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Somerset, NJ -- Coming off the program’s third Northeast Conference regular season title in six years and with nearly it’s entire team back in the fold, Wagner has some lofty ambitions heading into the 2021-22 campaign.

The Seahawks’ success last season certainly made an impression on the league’s head coaches, who collectively installed the Green & White as the favorite to raise the NEC trophy at year’s end. Earning preseason No. 1 status for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign and third time in its history, Wagner received seven first place votes.

2020-21 NEC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll    1. Wagner (7)    2. Bryant (2)    3. Mount St. Mary’s (1)    4. LIU    5. Merrimack    6. Sacred Heart    7. St. Francis Brooklyn    8. Saint Francis U    9. Fairleigh Dickinson    10. CCSU    First place votes in parentheses

Bryant and defending NEC champion Mount St. Mary’s, who met in last year’s conference final, took second and third, respectively, in the poll. The Bulldogs earned two first place votes with the Mount securing one first place nod. LIU finished fourth, followed by Merrimack and Sacred Heart in the fifth and sixth spots, respectively. St. Francis Brooklyn was picked seventh. Saint Francis U, Fairleigh Dickinson and Central Connecticut rounded out the field in that order.

The announcement of the annual preseason poll was made Tuesday during the NEC Basketball Virtual Media Day broadcast on NEC Front Row and ESPN3.

Conducted annually, NEC coaches have only managed to correctly forecast the eventual league champion two times in the last 22 years. Over the last 34 years, the coaches have proven inaccurate on 30 occasions or 88 percent of the time.

The 2021-22 conference season begins on December 29 with teams returning to a traditional round-robin schedule.

The eight-team NEC Tournament will take place on March 2 (quarterfinals), 5 (semifinals) & 8 (championship), with each game taking place at the home of the higher seed.

Wagner
Predicted NEC Finish: 1st
2020-21 Overall Record: 13-7
2020-21 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 13-5/1st
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/5
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/0
 
Players to Watch:
Elijah Ford (Gr, G, 6’5”, 205 lbs.): 17.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.0 spg, 58.7 FG%; First Team All-NEC
Alex Morales (Gr, G, 6’6”, 180 lbs.): 16.8 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 4.3 apg, 1.8 spg; NEC Player of the Year, First Team All-NEC
 
Outlook:
The renaissance of Wagner basketball over the last decade - a period that includes three NEC regular season titles and seven top-3 finishes - can be traced to the program’s trademark toughness and blue-collar work ethic, most notably on the defensive end of the floor and the glass, where three time NEC Coach of the Year Bashir Mason has clearly assembled teams in his own image. Sparked by NEC Player of the Year Alex Morales (Paterson, NJ/Mainland Regional (Prince George’s CC)), fellow All-NEC first teamer Elijah Ford (Newark, NJ/Weequahic (Barton CC)) and NEC Rookie of the Year Delonnie Hunt (Upper Marlboro, MD/Rock Creek Christian), the Seahawks displayed that grit when they returned to the top of the charts a year ago, capturing the NEC regular season crown. With nearly the entire cast back in the fold and a deeper lineup following a series of key additions, look for Mason to once again capitalize on his roster’s versatility and interchangeability to create mismatches all over the court. The NEC preseason favorites will seek their first tourney crown since 2003.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- To no one’s surprise, the slashing Seahawks led the NEC with 46.7 percent of their field goal attempts coming near the rim last season. According to the analytics site Haslametrics, Wagner ranked 23rd nationally in near-proximity shot attempts (lay-ups, dunks, tip-ins), one reason the Green & White converted 51.4 percent of their two-point attempts against conference foes.
 
- A jack of all trades, reigning NEC Player of the Year Alex Morales was as good of a facilitator as he was a scorer in a standout 2020-21 season. He posted a 25.0 percent assist rate and was fifth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) despite his high usage and proclivity to score.
 
