serious hindrance to his play. Despite this, he’s a pretty good player, as just like his team he shoots very well from the free throw line.

6-4 SR Ron Manigault, 5.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 1.9 APG, 47.7 eFG% - Manigault’s offensive play is basically non-existent, but he’s one of the conference’s best rebounders, and for a team that depends so heavily on dominating the glass, he’s plays an important role.

#5 – Quinnipiac Bobcats (14-15, 10-8) ; Efficiency Margin: +0.030

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

The period between mid-December and mid-January was tough for Quinnipiac, just 2-9 over that stretch. After that, they had a strong finish to battle up to the fifth spot and earn themselves a shot at a semifinal berth. The Bobcats have the best field goal defense in the league, but are somewhat vulnerable to long-distance shooters. Quinnipiac may stop its opponents’ shots, but hits very few of its own, and it depends on some of the nation’s best offensive rebounding to stay above .500.

Players to watch:

6-7 SO Justin Rutty, 14.9 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 60.3 eFG% - Rutty is the closest player in the conference to averaging a double-double, and the NEC’s best rebounder. He’s an excellent player in the paint, shooting 60% from the floor, but his 42% on free throws makes him a bit of a liability in the late game.

6-4 JR James Feldeine, 16.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 47.3 eFG% - In addition to having the conference’s leading rebounder, the Bobcats also have the NEC’s top scorer in Feldeine. He takes a lot of shots, and makes just enough of them to remain an efficient player.

#6 – Central Connecticut Blue Devils (13-16, 8-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.054

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2007 (1^st Round)

They may be the #6 seeds, but the Blue Devils are the weakest team in the tournament, hampered by a defense that has struggled. Opponents have been able to dominate the inside with little resistance, shooting a high percentage and picking up a lot of their own misses. CCSU takes very few three-pointers, and with good reason, given its league-worst performance behind the arc, and has put together a decent offense by getting the ball inside.

Players to watch:

6-6 SO Ken Horton, 16.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 54.6 eFG% - There can’t be much doubt that Horton is the team’s most important player, as he leads it in points, rebounds and blocks, and is also the Devils’ most efficient offensive weapon. He’s a good inside scorer who can complement it with a good outside shot, one of the few guys on the team who can hit a three.

6-0 SO Shemik Thompson, 11.6 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 4.9 APG, 2.0 SPG, 42.6 eFG% - Thompson has some decent averages, but is a player that ends up wasting a lot of possessions. He’s really struggled with his shooting, and while he does put up good steal and assist numbers, he also commits a lot of turnovers.

#7 – Wagner Seahawks (16-13, 8-10) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.039

Last NCAA Tournament bid: 2003 (1^st Round)

Wagner looked destined for the bottom three after entering February 3-and-9 in conference play, but a stirring finish to the season, including wins over Mount St. Mary’s and Robert Morris, saw them get into a tournament spot. During its streak, Wagner has improved its shooting percentages both offensively and defensively, especially in its ability to hit threes. The Seahawks cause a lot of turnover trouble for opponents, which generally manages to cover its own problems holding onto the ball.

Players to watch:

6-4 SR Llewchean Radford, 11.2 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 52.8 eFG% - Radford is a very good rebounder who has actually seen his scoring diminish somewhat as the team has started to string together victories, but has kept up his rebounding numbers. His biggest trouble has been avoiding foul trouble, as his time on court is limited in a number of games in which he manages to pick up four or five fouls.

6-2 SR Joey Mundweiler, 14.0 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 57.0 eFG% - Mundweiler is basically a three-point shooting specialist, and at nearly 40% from behind the arc, he’s a good one. His game against Monmouth to close out the regular season was a stellar one, as he set an NEC record by making 11 three-pointers.

#8 – St. Francis (NY) Terriers (10-19, 7-11) ; Efficiency Margin: -0.031

Last NCAA Tournament bid: None

Despite grabbing the last seed in the tournament, St. Francis has actually been slightly better than both of the teams just above it in the seedings. The Terriers are the NEC’s most three-dependent team, and thus have a fairly low FG% relative to their eFG%. However, they face the problems we might expect from a perimeter heavy team, struggling on the glass and not getting to the free throw line much. A couple of other weaknesses are less typical, poor free throw shooting and a lot of turnovers. Defensively, they hold opponents to a low percentage from the outside, but don’t do well inside, and commit the most fouls in the league.

