The 2020 NEC tournament is going to be interesting. Merrimack came out of the woodwork, going 14-4 in league play and clinching the regular season, but the Warriors are ineligible for the NCAA, NIT or NEC tournaments, given that this was their first season after transitioning from Division II, leaving things wide open for the rest of the league.
As a result of Merrimack’s absence, the tournament will go through Robert Morris, which.finished the regular season as a runner-up after being picked as the conference’s fifth-best team in the preseason. The Colonials finished tied with St. Francis for second place — but owned the tiebreaker because of Jan. 18’s win over Merrimack, — and were a game ahead of Sacred Heart in the final standings.
2020 NEC Tournament Bracket
The Favorite: Robert Morris
In a small conference like the NEC, being able to host each tournament game is a huge advantage, and that January win over Merrimack could prove to make all the difference. Home games allow the team to focus on the game without having to worry about traveling, but they help to ignore the high stakes of each game.
But Robert Morris notably went 7-2 at home during conference play, only losing to Merrimack and Fairleigh Dickinson. That said, they were within five points in both games and simply ran out of time to comeback.
What I love about the Colonials is their depth. They don’t have a player who will score 20 points to carry the team – and have only two players averaging double-figures, – but they are more balanced than most teams. There are eight players who average at least 30 minutes per game, all of whom score over five points per game.
However, they lost three of their final five games down the stretch, including the two losses to FDU. Their late-season struggles could be attributed to defense, as they gave up 72.2 points per game, compared to 66.2 points per game in the first 26 games.
Team to Watch: Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart is one of the most interesting teams in the country. Its 19 regular season wins were the most in its history as a Division I school, but it struggled with the top teams, failing to beat Robert Morris, St. Francis and Merrimack. The Pioneers were 12-0 against the rest of the league.
If they’re going to make any sort of run, they’re going to have to beat at least one of those teams, probably two, maybe even all three. One thing they have going for them is a combination of veteranship and youth, but most notably, nine of their 12 scholarship players are listed as guards.
Sophomore EJ Anosike has established himself as a dominant force under this basket. He averages 15 points and 11 rebounds per game, and this will become more and more of a factor and advantage for the Pioneers the farther they go into the postseason.
Players to Watch: Jahlil Jenkins
Jahlil Jenkins is a major reason why FDU swept RMU this season. In the two victories over RMU, Jenkins averaged over 20 points and four assists. He shows up.
And of late, he’s been really good. In nine of the past 10 games, he’s reached double-figures in points, including a 31-point outing against Wagner on Feb. 13.
My Pick: Robert Morris
It’s difficult for me to bet against the Colonials, because it seems they have too much on their side. They have the little bit of luck that boosts good teams enough to be successful, considering they won’t have to face Merrimack.
Something else that lies true in sports: it’s difficult to beat a good team three times in a row, for whatever reason, so I think they’d get FDU in a third round to clinch their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2015.
You can view the rest of our conference tournament previews here.