- Perhaps the ringleader of Bashir Mason’s interior attack, all-conference first teamer Elijah Ford finished in the top-five among all NEC players during league play in the following categories: offensive rating (120.4), effective field goal percentage (61.5 percent), steal rate (3.6 percent) and offensive rebounding rate (9.6 percent).
 
Bryant
Predicted NEC Finish: 2nd
2020-21 Overall Record: 15-7
2020-21 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 10-4/2nd
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 6/2
Starters Returning/Lost: 9/7
 
Players to Watch:
Peter Kiss (Sr, G, 6’5”, 200 lbs.): 16.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.9 spg; First Team All-NEC
Charles Pride (Jr, G, 6’4”, 185 lbs.): 13.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 40.9 3PFG%
 
Outlook:
While Bryant may have fallen short of its ultimate goal last season, one thing is for sure: the Bulldogs will bring that swagger back and enter the 2021-22 campaign as one of the favorites to capture their first league crown. Following an outstanding non-conference season that saw the Black & Gold knock off UMass and take Syracuse to the buzzer, Jared Grasso and his charges used the league’s fastest tempo and a highly efficient three-point attack to post a second place regular season finish and host the NEC title game. With four starters back in the fold, including versatile first team All-NEC senior guard Peter Kiss (New York, NY/Notre Dame Prep (Rutgers, Quinnipiac)), do-it-all junior guard Charles Pride (Syracuse, NY/Putnam Science (CT)), elite grad student big Hall Elisias (Valley Stream, NY/Valley Stream South (New Mexico JC)) and sharpshooting senior guard Chris Childs (Bronx, NY/Woodstock Academy (CT) (Indian Hills CC)), the pieces are in place for another title run in Smithfield.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- Bryant made 37.7 percent of its three-point attempts in 2020-21, good for 9.5 makes per game. On the other side of the floor, Jared Grasso’s defense excelled at suppressing the opponent’s 3-point percentage, thanks to an aggressive perimeter presence and a fluidity in their defense approach. Bryant, in fact, was third in the country last season in the difference between their three-point percentage and their opponents three-point percentage (29.2 percent) with a mark of 8.5 percent.
 
- Last season, versatile junior Charles Pride took a miniscule 7.9 percent of his shot attempts in the two-point jumper range. More than half of his shots came near the rim (51.2 percent), while the remainder were launched from behind the arc (40.9 percent). This shooting profile was utilized with good reason; Pride’s effective field goal percentage of 56.8 percent ranked 193rd in all of college basketball, according to KenPom.
 
- It doesn’t get more efficient than a dunk, and Bryant’s starting five-man took full advantage of his hops and athleticism to drive up Bryant’s overall field goal percentage. Per the analytics site Barttorvik.com, Hall Elisias led the NEC in dunks with 28 and accounted for nearly 78 percent of the team’s total dunks, with Peter Kiss flushing down seven and Nathaniel Stokes one.
 
Mount St. Mary’s
Predicted NEC Finish: 3rd
2020-21 Overall Record: 12-11
2020-21 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 9-7/Tie-3rd
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/3
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1
 
Players to Watch:
Mezie Offurum (Sr, F, 6’8”, 230 lbs.): 9.4 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 1.5 spg
Nana Opoku (R-Sr, F, 6’9”, 215 lbs.): 10.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.1 bpg; NEC Defensive Player of the Year
 
The Mount’s sixth NEC championship and first under Dan Engelstad in 2020-21 was just another step in the master plan of the fourth-year head coach, who continues to grow the program with ambitions of building a mid-major powerhouse in Emmitsburg. Everything clicked last March for the fourth-seeded Mountaineers, who did it the hard way, going on the road to oust regular season champion Wagner in the NEC semis and Bryant in the title tilt in Smithfield. Expectations remain high this year for a team that brings back four starters, led by NEC Defensive Player of the Year and NEC Tournament MVP Nana Opoku (Potomac, MD/Woodbridge, VA), a wiry, athletic redshirt senior forward known for his highlight reel slams. Paired with senior forward and ace defender Mezie Offurum (Germantown, MD/Georgetown Prep (GWU)) - who came on strong late in the season - and double-double machine Malik Jefferson (Hopewell, VA/Hopewell) in a formidable frontcourt, the Mount led the NEC in defensive efficiency, effective field goal percentage and rebound margin. Junior Jalen Benjamin (Raleigh, NC/Meadowcreek (GA) (UAB)), who averaged double-digits in a two-year stint at UAB, looks to be an impact player at the point.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- Always known as a fierce rebounder, it’s no surprise that 6-foot-9 power forward Malik Jefferson led the NEC in both putbacks (35) and offensive rebounding rate (15.2 percent) during the 2020-21 season. Of those 35 putbacks, 23 were converted into two-point scores for a 65.6 percent conversion rate. Jefferson now has 75 career putbacks in three seasons, according to Hoop Math.
 