Players to watch:

6-2 SO Ricky Cadell, 15.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 55.6 eFG% - Cadell is a player who has really developed into a bigger scoring threat over the season, averaging 21 points a game in the month of February. He’s an excellent three-point shooter, but also does a lot of damage inside.

5-8 SR Jamaal Womack, 10.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 4.1 APG, 41.7 eFG% - Womack is a solid point guard when it comes to distributing the ball, but when a possession ends with him shooting, the Terriers don’t typically benefit. His long-distance shot is close to being decent, but he is a disaster when he takes shots inside.

My statistical all-NEC team:

Robert Morris SR G Jeremy Chappell, 16.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.2 APG, 2.5 SPG, 56.2 eFG%

Mount St. Mary’s JR G Jeremy Goode, 15.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.9 SPG, 48.2 eFG%

Central Connecticut SO F Ken Horton, 16.6 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.6 BPG, 54.6 eFG%

Sacred Heart SR F Joey Henley, 15.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.3 BPG, 62.0 eFG%

Quinnipiac SO F Justin Rutty, 14.9 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 60.3 eFG%

NEC Player of the Year (Jeremy Chappell) & All-Conferencee

Press Release — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:51:45 -0500

Somerset, NJ -- Robert Morris senior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, OH/Northwest) was unanimously selected as the 2008-09 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year in a vote conducted by league head coaches. Long Island freshman forward Julian Boyd (San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft) was named NEC Rookie of the Year, while Robert Morris senior guard Bateko Francisco (Paris, France/Fort Scott JC) was voted NEC Defensive Player of the Year. Quinnipiac junior forward James Feldeine (New York, NY/Cardinal Hayes) was the recipient of the inaugural NEC Most Improved Player award. Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honors went to Robert Morris head coach Mike Rice for the second year in a row. The honorees were announced on a media teleconference this morning to promote the 2009 NEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, which begins on Thursday with quarterfinal play at four campus sites.

Chappell follows in the footsteps of former teammate Tony Lee to make it back-to-back NEC Player of the Year award winners for the Colonials, who head into the NEC Tournament as the top seed after winning their second straight regular season crown. After sharing the offensive load with fellow all-stars Lee and A.J. Jackson the last two years, the 6’3” Chappell became the focal point of the Robert Morris attack this season and was more than up to the task. With the ability to shoot from long range, attack the rim, sweep the boards, distribute the ball to teammates and defend the perimeter, Chappell ranks in the NEC top-15 in nine different categories. The two-time Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week leads the conference and ranks 13th nationally with 2.6 steals per game. Chappell is also third in scoring (16.6 ppg), made three pointers (73, 2.4 per game) and free throw percentage (.854), eighth in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and ninth in three-point percentage (.403). The former NEC Rookie of the Year and two time all-star will also be remembered as one of the top all-around performers in the history of the league. With career totals of 1,805 points, 656 boards, 324 assists, 259 steals and 232 three-pointers, Chappell is the only player in NEC history to compile 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 250 assists, 250 steals and 200 three-pointers in his career. A Cincinnati, OH native, he is the third-leading scorer in school history and tenth on the NEC career chart. He also ranks seventh all-time in the conference in steals. In Chappell’s four years in Moon Township, the Colonials have compiled a 79-41 record and he will graduate as the school recordholder for games played (120) and games started (116). Chappell is the first unanimous NEC Player of the Year selection since FDU’s Chad Timberlake in 2005-06. Other Robert Morris players to earn NEC Player of the Year include Lee in 2007-08, Chipper Harris in 1983-84, Vaughn Luton in 1988-89 and Myron Walker in 1991-92.

Boyd stepped into the void left by the graduation of Kellen Allen and gave the Blackbirds a legitimate threat on the low block and workhorse on the offensive glass. On Monday, the 6’7” forward earned his league-leading sixth Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week honor, the most in a season since Saint Francis (PA)’s Darshan Luckey was honored on eight occasions in 2002-03. Boyd, who hails from San Antonio, TX, enters the postseason ranked first among NEC freshmen in rebounding (6.3 rpg) and second in scoring (10.3 ppg) despite coming off the bench all 29 games and averaging just 22.6 mpg. Per 40 minutes, Boyd is averaging 18.3 ppg and 11.1 rpg for the Blackbirds, who posted their best conference record (12-6) since 2000-01 and are assured of their first winning season since 1997-98. Additionally, Boyd ranks second in the league in offensive boards (3.0 rpg) and ninth in field goal percentage (.508). Boyd is the third Long Island recipient of the NEC Rookie of the Year award, joining James Williams (2004-05) and Richie Parker (1996-97).

