# 2023–24 Merrimack Warriors men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Merrimack Warriors men's basketball team represented Merrimack College in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Warriors, led by eighth-year head coach Joe Gallo, played their home games at Hammel Court, with some games at Lawler Arena, located in North Andover, Massachusetts, as members of the Northeast Conference (NEC). They finished the season 21–12, 13–3 in NEC play, to finish in a tie for the regular-season championship. As the No. 2 seed in the NEC tournament, they defeated LIU and Le Moyne before losing to Wagner in the championship game.
On October 23, 2023, it was announced that this season would be the last for Merrimack as members of the Northeast Conference, as they will be joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference next season.

## Previous season

The 2022–23 season marked Merrimack's final year of a four-year transition period from Division II to Division I. As a result, the Warriors were not be eligible to play in the NCAA tournament. However, a rule change made by the Northeast Conference allowed the Warriors to compete in the NEC tournament.
The Warriors finished the 2022–23 season 15–16, 12–4 in NEC play, to claim first place. In the NEC tournament, Merrimack defeated LIU, Sacred Heart and Fairleigh Dickinson to win the championship. Due to their ineligibility to compete in the NCAA tournament, runners-up Fairleigh Dickinson were awarded the NEC conference auto-bid, ending the Warriors' season with a final record of 18–16.

## Preseason polls
### Northeast Conference poll

The Northeast Conference released its preseason coaches' poll on October 24, 2023. The Warriors were picked to finish in fourth in the conference.
| Rank | Team |
| 1. | Sacred Heart (7) |
| 2. | Central Connecticut (1) |
| 3. | Fairleigh Dickinson (1) |
| 4. | Merrimack |
| 5. | Wagner |
| 6. | Stonehill |
| 7. | LIU |
| 8. | Saint Francis |
| 9. | Le Moyne |
 first-place votes

### Preseason All-Conference Team

No Warriors were selected as members of the NEC Preseason All-Conference Team.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season ||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Vermont | L 55–67 | 0–1 | Patrick Gym (2,077) Burlington, VT |
| November 9, 2023* 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Worcester State | W 93–72 | 1–1 | Hammel Court (697) North Andover, MA |
| November 12, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Maine | W 71–65 | 2–1 | Memorial Gymnasium (815) Orono, ME |
| November 15, 2023* 7:00 p.m., B1G | | at Ohio State | L 52–76 | 2–2 | Value City Arena (7,929) Columbus, OH |
| November 22, 2023* 5:30 p.m. | | vs. North Carolina A&T Samford MTE | W 96–73 | 3–2 | Pete Hanna Center (331) Homewood, AL |
| November 24, 2023* 4:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Samford Samford MTE | L 71–79 | 3–3 | Pete Hanna Center (818) Homewood, AL |
| November 25, 2023* 1:00 p.m. | | vs. Alabama State Samford MTE | L 60–66 $^{OT}$ | 3–4 | Pete Hanna Center (136) Homewood, AL |
| November 29, 2023* 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Georgetown | L 67–69 | 3–5 | Capital One Arena (2,744) Washington, D.C. |
| December 2, 2023* 3:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | UMass Lowell | W 74–68 | 4–5 | Lawler Arena (2,347) North Andover, MA |
| December 5, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+/SECN+ | | at Florida | L 57–77 | 4–6 | O'Connell Center (6,813) Gainesville, FL |
| December 9, 2023* 7:30 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Felician | W 89–85 | 5–6 | Lawler Arena (769) North Andover, MA |
| December 19, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Cincinnati | L 49–65 | 5–7 | Fifth Third Arena (9,477) Cincinnati, OH |
| December 22, 2023* 2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Bucknell | W 68–52 | 6–7 | Lawler Arena (587) North Andover, MA |
| December 30, 2023* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Boston University | L 63–74 | 6–8 | Case Gym (860) Boston, MA |
| NEC regular season ||||||
| January 4, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Fairleigh Dickinson | W 60–56 | 7–8 (1–0) | Lawler Arena (693) North Andover, MA |
| January 6, 2024 3:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Sacred Heart | W 82–58 | 8–8 (2–0) | Lawler Arena (547) North Andover, MA |
| January 13, 2024 2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Le Moyne | W 66–62 | 9–8 (3–0) | Ted Grant Court (466) DeWitt, NY |
| January 15, 2024 4:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Central Connecticut | L 70–75 | 9–9 (3–1) | William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,022) New Britain, CT |
| January 19, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Wagner | L 65–71 | 9–10 (3–2) | Hammel Court (812) North Andover, MA |
| January 21, 2024 2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Stonehill | W 63–47 | 10–10 (4–2) | Hammel Court (861) North Andover, MA |
| January 25, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Wagner | W 60–44 | 11–10 (5–2) | Spiro Sports Center (889) Staten Island, NY |
| January 27, 2024 4:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Saint Francis (PA) | W 74–55 | 12–10 (6–2) | DeGol Arena (882) Loretto, PA |
| February 3, 2024 3:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Central Connecticut | W 71–68 | 13–10 (7–2) | Lawler Arena (1,936) North Andover, MA |
| February 8, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at LIU | W 82–79 $^{OT}$ | 14–10 (8–2) | Steinberg Wellness Center (521) Brooklyn, NY |
| February 10, 2024 3:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Le Moyne | W 66–50 | 15–10 (9–2) | Hammel Court (782) North Andover, MA |
| February 15, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Stonehill | W 66–63 | 16–10 (10–2) | Merkert Gymnasium (820) Easton, MA |
| February 17, 2024 3:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | LIU | W 83–68 | 17–10 (11–2) | Hammel Court (1,347) North Andover, MA |
| February 22, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | Saint Francis | W 71–60 | 18–10 (12–2) | Lawler Arena (1,346) North Andover, MA |
| February 29, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Fairleigh Dickinson | W 74–55 | 19–10 (13–2) | Bogota Savings Bank Center (563) Hackensack, NJ |
| March 2, 2024 2:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | | at Sacred Heart | L 85–89 | 19–11 (13–3) | William H. Pitt Center (458) Fairfield, CT |
| NEC tournament ||||||
| March 6, 2024 7:00 p.m., NEC Front Row | (2) | (7) LIU Quarterfinals | W 72–66 | 20–11 | Lawler Arena (1,076) North Andover, MA |
| March 9, 2024 12:00 p.m., YES/ESPN+ | (2) | (4) Le Moyne Semifinals | W 61–51 | 21–11 | Lawler Arena (1,565) North Andover, MA |
| March 12, 2024 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (2) | (6) Wagner Championship | L 47–54 | 21–12 | Lawler Arena North Andover, MA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. ||||||
Sources: