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NORTHEAST
They came so close. The St. Francis-Brooklyn Terriers are on the small list of five teams that have been members of Division I since its beginning in 1948 without making a single NCAA Tournament. Last season, the Terriers captured the Northeast Conference regular season title and rode their home court advantage to the conference championship game against Robert Morris. They held a 6 point lead at halftime. But in the end, it was Robert Morris that celebrated the 3 point victory and berth in the Big Dance, where the Colonials knocked off North Florida in the First Four as a 16 seed before losing to Duke in the Round of 64. St. Francis-Brooklyn ended up playing in the NIT, while St. Francis-Pennsylvania joined them in the postseason, playing in the CIT.
This season, Robert Morris and St. Francis-Brooklyn should both be battling for the regular season crown and home court advantage in the NEC tournament. They will likely be joined by Mount St. Mary’s, Bryant, and Sacred Heart. St. Francis-Pennsylvania looks like they will slide a bit and may end up battling just to finish in the top 8 and qualify to participate in the conference tournament.
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Robert Morris – If Marcquise Reed had not decided to transfer to Clemson, the Colonials would be the overwhelming favorites in the NEC this season. Even with him gone, the team returns four starters including Rodney Pryor, who may just be the best player in the conference.
2. Mount St. Mary’s – The Mountaineers return four starters from last year and will be led by forward Gregory Graves and guard Byron (a/k/a BK) Ashe. They could challenge this year and, with only one key senior in the lineup, should be a factor next season as well.
3. St. Francis-Brooklyn – Conference Player of the Year Jalen Cannon is gone, as is guard Brent Jones. However, the Terriers were a deep team last year and most of the rest of the rotation is back. If players like NEC Defensive Player of the Year Amdy Fall step up, they will have a shot to finally make the Dance this year.
4. Sacred Heart – The Pioneers are a young team that gained a ton of experience last year. They are led by sophomore Cane Broome who should be even better this time around. Anthony Latina’s team could a surprise contender this season.
5. Bryant – Dan Garvin is a consistent double-double threat down low for the Bulldogs, but they will need to find a way to make up for the loss of a pair of double digit scorers in the backcourt.
6. Long Island U-Brooklyn – The Blackbirds finished 12-18 last season. With three starters gone, they will need significant help from players that were key reserves last season, such as Joel Hernandez and twins Trevon and Trevin Woods, if they want to move up in the standings.
7. St. Francis-Pennsylvania – The Red Flash will need to find some scoring this season, now that Earl Brown is gone, if they want any chance to contend for the upper division.
8. Wagner – Marcus Burton averaged 17.5 points per game last season. Now he is gone and the Seahawks may struggle just to qualify for the NEC tournament.
9. Fairleigh Dickinson – The Knights are a very young team that will be led by sophomore Darian Anderson and Monmouth transfer Tyrone O’Garro. Things look like they will be improving soon — but probably not until next season.
10. Central Connecticut State – The Blue Devils lost their best two players from a team that won only 5 games last year. That is a recipe for a very long season.