A terrific perimeter defender for Robert Morris, Francisco helped anchor one of the NEC’s stingiest defenses in 2008-09. Teaming with NEC steals leader Jeremy Chappell in a formidable backcourt, the Colonials allowed a conference-low 62.8 ppg in league play, ranked second overall during the regular season in scoring defense at 66.4 ppg and yielded less than 70 points in 12 of their last 13 games against NEC competition. Individually, the native of Paris, France has compiled 39 steals and is tenth in the league with 1.3 spg.

Feldeine’s steady rise at Quinnipiac culminated with his selection as the inaugural winner of the NEC Most Improved Player award. A seldom used freshman, Feldeine became a key contributor as a sophomore in 2007-08, then developed into a full-fledged star for the Bobcats this past season when he effortlessly stepped into the role formerly held by all-conference standout DeMario Anderson. Picture-perfect jump shot aside - the 6’4” forward has hit 46 shots from three-point range - Feldeine can score in a variety of ways from converting in transition to attacking the basket in traffic. With double-digits in all but one game this season, the New York City native leads the NEC with 16.8 ppg. He is also a strong rebounder with 6.1 per game (10th in the NEC) and has posted three double-doubles on the year. The Mid-Majority Baller of the Week on December 22 and two-time Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week, Feldeine has more than doubled his scoring average from last season when he averaged 8.3 ppg.

In leading Robert Morris to its second consecutive NEC regular season championship, Rice joins Rider’s Kevin Bannon as the only coaches in NEC history to be voted Jim Phelan Coach of the Year in each of their first two years in the conference. Despite the loss of 2007-08 NEC Player of the Year Tony Lee and three-time NEC all-star A.J. Jackson, Rice kept the Colonials playing at a high level by emphasizing defensive effort on the floor, adding newcomer Rob Robinson to the front line and turning the keys on offense over to Jeremy Chappell, the latest Robert Morris standout to earn NEC Player of the Year plaudits. The Colonials are an astounding 31-5 in NEC play over the last two years, the second-best two year stretch behind Marist’s 28-4 (.875) run from 1986-88. Overall, Robert Morris has posted a 47-18 record in his tenure and back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since 1988-89 (21 wins) and 1989-90 (22 wins). Other notable achievements in Rice’s short time with the program include an NEC record 15-game road winning streak against conference opposition that was just recently snapped, a school record 26 wins in 2007-08 and a win over ACC opponent Boston College last season. Robert Morris has also received votes in the Associated Press Top-25 poll in each of the last two years. Heading into the NEC Tournament as the top seed, the Colonials have clinched a berth in the Postseason NIT for the second straight year. Last season, the Colonials nearly pulled off the upset in the NIT with an 87-81 setback at Syracuse. Former Robert Morris coaches Matt Furjanic (1982-83) and Jarrett Durham (1988-89 and 1989-90) have also won this award.

Two of the five players that comprise the all-NEC first team were second team all-stars a year ago, led by Robert Morris senior guard Jeremy Chappell (Cincinnati, OH/Northwest), the league’s Player of the Year. Long Island junior guard Jaytornah Wisseh (Brooklyn, NY/Banneker Academy) was also a second-team honoree in 2007-08, while Sacred Heart graduate student forward Joey Henley (Kent, WA/Kentride) was voted to the second team in 2004-05. Mount St. Mary’s junior guard Jeremy Goode (Charlotte, NC/Providence Day) and Quinnipiac sophomore forward Justin Rutty (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy) are both first time award recipients.

A fleet-footed 5’9” point guard who has started 90 games since his arrival in Emmitsburg in 2006, Goode immediately transformed Mount St. Mary’s into a title contender and led an improbable Mount run from the #4 seed to the program’s third NEC title last season. Serving as the indispensable hub of the offense, Goode powers the Mount’s transition game and directs the team’s halfcourt attack with equal aplomb. Throw in an improved shot from long range - he has boosted his three-point shooting from 29.9 percent as a sophomore to 39.8 percent this season - and you have one of the most dynamic performers in the conference. A two-time Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week, Goode is sixth in the NEC in scoring at 15.8 ppg, and also ranks second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.74:1), third in steals (1.9 spg), seventh in assists (4.1 apg) and tenth in three-point percentage (.398). In three years, the Charlotte, NC native has already moved into 24th place on the NEC career list with 457 assists and is the fourth-leading active scorer on the circuit with 1,249 points.