- He may be known as a defensive savant, and deservedly so as the reigning NEC Defensive Player of the Year, but Nana Opoku’s impact on the offensive side of the ball shouldn’t be understated. When Opoku was on the floor last season, the Mount scored 10.5 more points per 100 possessions compared to when he was on the bench.
 
- For the first time since the 2016-17 season, Mount St. Mary’s finished in the top-150 of college basketball in defensive efficiency (101.1 points allowed per 100 possessions) a year ago. The Mount were the only NEC squad in 2020-21 to reach that threshold and the fourth program over the past five seasons.
 
LIU
Predicted NEC Finish: 4th
2020-21 Overall Record: 9-9
2020-21 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 9-9/Tie-5th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 9/8
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
 
Players to Watch:
Ty Flowers (Gr, F, 6’9”, 200 lbs.): 17.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.9 spg; Second Team All-NEC
Eral Penn (R-Sr, F, 6’7”, 210 lbs.): 15.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 1.9 spg, 55.7 FG%; First Team All-NEC
 
Outlook:
Following a roller coaster 2020-21 season that saw the Sharks post a third consecutive .500 record in NEC play, optimism is running high in the LIU camp as fifth-year head coach Derek Kellogg clearly has title aspirations with the level of talent returning in Brooklyn this fall. Having assembled one of the most imposing frontcourts in recent NEC memory, LIU will be difficult to contend with in the paint and on the boards. The Sharks sport a pair of preseason All-NEC picks in 6’9” stretch four Ty Flowers (Waterbury, CT/Sacred Heart HS (UMass)) and 6’7” power forward Eral Penn (Brooklyn, NY/St. Francis Academy (MD)). Flowers, a wiry, 6’9” southpaw who can score from every spot on the floor is a three-time All-NEC honoree, while the high-flying Penn was the lone player in the NEC to average a double-double last season on his way to first team All-NEC accolades. Look for 6’8” Hofstra grad transfer Isaac Kante (Brooklyn, NY/Paul Robeson (Hofstra)) to add even more muscle after he himself averaged a double-double for the Pride last season.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- Known for his athleticism and sound instincts, Eral Penn tied for the league lead last season in combined steals and blocks with 63. Penn is the first NEC player since former Mount St. Mary’s forward Chris Wray in 2017-18 to finish in the top-four in both categories within the same season.
 
- While Kyndall Davis certainly passed the eye test with his athleticism in his debut season, the 6-5 sophomore was a lynchpin, along with Penn, in Derek Kellogg’s underrated defensive attack. Opponents shot 7.0 percent worse on their two-point attempts when Davis was in the game during the 2020-21 campaign.
 
- Kellogg has always been an up-tempo coach and last season was not an exception. According to Hoop Math, a league leading 38.7 percent of LIU’s possessions were considered as transition opportunities. They were also ninth nationally in tempo, registering 73.7 possessions per game.
 
