2026 NEC Tournament Preview & Conference Awards

CBB Review prepares you for every conference tournament leading up to Selection Sunday on Mar. 15. Up next: The NEC Tournament.

The NEC may not be one of the more notable mid-major conferences in college basketball, but it’s still a competitive conference tournament with a few teams that can represent it in the NCAA Tournament.

For starters, CCSU picked up a pair of Power 5 wins in Rutgers and Boston College. And while the Blue Devils had a great season, they didn’t win the regular season crown, with LIU going 15-3 to take that.

The NEC Tournament will also be without two teams, with New Haven only in its first year of Division I competition and St. Francis-PA not qualifying (and also moving down from DI next season). That leaves just an eight-team bracket, with the champion needing just three wins to move on to March Madness.

You may not be expecting a team from this conference to go on a run in March, but don’t forget about what Fairleigh Dickinson did a few years back. Anything is possible from any conference!

2026 NEC Awards

Player of the Year: Darin Smith Jr., CCSU

Freshman of the Year: David Jevtic, FDU

Transfer of the Year: Shilo Jackson, Le Moyne

Coach of the Year: Rod Strickland, LIU

First Team:

• G: Jay Rodgers, CCSU (11.3 PPG, 7.0 APG, 2.2 RPG, 35.9 3P%)
• F: Jamal Fuller, LIU (16.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 53.5 FG%, 44.7 3P%)
• F: Darin Smith Jr., CCSU (20.4 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.2 APG, 37.1 3P%)
• F: Qadir Martin, Mercyhurst (11.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 SPG, 2.3 BPG, 58.3 FG%)
• C: Shilo Jackson, Le Moyne (15.9 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.5 BPG, 64.6 FG%)

Second Team:

• G: Bernie Blunt III, Mercyhurst (17.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 34.8 3P%)
• G: Greg Gordon, LIU (13.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.7 SPG, 56.7 FG%)
• G: Jabri Fitzpatrick, New Haven (15.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.7 SPG)
• G: Skylar Wicks, St. Francis-PA (17.8 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.4 SPG, 36.3 3P%)
• F: Max Frazier, CCSU (12.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 0.9 APG, 1.7 BPG, 65.9 FG%)

2026 NEC Tournament Simulation

Quarterfinals – Wednesday, Mar. 4

8. Chicago State (7-24, 5-13) at 1. LIU (21-10, 15-3) – 7 p.m. on NEC Front Row

LIU held Chicago State under 60 points in both regular season games, winning by 19 the first time around and by 17 on Feb. 26. Expect nothing different on Wednesday.

Mat’s pick: 1. LIU

5. Stonehill (11-20, 8-10) at 4. Le Moyne (15-16, 10-8) – 7 p.m. on NEC Front Row

Le Moyne is also ineligible for the NCAA Tournament, but will still play in the conference tournament, hosting Stonehill in the quarterfinals. The Dolphins have one of the best two-way players in the conference in big man Shilo Jackson, who is efficient inside and a shot blocker on defense. However, they lost both times to Stonehill and had rough offensive games. But the biggest reason why Stonehill won both games was Devante Hackett, who scored 22 points the first time around and 30 points the last time out. Will he be able to do that a third time? They’ve lost six of their last eight, so even though Le Moyne isn’t on a heater, I’m rolling with the home team here.

Mat’s pick: 4. Le Moyne

6. FDU (11-20, 8-10) at 3. Mercyhurst (15-16, 10-8) – 7 p.m. on NEC Front Row

Mercyhurst is ALSO not eligible for the NCAA Tournament, so in a sense, the NEC Tournament is their national championship. Their games against FDU in the regular season were both close, but the Knights actually won both of them. However, FDU lost four of five, and the only win was by one point over Chicago State. Lakers star Bernie Blunt III has also been playing exceptionally, so I think that’ll stand at least one more game.

Mat’s pick: 3. Mercyhurst

7. Wagner (13-16, 8-10) at 2. CCSU (18-11, 12-6) – 7 p.m. on NEC Front Row

After a promising non-conference, it’s a little surprising the Blue Devils only went 12-6 in the NEC, but as the two seed, they still have a championship run out in front of them. They’ve won seven of their last eight games and haven’t lost at home since Jan. 31. No overthinking this game.

Mat’s pick: 2. CCSU

Semifinals – Saturday, Mar. 7

4. Le Moyne at 1. LIU – TBA on YES Network, NESN Nation, and ESPN+

After a loss to Georgia on Dec. 29, LIU was sitting at 6-7. They had a very tough non-conference, but to only lose four games the rest of the way has been a remarkable feat. In fact, in NEC play, the Sharks rank second in PPG, second in RPG, and first in PPG allowed. It’s been a masterclass on both sides of the ball. Le Moyne actually measures up competitively, but their turnover rate could be exposed against LIU’s defense. For me, that’s the difference.

Mat’s pick: 1. LIU

3. Mercyhurst at 2. CCSU – TBA on YES Network, NESN Nation, and ESPN+

Mercyhurst actually had Central’s number, winning by 18 the first time around and only losing by two on Thursday. But can they pull off a win on the Blue Devils’ home floor? CCSU went 10-3 at home in the regular season, so they weren’t foolproof by any means, but it’s certainly a home-court advantage. In such an even game, I have to side with the home team.

Mat’s pick: 2. CCSU

Championship – Tuesday, Mar. 10

2. CCSU at 1. LIU – 7 p.m. on ESPN2

This may not be the NEC Tournament Championship we get, but it’s the one I think most would like to see. Both teams were battle-tested in the non-conference and could be potential long-shot Cinderella picks. LIU’s been on a heater, but there’s something about this CCSU team, coached by Patrick Sellers, who came up short in a 46-43 loss in the finals last year. I can’t see them letting this opportunity pass them by. With the conference’s leading scorer in Darin Smith and arguably the best point guard in Jay Rodgers, they have what it takes to win on the road and capture their first tourney berth since 2007.

Mat’s pick: 2. CCSU