A grizzled veteran who was a second team all-NEC performer back in 2004-05, Henley has been the face of Sacred Heart basketball for the better part of the decade. Now a sixth-year graduate student, Henley shook off the second major knee injury of his career to make a triumphant return to the hardwood this season and reclaim his spot as one of the top interior players on the circuit. One of the great athletes in NEC annals - he has also competed at high levels in both football and track and field at Sacred Heart - the 6’5” Henley’s quickness, leaping ability and tenacity on the block make up the size differences he often faces in the paint. As he attempts to lead the Pioneers to their first NEC title, the Kent, WA product enters the postseason as the league’s leading field goal shooter with a 62.0 percent conversion rate. That figure is good for seventh nationally. The two-time Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week is also seventh in the conference in scoring (15.8 ppg), sixth in rebounding (6.7 rpg) and fourth in blocks (1.3 bpg). Henley is now up to 1,368 career points and 631 rebounds, both marks second among active NEC competitors.

Rutty’s emergence as a dominant interior force in his sophomore campaign helped keep Quinnipiac afloat in the NEC playoff race despite a rash of injuries playing havoc with the team’s rotation. One of the few players in the conference with the ability to change the course of a game through his work on the glass, the burly 6’7, 250 lb. Rutty currently sits first in the league with 9.5 rpg (24th in the nation) and 11 double-doubles as the leader of the NEC’s top rebounding team. His work on the offensive glass has earned him recognition as he ranks second in the nation with 4.4 offensive rebounds per game, second only to Pittsburgh All-American candidate DeJuan Blair. Rutty also refined his post game, developing a reliable jump hook that made him nearly impossible to defend in the paint. To that end, the Newburgh, NY native is tenth in the NEC in scoring at 14.9 ppg and ranks second in the NEC and 14th nationally in field goal percentage (.603).

Wisseh is one the quickest players to emerge from the NEC ranks in recent years and his unique ability to create plays off the dribble sets him apart from most guards in the region. Virtually unguardable one-on-one or in transition, the 6’1” Wisseh can work his way into the paint at will and gets to the line more than any other player in the league. His unselfish nature also leads to drive-and-dish opportunities for teammates, who often find themselves unguarded as opposing defenses collapse on the Brooklyn native. In leading the Blackbirds to a #4 tournament seed, Wisseh emerged as the fourth-leading distributor in the conference with 4.5 apg, and also ranks eighth in scoring (15.3 ppg), sixth in free throw percentage (.813), and eighth in steals (1.5 spg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.46:1). With 1,168 career points, he enters the postseason as the seventh-highest scorer among active NEC players. A second team all-NEC honoree a year ago, Wisseh’s 371 career assists ranks fourth among the current crop of NEC competitors and 41st all-time in the league.

The all-NEC second team features five first-time honorees, all of whom will all be back in the fold next season. Along with Quinnipiac’s James Feldeine (New York, NY/Cardinal Hayes), the NEC’s Most Improved Player award winner, the second team is comprised of Fairleigh Dickinson junior guard Sean Baptiste (North Brunswick, NJ/St. Joseph’s of Metuchen), St. Francis (NY) sophomore guard Ricky Cadell (New York, NY/The Patterson School (NC)), Central Connecticut State sophomore forward Ken Horton (Ossining, NY/Ossining) and Robert Morris junior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, MD/Oxon Hill (Globe Institute)).

Baptiste has evolved into a complete offensive package for the Knights. A prolific scorer with an NEC-best five 30+ point outings on the year, he has the ability to shake defenders in the halfcourt, create mid-range shot opportunities, shoot with accuracy from three-point territory (48 this season) and is strong enough in the air to finish around the hoop. He finished his junior season ranked fourth in the NEC with 16.3 ppg, but led the conference in league play with 18.6 ppg. His nose for the ball and aggressive nature around the hoop led to the 6’3” guard pulling down a team-high 5.9 rpg, the 11th-best mark on the circuit. Baptiste, a North Brunswick, NJ product, cracked the 1,000-point mark in February and will enter his senior year with 1,034 career points.