Merrimack
Predicted NEC Finish: 5th
2020-21 Overall Record: 9-9
2020-21 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 9-9/Tie-5th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 12/2
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/0
 
Players to Watch:
Jordan Minor (Jr, F, 6’8”, 240 lbs.): 12.0 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 48.0 FG%; Third Team All-NEC
Mikey Watkins (Sr, G, 5’11”, 175 lbs.): 12.0 ppg, 3.8 apg, 1.9 spg; Third Team All-NEC
 
Outlook:
One year removed from winning the NEC regular season title in Merrimack’s first season as a DI member, the Warriors seem poised to challenge for conference supremacy once again. Merrimack returns all five starters and 99 percent of its scoring for head coach Joe Gallo, who will have one of the deepest and most cohesive units in the conference. And with its trademark swarming and confounding zone defense, the Warriors will once again make life miserable for opposing offenses with their collective commitment to ball pressure, deflections and filling passing lanes. Merrimack paced the NEC in steal and defensive turnover percentage, and ranked second in defensive efficiency a year ago, a hallmark of Gallo-led teams. Back in the fold for the Warriors are a pair of experienced hands and third team All-NEC honorees in lightning quick senior guard Mikey Watkins (Roselle, NJ/Linden) and junior forward Jordan Minor (Kingston, MA/Brimmer & May), a physical presence who excels in transition.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- Three-point shooters typically possess low turnover rates, however super senior Devin Jensen brought that distinction to a whole new level after posting a 6.4 percent turnover rate last season. Jensen was one of three NEC players over the past decade to possess a turnover rate below 7.0 percent. In fact, Jensen made 32 three-pointers against just eight turnovers in 2020-21.
 
- Making two-point shots is not easy as a diminutive guard, yet Mikey Watkins and Malik Edmead thrived in that aspect of their game in 2020-21. Watkins became the first sub 6-foot NEC player since Tony Lee and James Hett in 2007-08 to make at least 55 percent of his two-pointers in a full season. And while he fell underneath the threshold of 40 percent of the team minutes played, Edmead made 55.3 percent of his takes from inside the arc as well.
 
- For the second straight season, Merrimack led the conference in defensive turnover rate. Even after graduating the greatest steal artist in NCAA history in Juvaris Hayes, the Warriors created a turnover on 21.8 percent of their opponents’ possessions last season.
 
Sacred Heart
Predicted NEC Finish: 6th
2020-21 Overall Record: 9-9
2020-21 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 9-7/Tie-3rd
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 15/2
Starters Returning/Lost: 5/0
 
Players to Watch:
Aaron Clarke  (Sr, G, 6’1”, 185 lbs.): 13.3 ppg, 2.9 apg, 81.0 FT%
Tyler Thomas (Jr, G, 6’3”, 195 lbs.): 19.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.9 apg, 47 3PFG; Second Team All-NEC
 
Coming off a season in which it outperformed expectations and then some, Sacred Heart will look to consolidate those gains with a battle-tested and well balanced unit returning for Anthony Latina in 2021-22. Picked dead last in last year’s preseason poll, the Pioneers finished 9-7 in league play, including a 5-0 mark in games decided by six points or less, and snagged one of the four coveted NEC playoff spots. With all five starters and 15-of-17 letterwinners returning, Latina has plenty of tools in the shed in the program’s quest for its first NEC championship. Breakdown scorer Tyler Thomas (Amity, CT/Amity Regional (Williston)) led the NEC in point production last season and the sturdy junior guard is the Pios’ go-to player down the stretch. Joining the second team All-NEC honoree in the backcourt is cagey veteran Aaron Clarke (Parsippany, NJ/Pope John) and elite gunslinger Mike Sixsmith (Hicksville, NY/Holy Trinity), an All-Rookie performer who led the nation in effective shooting percentage and true shooting percentage.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- Using KenPom’s offensive rating metric as the barometer, the most efficient player in the NEC last season was Sacred Heart freshman Mike Sixsmith. While his usage rate was low, the sharpshooter surely made the most of his opportunities, shooting 54.2 percent from behind the arc while leading all DI ballers in effective (.765) and true shooting percentage (.787).
 
- Thanks to guards known for attacking relentlessly off the bounce such as Aaron Clarke, Alex Watson and Tyler Thomas, 21.6 percent of Sacred Heart’s points in league play last season came from the charity stripe. That mark led the league.
 
