The 2016 Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament was held from March 2–8, 2016. The tournament featured the league's top eight seeds, with higher seed hosting all games. The winners of the tournament, Fairleigh Dickinson, will receive the conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament. This is Fairleigh Dickinson's fifth Championship.
| 2016 Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Classification | Division I |
| Season | 2015–16 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Site | campus sites |
| Finals site | Spiro Sports Center Staten Island, NY |
| Champions | Fairleigh Dickinson (5th title) |
| Winning coach | Greg Herenda (1st title) |
| MVP | Earl Potts Jr. (FDU) |
| Attendance | 9,258 |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wagner | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | 23 | – | 11 | .676 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fairleigh Dickinson † | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sacred Heart | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 12 | – | 18 | .400 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Francis Brooklyn | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mount St. Mary's | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 14 | – | 19 | .424 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LIU Brooklyn | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 16 | – | 15 | .516 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Francis | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 13 | – | 17 | .433 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Robert Morris | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 10 | – | 22 | .313 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bryant | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 8 | – | 23 | .258 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Connecticut | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 4 | – | 25 | .138 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2016 NEC tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Format
For the twelfth straight year, the NEC Men's Basketball Tournament consisted of an eight-team playoff format with all games played at the home of the higher seed. After the quarterfinals, the teams were reseeded so the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals.[1]
Seeds
Teams were seeded based on the final regular season standings, with ties broken under an NEC policy.[2]
| Seed | School | Conference | Tiebreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wagner‡ | 13–5 | |
| 2 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 11–7 | 1–1 vs. SHU, 1–1 vs. SFC, 1–1 vs. Wagner, 2–0 vs. LIU, 2–0 vs. SFU |
| 3 | Sacred Heart | 11–7 | 1–1 vs. SFC, 1–1 vs. FDU, 1–1 vs. Wagner, 1–1 vs. LIU, 1–1 vs. SFU |
| 4 | St. Francis Brooklyn | 11–7 | 1–1 vs. FDU, 1–1 vs. SHU, 0–2 vs. Wagner |
| 5 | Mount St. Mary's | 10–8 | |
| 6 | LIU Brooklyn | 9–9 | 1–1 vs. SFU, 2–0 vs. Wagner |
| 7 | Saint Francis (PA) | 9–9 | 1–1 vs. LIU, 1–1 vs. Wagner |
| 8 | Robert Morris | 8–10 |
Bracket
Teams were reseed after each round with highest remaining seeds receiving home court advantage.
| Quarterfinals Wednesday, March 2 NEC Front Row | Semifinals Saturday, March 5 NEC Front Row, MSG+, and FCS | Championship Tuesday, March 8 ESPN2 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Wagner | 59 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | Robert Morris | 50 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Wagner | 81 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | LIU Brooklyn | 65 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | St. Francis Brooklyn | 51 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Mount St. Mary's | 60 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Wagner | 79 | ||||||||||||
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | ||||||||||||||