Cadell took his game to another level during the second half of the season and helped keep the Terriers in contention for an NEC playoff spot after leading scorer and rebounder Kayode Ayeni went down with a season-ending injury. A tough player to defend due to his quick first step and ability to slice into the lane and finish, the 6’2” Cadell keeps defenders honest with his long distance shooting skills. Over the last 11 games, the New York City native has averaged 19.5 ppg, including a career-high 33-point explosion last Thursday against Sacred Heart. The scoring surge lifted Cadell’s season average to a team-best 15.1 ppg, the ninth-best mark in the NEC. He ranks second among conference guards and 14th overall in field goal shooting at 47.0 percent. Cadell is also eighth in the league in three-point accuracy (.406) and ninth in made three-pointers (1.9 per game).

Following a terrific rookie campaign for CCSU in 2007-08, Horton continued to hone his skills and led the NEC in scoring for much of the 2008-09 campaign. Playing longer than his lanky 6’6” frame would indicate, his versatility hails a new breed of forward who can effectively play a number of positions on the floor. Horton is an effective post player whose range extends out to three-point territory where he has hit 29 shots this season. Currently ranked second in the NEC with 16.6 ppg, his 13 games of 20+ points are four more than any other player in the conference. He is also third in the league with 1.6 blocks per outing and ranks eighth in free throw accuracy (.807), 11th in field goal percentage (.502) and 12th in rebounding (5.9 rpg).

By giving the Colonials a solid post presence and interior defender, the 6’8”, 215 lb. Robinson helped fill the hole left in the Robert Morris frontcourt after the graduation of A.J. Jackson. A terrific athlete who can fill the lane on the break and finish above the rim, Robinson excelled in league play where he averaged 12.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg and shot 56.9 percent from the floor. Overall, he finished the regular season fourth in the league in field goal percentage (.545) - including a 9-9 game against Wagner on January 17th and a 7-7 performance on Saturday against Mount St. Mary’s - and ranked second on the Colonials in scoring (11.9 ppg) and rebounding (5.3 rpg).

A terrific freshman crop is led by Long Island’s Julian Boyd (San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft), the NEC Rookie of the Year. He is joined by a pair of Monmouth players in Will Campbell (Willingboro, NJ/Paul VI) and Travis Taylor (Union, NJ/Union). After averaging 4.2 points over his first 20 collegiate games, Campbell was switched to the off-guard position in late January, a move that resulted four straight 20+ point outings to close the season and 11 consecutive double-digit efforts. Over those 11 games, he averaged 18.1 ppg to lift his season average to 9.1 ppg and was twice honored as Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week. A 5’10” sharpshooter from long range, Campbell ranked second on the Hawks with 42 three-pointers. Taylor, an athletic 6’8” power forward with an already refined post game, was a three-time Choice Hotels NEC Rookie of the Week honoree and closed out his freshman campaign ranked first among league freshmen with 12.4 ppg and 54.2 percent shooting from the floor (fifth overall in the NEC). He also pulled down a team-high 5.8 rpg. Renowned for his unlimited shooting range and high arcing three-point shots, St. Francis (NY) forward Stefan Perunicic (Belgrade, Serbia/Dimitrije Tucovic) has set an NEC freshman record with 86 treys this season, including a 7-11 display from downtown in a December win over Robert Morris and a 7-9 effort in a victory over Bryant in February. Perunicic is second among NEC freshmen with 11.0 ppg and a 38.7 percent success rate from beyond the arc. He also ranks in the NCAA top-30 in both made three-pointers and three-point percentage. Immediately assuming the starting role at the point, James Johnson’s (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Loughlin) game no longer resembles that of a typical freshman after averaging 32.8 minutes per game for playoff bound Quinnipiac during the regular season. An unselfish player who is contributing 10.0 ppg, Johnson also paces NEC first year competitors with 4.2 apg, 1.6 spg and a 1.54:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

2008-09 NEC Men’s Basketball Award Winners
Player of the Year 
Jeremy Chappell     Robert Morris       G   6-3 210 Sr  Cincinnati, OH/Northwest
Rookie of the Year 
Julian Boyd     Long Island     F   6-6 220 Fr  San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft

Defensive Player of the Year 
Bateko Francisco    Robert Morris       G   6-1 185 Sr  Paris, France/Fort Scott JC
Most Improved Player
James Feldeine      Quinnipiac      F   6-4 190 Jr  New York, NY/Cardinal Hayes