- Sophomore power forward Bryce Johnson was a critical part of the Pioneer defense last season. When Johnson was on the floor (50.3 percent of the team’s minutes), Sacred Heart gave up 9.1 fewer points per 100 possessions, according to Hoop Explorer.
 
St. Francis Brooklyn
Predicted NEC Finish: 7th
2020-21 Overall Record: 9-10
2020-21 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 9-9/Tie-5th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 5/10
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3
 
Players to Watch:
Rob Higgins (Jr, G, 6’1”, 179 lbs.): 11.2 ppg, 2.1 apg, 1.4 spg
Vuk Stevanic (Sr, F, 6’8”, 228 lbs.): 6.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 55.3 FG%
 
To refer to St. Francis Brooklyn as the “new look” Terriers may be somewhat of a stretch, but with a slew of fresh faces, including six incoming transfers, there will be ample opportunity for a talented incoming class to log extensive minutes on the court. As the NEC’s longest tenured head coach, Glen Braica has had a number of his teams thrive in the face of roster turnover, and this year should be no different. Braica’s most experienced returnee is junior guard Rob Higgins (Middletown, NJ/Middletown North), a high energy player and outstanding defender who has averaged double-digits in each of his first two years. Junior combo guard Larry Moreno (Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn High School for Law & Technology) has battled injuries in each of his first two years, but has showed signs off being a go-to scorer when healthy, and senior forward Vuk Stevanic (Jagodina, Serbia/Canterbury School (Highland CC)) is an able-bodied interior scorer. Look for grad student guard Michael Cubbage (Sicklerville, NJ/Winslow Township (Marist)), a transfer from Marist, to make an immediate impact.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- Buoyed by a 56.6 percent conversion rate on his two-point attempts, senior Vuk Stevanic returns to St. Francis Brooklyn as its most efficient player when basing it on KenPom offensive rating (112.3).
 
- Per Hoop Math, the Terriers’ transition defense was significantly better when compared to their league counterparts. Glenn Braica’s group gave up an effective field goal percentage of just 49.2 percent on transition opportunities.
 
- Rob Higgins posted a turnover rate of 10.1 percent last season, the 80th-best mark in the nation. During a late season stretch over six games, Higgins registered 14 assists to zero turnovers. Not surprisingly, the Terriers went 4-2 in those games.
 
Saint Francis U
Predicted NEC Finish: 8th
2020-21 Overall Record: 6-16
2020-21 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 5-13/Tie-9th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 14/2
Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1
 
Players to Watch:
Ramiir Dixon-Conover (R-Sr, G, 6’3”, 185 lbs.): 15.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.9 spg; Third Team All-NEC
Myles Thompson (Sr, G, 6’6”, 230 lbs.): 10.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 69.8 FT%
 
Outlook:
After coming tantalizingly close to its first NEC championship over a strong four-year run from 2016-17, Saint Francis U turned the page last season during a transition year in which the Red Flash were not that far off from being a top half of the standings contender. SFU beat Bryant and dropped a slew of close games to upper echelon squads, while gaining experience for its talented freshman class. One of three teams nationwide to bring back 100 percent of its scoring, SFU’s strong nucleus includes redshirt seniors Ramiir Dixon-Conover (Newark, NJ/South Kent) and Mark Flagg (Fairless Hills, PA/Pennsbury), along with senior forward and glue guy Myles Thompson (Camden, NJ/Camden). One of the most complete guards on the circuit, Dixon-Conover was a third team All-NEC award winner, while Flagg continued his ascension as one of the NEC’s top post players and refined interior scorers. Tenth-year head coach Rob Krimmel may have a pair stars in the making in ultra-talented sophomores Maxwell Land (Cincinnati, OH/Archbishop Moeller) and Ronell Giles, Jr. (Brandywine, MD/Charles Herbert Flowers).
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- After struggling to crack Rob Krimmel’s rotation early on, Josh Cohen earned his chance to shine and made the most of it as an efficient big man. Per Hoop Math, the 6-10 center made 69.4 percent of his shots near the rim and had 19 putbacks, both season-highs for the Red Flash. His KenPom offensive rating of 127.2 also led the team.
 