| 2 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 87 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 74 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Saint Francis (PA) | 72 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 80 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Mount St. Mary's | 75 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Sacred Heart | 76 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | LIU Brooklyn | 84 | ||||||||||||
All games will be played at the venue of the higher seed
Game summaries
Quarterfinals: #1 Wagner vs. #8 Robert Morris
Series History: Robert Morris leads 41–28
NEC Front Row |
March 2 7:00 PM |
| #1 Wagner 59, #8 Robert Morris 50 | ||
| Scoring by half: 24–19, 35–31 | ||
| Pts: Mike Aaman 12 Rebs: Michael Carey 14 Asts: Michael Carey 3 | Pts: Isaiah Still 11 Rebs: Rodney Pryor 7 Asts: Kavon Stewart 6 | |
Spiro Sports Center Staten Island, NY Attendance: 1,012 Referees: Robert Testa, Art Jackson, Mike Pearson |
Quarterfinals: #2 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. #7 Saint Francis (PA)
Series History: Fairleigh Dickinson leads 44–40
NEC Front Row |
March 2 7:00 PM |
| #2 Fairleigh Dickinson 74, #7 Saint Francis (PA) 72 | ||
| Scoring by half: 40–44, 34–28 | ||
| Pts: Darian Anderson 22 Rebs: Earl Potts Jr. 6 Asts: Stephen Jiggets 7 | Pts: Ronnie Drinnon 21 Rebs: Ronnie Drinnon 22 Asts: Greg Brown 5 | |
Quarterfinals: #3 Sacred Heart vs. #6 LIU Brooklyn
Series History: LIU Brooklyn leads 20–11
MSG, FCS, NEC Front Row |
March 2 7:00 PM |
| #6 LIU Brooklyn 84, #3 Sacred Heart 76 | ||
| Scoring by half: 47–33, 37–43 | ||
| Pts: Joel Hernandez 22 Rebs: Joel Hernandez 7 Asts: Martin Hermannsson 6 | Pts: Cane Broome 35 Rebs: Cane Broome 8 Asts: Jordan Allen 3 | |
Quarterfinals: #4 St. Francis Brooklyn vs. #5 Mount St. Mary's
Series History: Mount St. Mary's leads 30–26
MSG, FCS, NEC Front Row |
March 2 9:00 PM |
| #5 Mount St. Mary's 60, #4 St. Francis Brooklyn 51 | ||
| Scoring by half: 24–34, 36–17 | ||
| Pts: Yunus Hopkinson 18 Rebs: Amdy Fall 9 Asts: Chris Hooper 5 | Pts: BK Ashe 18 Rebs: BK Ashe 7 Asts: BK Ashe 4 | |
Generoso Pope Athletic Complex Brooklyn, NY Attendance: 675 Referees: Steve Ruppenthal, Gary Prager, Brandon Williams |
Semifinal: #1 Wagner vs. #6 LIU Brooklyn
Series History: Wagner leads 40–39
MSG+, FCS, NEC Front Row |
March 5 4:00 PM |
| #1 Wagner 81, #6 LIU Brooklyn 65 | ||
| Scoring by half: 29–33, 52–32 | ||
| Pts: Michael Carey 28 Rebs: Michael Carey 10 Asts: Corey Henson 4 | Pts: Joel Hernandez 19 Rebs: Jerome Frink 8 Asts: Martin Hermannsson 4 | |
Spiro Sports Center Staten Island, NY Attendance: 1,814 Referees: Jim Bruno, Brandon Cruz, Tom Courtney |
Semifinal: #2 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. #5 Mount St. Mary's
Series History: Fairleigh Dickinson leads 27–23
MSG+, FCS, NEC Front Row |
March 5 2:00 PM |
| #2 Fairleigh Dickinson 80, #5 Mount St. Mary's 75 | ||
| Scoring by half: 39–39, 41–36 | ||
| Pts: Earl Potts Jr. 20 Rebs: Mike Holloway 17 Asts: Darian Anderson 4 | Pts: Junior Robinson 21 Rebs: BK Ashe 7 Asts: Junior Robinson 2 | |
Championship: #1 Wagner 79 vs. #2 Fairleigh Dickinson 87
Series History: Fairleigh Dickinson leads 41–37
ESPN2 |
March 8 7:00 PM |
| #2 Fairleigh Dickinson 87, #1 Wagner 79 | ||
| Scoring by half: 33–35, 54–44 | ||
| Pts: Darian Anderson 28 Rebs: Earl Potts, Jr. 7 Asts: Dairan Anderson 5 | Pts: Corey Hensen 24 Rebs: Michael Carey 11 Asts: Michael Carey 5 | |
Spiro Sports Center Staten Island, NY Attendance: 2,358 Referees: Earl Walton, Robert Riley, Donnie Eppley |
*All times EST
All-tournament team
Tournament MVP in bold.[3]
| Name | School | Pos. | Year | Ht. | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earl Potts Jr. | Fairleigh Dickinson | Guard | Sophomore | 6-6 | Severn, Maryland |
| Darian Anderson | Fairleigh Dickinson | Guard | Sophomore | 6-1 | Washington, D.C. |
| Michael Carey | Wagner | Guard/Forward | Junior | 6-5 | Nassau, Bahamas |
| Corey Henson | Wagner | Guard | Sophomore | 6-3 | Upper Marlboro, Maryland |
| Joel Hernandez | LIU Brooklyn | Guard | Junior | 6-3 | Teaneck, New Jersey |