Jim Phelan Coach of the Year 
Mike Rice       Robert Morris 
2008-09 NEC Men’s Basketball First Team All-Conference
Name            School          Pos     Ht  Wt      Yr      Hometown/High School 
Jeremy Chappell     Robert Morris       G   6-3 210 Sr  Cincinnati, OH/Northwest
Jeremy Goode        Mount St. Mary’s    G   5-9 170 Jr  Charlotte, NC/Providence Day
Joey Henley     Sacred Heart        F   6-5 210 Gr  Kent, WA/Kentride
Justin Rutty        Quinnipiac      F   6-7 240 So  Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy
Jaytornah Wisseh    Long Island     G   6-1 180 Jr  Brooklyn, NY/Banneker Academy
2008-09 NEC Men’s Basketball Second Team All-Conference
Name            School          Pos     Ht  Wt     Yr   Hometown/High School 
Sean Baptiste       Fairleigh Dickinson G   6-3 185 Jr  North Brunswick, NJ/St. Joseph’s of Metuchen
Ricky Cadell        St. Francis (NY)    G   6-2 180 So  New York, NY/The Patterson School (NC)
James Feldeine      Quinnipiac      F   6-4 190 Jr  New York, NY/Cardinal Hayes
Ken Horton      Central Connecticut St. F   6-6 185 So  Ossining, NY/Ossining
Rob Robinson        Robert Morris       F   6-8 215 Jr  Waldorf, MD/Oxon Hill (Globe Institute)
2008-09 NEC Men’s Basketball All-Rookie Team
Name            School          Pos     Ht  Wt     Yr   Hometown/High School 
Julian Boyd     Long Island     F   6-6 220 Fr  San Antonio, TX/William H. Taft
Will Campbell       Monmouth        G   5-10    170 Fr  Willingboro, NJ/Paul VI
James Johnson       Quinnipiac      G   6-0 183 Fr  Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Loughlin
Stefan Perunicic    St. Francis (NY)    F   6-6 195 Fr  Belgrade, Serbia/Dimitrije Tucovic
Travis Taylor       Monmouth        F   6-8 200 Fr  Union, NJ/Union

2009 NEC Tournament Schedule/Seeding

Press Release — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 11:32:18 -0500

Somerset, NJ -- With the conclusion of the regular season, the field is now set for the 2009 NEC Men's Basketball Tournament. Robert Morris has earned the league's regular season crown, top seed and home court advantage throughout the tournament with a 15-3 conference record.

Robert Morris (21-10, 15-3 NEC) captured its second straight regular season title and eighth in program history, finishing three games ahead of Mount St. Mary's, Sacred Heart and Long Island. The Colonials, who finished the year 11-2 at home and recently had a league-record 15-game road win streak against conference opponents snapped, will now take up residence in the Sewall Center for as long as they remain alive in the NEC Tournament.

The Colonials are 31-5 in NEC play and 46-18 overall the last two seasons under Mike Rice. Robert Morris has won a league record five NEC Tournament championships, all between 1982 and 1992.

The Colonials will host #8 St. Francis (NY) (10-19, 7-11 NEC) in Thursday's quarterfinal round in Moon Township, PA. The Terriers return to the postseason following a one-year absence and have the distinction of being the only NEC team to defeat the Colonials in the Sewall Center this season with an 87-79 victory on December 4. In search of its first conference title, St. Francis (NY) has hopes of becoming the first #8 seed to knock off the top seed in NEC tournament history. The two schools have faced off three times in NEC Tournament play with the Terriers holding a 2-1 edge.

2008-09 meetings: SFNY 87, RMU 79 (12/4 at RMU), RMU 61, SFNY 54 (2/5 at SFNY)

Mount St. Mary's (17-12, 12-6 NEC) locked up the #2 seed on Saturday and will entertain #7 Wagner (16-13, 8-10 NEC) at Knott Arena on Thursday. The defending champion Mountaineers finished in a three-way tie for second place and will attempt to become the first NEC team to repeat since Rider turned the trick way back in 1993-94. Wagner enters the postseason riding a wave of momentum having clinched the final NEC playoff spot on Saturday with a 91-60 road conquest of Monmouth. In an all-or-nothing game, senior guard Joey Mundweiler (Olathe, KS/Olathe East) established a new conference record with 11 three-pointers as part of a career-high 39-point performance. The Seahawks, who have won four straight and six of their last seven games, won their lone NEC championship in 2003. Mount St. Mary's has collected three league titles in 1995, 1999 and 2008. The two teams have met just once in NEC Tournament play, a 65-48 semifinal win for the Seahawks in 1993.