- No team within the NEC was more efficient in isolation plays than SFU, according to the analytics site ShotQuality.
 
- Despite having several skilled big men in their rotation, it was point guard Ramiir Dixon-Conover who led the team with 125 takes near the rim, with 6-9 forward Mark Flagg next with 99 attempts. Both players converted on 55 percent of those opportunities.
 
Fairleigh Dickinson
Predicted NEC Finish: 9th
2020-21 Overall Record: 9-15
2020-21 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 8-10/8th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/7
Starters Returning/Lost: 2/3
 
Players to Watch:
Brandon Rush (Jr, G, 6’3”, 175 lbs.): 14.3 ppg, 56 3PFG, 42.1 3PFG%
Joe Munden Jr., (So, G, 6’4”, 190 lbs.): 7.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 40.5 3PFG%; NEC All-Rookie Team
 
Outlook:
A changing of the guard is in order for FDU and ninth year head coach Greg Herenda. While the Knights said goodbye in the offseason to all-time great Jahlil Jenkins and fellow NEC all-star Elyjah Williams, the next generation is more than ready to step in and work toward winning the third title of the Herenda era. The cornerstone of FDU’s team is its well fortified backcourt with budding star Brandon Rush (Warrensville, OH/Warrensville Heights) flanked by sophomore Joe Munden Jr. (Bronx, NY/Monsignor Scanlon) and junior Devon Dunn (Washington, D.C./St. John’s College). A high-octane talent, Rush’s quickness, athleticism and ability to knock jumpers from distance has turned him into one of the league’s most feared scorers. Dunn, another three-point threat, was named to the NEC All-Rookie team in 2019-20, and the high-flying Munden Jr. earned similar honors in 2020-21. The entertaining trio is complemented by sophomore forward Pier Olivier Racine (Gatineau, Quebec, Canada/Vanier College), who comes off a promising freshman campaign and gives the Knights an imposing post presence.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- According to ShotQuality, 107 of Brandon Rush’s 133 three-point attempts were catch-and-shoot takes. Rush overall made 42.1 percent of his triples, good for third in the NEC.
 
- When John Square Jr. played well for the Knights, they were difficult to beat last season. In five games where Square registered double-digits in points, FDU was 4-1. The now-sophomore averaged 11.4 ppg while shooting 64 percent from the floor in those contests.
 
- With six regulars last season posting an effective field goal percentage north of 50 percent, FDU had the second best offensive efficiency (106.8 points per 100 possessions) in the league during NEC play.

CCSU
Predicted NEC Finish: 10th
2020-21 Overall Record: 5-16
2020-21 NEC Record/NEC Finish: 5-13/Tie-9th
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 6/5
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
 
Players to Watch:
Ian Krishnan (Sr, G, 6’2”, 180 lbs.): 8.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 25 3PFG
Nigel Scantlebury (Sr, G, 6’0”, 170 lbs.): 8.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 4.0 apg
 
Outlook:
The most notable offseason development in the NEC was the change in leadership at CCSU. Blue Devils alum Pat Sellers was brought back to New Britain with hopes of rekindling the enormous success the program enjoyed when he served as an assistant under Howie Dickenman from 1999-03. For Sellers it marks his first head coaching position in a career that dates back over 20 years, including an assistant coaching stint at FDU from 2017-19. Looking to return CCSU to the NEC Tournament following a three year drought, he will count on production from a number of key returnees, highlighted by a trio of talented junior guards. Ian Krishnan (Boyds, MD/Proctor Academy (NH)) is a three-year veteran and former NEC All-Rookie honoree who can light it up from three point range, while heady point guard Nigel Scantlebury (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena (Niagara County CC)) will once again serve as the team’s floor general. Tre Mitchell (Phoenix, AZ/Joya Community (Phoenix College)) is the team’s leading returning scorer and one of the team’s top three-point marksman. With Sellers stockpiling talent via an eight-player freshman class, the Blue Devils will have ample opportunity for growth in the coming years.
 
