College Basketball Conference Preview #2 - Northeast Conference

The Northeast Conference will be a war once again this season. Will a new Champion emerge or will Fairleigh Dickinson repeat as NEC Conference Champions? The Knights then became just the 2nd #16 seed to defeat a #1 seed in an NCAA Tournament game last March when they defeated Purdue. Sacred Heart will set the pace as they return four starters and will be led by senior forward Nico Galette who is a candidate for NEC Player of the Year. A pair of senior guards in Joey Reilly and Raheem Solomon will aid in scoring as both can light it up from the outside. The Warriors are deep as well with several key reserves back along with a few solid newcomers most notably freshman guard Adam Clark and junior guard Malik Edmead (Albany transfer). Merrimack needs to fare better against the upper echelon teams in the Conference to have a shot come March. I predict the Warriors to finish in 2nd place in the Conference and win the NEC Tournament in their 1st season of postseason eligibility in Division 1. Long Island University has nowhere to go but up and hopes to finish in the top half of the NEC Standings in 2023-24. The Sharks bring back three starters and will be led by junior guard Andre Washington and sophomore center C.J. Delancy. The Strickland brothers - senior guard Tai Strickland and junior guard Terell Strickland - will both be impact players this season. Long Island is a dark horse in the NEC and could make some noise if they get hot late in the season. Fairleigh Dickinson will be one of the most experienced teams in the Conference with three starters returning in senior forward Sean Moore, senior guard Joe Munden Jr., and junior forward Ansley Almonor. Look for Fairleigh Dickinson to come up short on certain nights but give each team they play a battle until the end. I predict the Knights to finish in 4th place this season.

Stonehill College will still suffer some growing pains as they look to build on last season's impressive NEC debut. The Skyhawks return two starters - most notably senior forward Max Zegarowski - who could be NEC Player of the Year this season. Look for sophomore guard Tony Felder Jr. (VMI transfer) to make an immediate impact. It may take some more time for the Skyhawks to get up to speed but they will be a very dangerous team come NEC Tournament time. Central Connecticut State brings back three starters and will be led by senior guards Kellen Amos and Jay Rodgers. The Blue Devils also bring back junior forward Abdul Momoh - another returning starter - and junior forward Jayden Brown. The Blue Devils may take their fair share of lumps this season but will get better in the process. I predict Central Connecticut State to finish in 6th place in the Conference. Le Moyne has their work cut out for them in their 1st season in Division 1. The Dolphins do return four starters including senior guard Isaiah Salter and senior forward Luke Sutherland. Several newcomers could play prominent roles including senior guard Kaiyem Cleary (Ball State transfer). Le Moyne will make some noise in the NEC this season and could finish in the middle pf the pack when all is said and done. Wagner faces an uphill climb this season. The Seahawks return three starters and will be led by senior guard Rahmir Moore and junior guard Javier Ezquerra. Several transfers could play big roles this season as well - most notably sophomore Di'Andre Howell-South (St. Francis Brooklyn transfer). Head Coach Donald Copeland enters his 2nd season at the helm needing some extra time to get the Seahawks back to the top of the Conference Standings on a yearly basis.

St. Francis (PA.) only returns one starter in sophomore guard Cam Gregory and will need several newcomers to play big roles this season. If the Red Flash can get solid contributions from several key returnees including sophomore guard Wisler Sanon II and sophomore forward Miles Webb they can challenge for a spot at the top of the Conference Standings. The Red Flash will be a fun team to watch all season long. I predict they will finish in 9th place in the final Conference Standings. Regardless of which team wins the Conference Tournament it will be a great season in the Northeast Conference. Enjoy all of the games!

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