2008-09 meetings: MSM 65, WC 51 (1/31 at MSM), WC 70, MSM 65 (2/19 at WC)

After ending the regular season in a three-way tie for second place, Sacred Heart (16-13, 12-6 NEC) will be the tourney's #3 seed and entertain #6 seed Central Connecticut State (13-16, 8-10 NEC) in the quarterfinals for the second straight season. Dating back to the 2006 season, it will mark the fourth straight year the two Constitution State rivals will face each other in the postseason and fifth time since 2002 (the Blue Devils are 4-1 in the series). The Pioneers, who swept CCSU this season and enter the playoffs red hot, having won five straight games by an average margin of 20.8 points, reached the NEC title game in each of the last two years and will be looking for their first conference title. The Blue Devils have captured the league crown three times (2000, 2002 and 2007) since joining the league in 1997.

2008-09 meetings: SHU 77, CCSU 69 (1/31 at SHU), SHU 101, CCSU 67 (2/19 at CCSU)

Finishing in a three-way tie for second place, Long Island (16-13, 12-6 NEC) earned the #4 seed and will host its first NEC Tournament game since 2005. The Blackbirds are a league best 12-2 at home this season at the Wellness, Recreations and Athletic Center, but one of the two losses came to Quinnipiac (14-15, 10-8 NEC), which claimed the #5 seed with a 69-55 win over CCSU on Saturday. It will be the first-ever postseason meeting between the two programs. The Bobcats, who swept the season series from the Blackbirds, are seeking their first NEC championship, while the Blackbirds are two-time winners of the title (1984, 1997).

2008-09 meetings: QU 69, LIU 63 (1/31 at QU), QU 78, LIU 73 (2/21 at LIU)

The 28th Annual NEC Basketball Tournament will consist of an eight-team playoff format with all games played at the home of the higher seed. After the quarterfinals, the teams will be reseeded so the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals.

NEC Men's Tournament quarterfinal play commences on Thursday, March 5, followed by the semifinal round on Sunday, March 8. The championship game, to be televised by ESPN2, will be contested on Wednesday, March 11 at 8:00 pm.

The NEC's return to a playoff format in 2005 came after an eight-year absence that saw the league's annual postseason tournament contested at one campus site (1999), at a municipal arena (2000-01) and at a single campus site for the quarterfinals and semifinals, followed by the highest remaining seed hosting the championship game (1998, 2002-04). The conference had previously employed a high-seed hosting format from 1991-97, though teams were not reseeded after the quarterfinals as the tournament is currently constructed.

Quarterfinals
Thursday, March 5

#8 St. Francis (NY) at #1 Robert Morris, 7:00 pm
#7 Wagner at #2 Mount St. Mary's, 7:00 pm
#6 Central Connecticut State at #3 Sacred Heart, 7:00 pm
#5 Quinnipiac at #4 Long Island, 7:00 pm

Semifinals
Sunday, March 8

Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed, Time TBA
3rd Highest Remaining Seed at 2nd Highest Remaining Seed, Time TBA

Championship
Wednesday, March 11

8:00 pm on ESPN2

Thursday's NEC lineup

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:45:39 -0500

For those of you not looking forward to the BCS National Championship Game there is a full slate of games in the NEC (LIU is off after beating future NEC member Bryant the other night) that'll most likely do more to muddle the conference picture than provide clarity. Monmouth may be the league's hottest team after impressive wins over Sacred Heart and CCSU over the weekend, and they'll head north to take on a struggling St. Francis (NY) club. Four teams are tied for first place in the loss column (LIU and Robert Morris are 3-1; Wagner and Quinnipiac 2-1), and the Colonials will visit Tom Moore's Bobcats tonight in what should be a good game. Wagner will take on CCSU in New Britain, FDU visits a Mount St. Mary's team looking for its first league win and St. Francis (PA) visits a Sacred Heart team that has lost six of their last seven games. All games will begin at 7 PM EST, and feel free to add your thoughts on tonight's schedule.