Analytically Speaking:
 
- Defenders had difficulty keeping point guard Nigel Scantlebury in front of them last season. Scantlebury posted a program leading 41.3 percent free throw rate and his 57 attempts at the charity stripe were also the best among his teammates.
 
 - When he was on the floor, 6-foot-6 forward Stephane Ayangma excelled on the glass. As a senior, he grabbed 21.6 percent of the Blue Devil opponent’s misses, good for 156th among all DI players. In CCSU’s last eight contests in 2020-21, Ayangma corralled at least seven rebounds in seven of those games.
 
- Pat Sellers plans to implement a “space and pace” system, leading to more efficient shot attempts both in transition and the half court. A pair of veteran guards Sellers inherited are already accustomed well to spacing, as ShotQuality considers Tre Mitchell and Ian Krishnan to be the two best players from last season when it comes to efficient shot attempts.
    
NEC Preseason Coaches Poll History (last 34 years)          
          
Year        Preseason Favorite                       NEC Tournament Champion
            (actual regular season finish)           (preseason selection)
 
2020-21     Fairleigh Dickinson (8th)                Mount St. Mary’s (tied 3rd)
2019-20     LIU (tie 5th)                            Robert Morris (5th)
2018-19     Saint Francis U (1st)                    Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)
2017-18     Saint Francis U (tie 2nd)                LIU Brooklyn (6th)
2016-17     Fairleigh Dickinson (tie 5th             Mount St. Mary's (4th)
2015-16     Mount St. Mary’s (5th)                   Fairleigh Dickinson (9th)
2014-15     St. Francis Brooklyn (1st)               Robert Morris (3rd)
2013-14     Wagner (2nd)                             Mount St. Mary's (6th)
2012-13     LIU Brooklyn (3rd)                       LIU Brooklyn (1st)
2011-12     LIU Brooklyn (1st)                       LIU Brooklyn (1st)
2010-11     Quinnipiac (2nd)                         LIU Brooklyn (3rd)
2009-10     Mount St. Mary’s (3rd)                   Robert Morris (tie 3rd)
2008-09     Mount St. Mary’s (tie 2nd)               Robert Morris (3rd)
2007-08     Sacred Heart (3rd)                       Mount St. Mary’s (4th) 
2006-07     Monmouth (tie 8th)                       CCSU (tie 4th)
2005-06     Fairleigh Dickinson (1st)                Monmouth (2nd)
2004-05     Monmouth (1st)                           Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)
2003-04     Quinnipiac (10th)                        Monmouth (3rd)
2002-03     CCSU (3rd)                               Wagner (2nd)
2001-02     Monmouth (4th)                           CCSU (4th)
2000-01     CCSU (tie 5th)                           Monmouth (3rd)
1999-00     Mount St. Mary’s (tie 7th)               CCSU (3rd)
1998-99     Mount St. Mary’s (tie 5th)               Mount St. Mary’s (1st)
1997-98     LIU Brooklyn (1st)                       Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)
1996-97     Monmouth (3rd)                           LIU Brooklyn (4th)
1995-96     Monmouth/Rider (tie 2nd/4th)             Monmouth (tie 1st)
1994-95     Rider (1st)                              Mount St. Mary’s (3rd)
1993-94     Fairleigh Dickinson (tie 5th)            Rider (3rd)
1992-93     Wagner (2nd)                             Rider (3rd)
1991-92     Monmouth (tie 2nd)                       Robert Morris (2nd)
1990-91     Monmouth (4th)                           Saint Francis U (3rd)
1989-90     Fairleigh Dickinson (6th)                Robert Morris (3rd)
1988-89     Monmouth (3rd)                           Robert Morris (5th)
1987-88     *Marist (tie 1st)                        Fairleigh Dickinson (2nd)

* Marist was ineligible for the NEC Tournament in 1987-88

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 41st year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout seven states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Boston (#9), Baltimore (#26), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary’s, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.