CBB Review hands out awards for each conference tournament in 2024. Up next: The NEC Tournament.
I went chalky in my NEC Tournament preview and didn’t even pick Wagner to win a game. Lo and behold, the Seahawks won three straight games as the 6 seed and took the NEC Tournament Championship. Of course, at just 16-15 overall, Wagner got a 16 seed and will play in Tuesday’s play-in with Howard, who won the MEAC. Still, the Seahawks enter the NCAA Tournament playing well and have a coach in Donald Copeland who’s not afraid to play some defense.
CBB Review NEC Tournament Most Outstanding Player
Tahron Allen, Wagner
Wagner’s top player, Melvin Council Jr., didn’t have his best tournament, and Copeland referred to that in Monday’s pre-tournament press conference. However, as Council played hard and fought for loose balls and the dirty work, Allen had himself a good three games, averaging over 18 points per game and hitting half of his three-point shots. For Wagner to beat Howard, they’ll need players to step up, so that’s a good sign.
CBB Review All-NEC Tournament First Team
- G: Adam Clark, Merrimack – 2 GP (16.7 PPG, 4.7 APG, 4.7 RPG, 2.3 SPG)
- G: Jordan Jones, CCSU – 2 GP (16.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG)
- G: Tahron Allen, Wagner – 3 GP (18.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 50.0 3P%)
- F: Luke Sutherland, Le Moyne – 2 GP (22.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 58.3 3P%)
- F: Allan Jeanne-Rose, CCSU – 2 GP (19.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 BPG, 65.0 FG%, 57.1 3P%)
Wagner’s NCAA Tournament Prediction
Round of 64
You might be surprised to learn that there are a few former Power 6 players on Howard. Seth Towns, who played a year at Ohio State, is in his eighth season in college basketball. Perhaps no player has had to battle through more injuries in a career, but he’s been great and will be a tough guard. Former Maryland guard Marcus Dockery shares the scoring duties with Bryce Harris and Dom Campbell, who transferred from Notre Dame, is another talented forward. Wagner will need to stick with their identity – defense. The Seahawks allowed the sixth-fewest points per game (62.1) in the nation. Of course, Howard has some scorers, so Wagner may need to hit some extra shots from the outside. Three-point shooting wasn’t their forte in the regular season, so they shouldn’t force the issue, but getting a few extra to drop could be the difference.