Fairleigh Dickinson @ Mount St. Mary's

You've got five teams in the NEC who sit just a game out of first place in the loss column with two losses apiece, and surprisingly the Knights are one of those teams despite a 2-11 overall record. Sean Baptiste is one of the best guards in the NEC, but truth be told he hasn't received much help thus far. Head coach Tom Moore is also trying to work in some four-years transfers and the adjustment has been a little tougher than some anticipated heading into the season. Also, even with those newcomers they've got to improve on the defensive end of the floor. Allowing teams to shoot 48.8% from the floor (last in the NEC) is inexcusable even with their tough early-season schedule. But for as tough as the early going has been for FDU, did anyone expect to see the preseason favorites alone in the cellar at 0-3? Two of the losses, to Sacred Heart and Robert Morris, can be blamed on the lack of defense played by Milan Brown's team. But with five of their next six NEC games at home, the Mountaineers could be poised to get back into the race. My pick: Mount St. Mary's.

Wagner @ CCSU

The Seahawks have gotten it done on the offensive end of the floor with balance; Justin Drummond (9.8 ppg), Llewchean Radford (13.1), Jamal Smith (13.3) and Joey Mundweiler (14.4) have all been solid options for head coach Mike Deane. Howie Dickenman's Blue Devils, on the other hand, have struggled offensively (62.3 ppg) and have lost five of their last six. Ken Horton, Robby Ptacek and Shemik Thompson will not only have to produce themselves but get something from their supporting cast in order to make a serious run at the NEC title. Central is the NEC's best when it comes to defending the three pointer (29.7%), which could serve them well in a game against the league's best three-point shooting team (Wagner shoots 38.6% from distance). My pick: Wagner.

Robert Morris @ Quinnipiac

Arguably the game of the night in the NEC with two of the conference's best players meeting in Hamden. Quinnipiac's James Feldeine leads the NEC in scoring (19.2 ppg) but RMU's Jeremy Chappell isn't too far behind, with his 17.4 ppg ranking third. The difference in this one could be the guys who won't find their names on the marquee in this game, most notably Quinnipiac's Justin Rutty and James Johnson along with Robert Morris' Rob Robinson. The Bobcats are also the best rebounding team in the NEC, besting opponents on the glass by an average of 7.6 boards per game. Robert Morris is third in the NEC with a margin of +1.5, and they'll have to win that battle if they're to win this game on the road. Even with the unpredictable nature of this race tonight's game could be a preview of the championship game to be played in March. My pick: Quinnipiac.

Monmouth @ St. Francis (NY)

For some it may be difficult to categorize a 4-12 team as "hot", but the Hawks are just that after winning three of their last four games (including back-to-back wins over Sacred Heart and CCSU by double digits). But Dave Calloway's team may be finding its way with the youngsters getting more and more comfortable with his system, and some mainstays getting healthier. And even with that unimpressive overall record, don't be so quick to write them off in the NEC; their last tournament team (2005-06 season) started out 1-7 before righting the ship. Six players are averaging between seven and eleven points per game, with the "scoring by committee" philosophy looking good in making up for the loss of Whitney Coleman in the season opener. Things are far from rosy in Brooklyn for the Terriers who have lost their last five. But keep this in mind: their two NEC losses (St. Francis (PA) and Wagner) came on the road by a combined six points and they did win at Robert Morris. But their defense has left something to be desired in recent weeks, and the Terriers are allowing opponents to shoot 44.5% from the field and 38.9% from behind the arc. My pick: Monmouth.

St. Francis (PA) @ Sacred Heart

Neither team comes into this game in good shape, with Red Flash losing their last four and Sacred Heart dropping three straight. St. Francis' problem has been their offense (tied for last in the NEC in scoring offense) and their defense (9th in scoring defense, 10th in field goal percentage defense). Sacred Heart has performed better on the defensive end despite giving up 74.6 points per game; their issue has been turning the ball over. Dave Bike's Pioneers average more than eighteen turnovers per game (18.3 TPG) this season, the worst number in the NEC (FDU is pretty close with 18.3 TPG). Four Pioneers are averaging double figures in scoring, while the Red Flash will counter with the versatile Devin Sweetney. Neither team takes great care of the basketball, so this could be a game in which someone gives it away as opposed to someone taking control of it. My pick: Sacred Heart.

Northeast Conference

Who's your pick to win the NEC?

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:08:40 -0500