Wagner has only made the NCAA Tournament once as a Division I team. The Seahawks have a fine chance to repeat the feat in 2016 as the top seed in the Northeast Conference Tournament.
Bashir Mason's team plays fine, smothering defense and has remarkable offensive balance. None of the top five Seahawks in usage take shots on more than a quarter of their possessions on the floor, but all five of them shoot on at least 20 percent of those possessions. Still, there are two focal points of this team: Corey Henson, who is making nearly 43 percent of his threes, and ferocious undersized forward Michael Carey, who just finished the regular season with a 23-point, 17-rebound performance against Robert Morris despite standing just 6'5.
It's hard to pick another team in the Northeast to challenge Wagner for the conference crown and automatic NCAA Tournament berth, as the Seahawks are the lone NEC team in the KenPom top 200. But they also took five losses and got swept by LIU Brooklyn. If the inconsistent, high-octane Blackbirds show up in the NEC Tournament, they could overwhelm the slower Seahawks.
The format
With higher seeds hosting every game in the NEC Tournament, the deck is stacked in Wagner's favor. And for poor Robert Morris, a path to the NCAA Tournament could require wins in three different states, all away from home state Pennsylvania.
The tournament also only includes the league's top eight teams, which is why Bryant and Central Connecticut have already concluded their seasons.
The teams
- Wagner
- Fairleigh Dickinson
- Sacred Heart
- St. Francis Brooklyn
- Mount St. Mary's
- LIU Brooklyn
- Saint Francis University
- Robert Morris
Bracket
You can see the full bracket here.
Schedule and Results (all times Eastern)
Wednesday, March 2 (Quarterfinals)
Game 1: No. 1 Wagner 59, No. 8 Robert Morris 50
Game 2: No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson 74, No. 7 Saint Francis University 72
Game 3: No. 6 LIU Brooklyn 84, No. 3 Sacred Heart 78
Game 4: No. 5 Mount St. Mary's 60, No. 4 St. Francis Brooklyn 51
Saturday, March 5 (Semifinals)
Game 5: No. 1 Wagner 81, No. 6 LIU Brooklyn 65
Game 6: No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson 80, No. 5 Mount St. Mary's 75
Tuesday, March 8 (Final)
Game 7: No. 2 Farleigh Dickinson 87, No. 1 Wagner 79