# 2023–24 Wagner Seahawks men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Wagner Seahawks men's basketball team represented Wagner College during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Seahawks, led by second-year head coach Donald Copeland, played their home games at the Spiro Sports Center in Staten Island, New York as members of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 17–16, 7–9 in NEC play to finish in sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the NEC Tournament, they defeated Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut, and Merrimack to win the NEC tournament championship, as a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the second time in school history and the first time since 2003. As a No. 16 seed in the West region, they defeated to Howard in the First Four, before losing to North Carolina in the First Round.

## Preseason polls
### Northeast Conference poll

The Northeast Conference released its preseason coaches' poll on October 24, 2023. The Seahawks were picked to finish in fifth 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
## Previous season

The Seahawks finished the 2022–23 season 15–13, 8–8 in NEC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. In the NEC tournament, they were defeated by Sacred Heart in the first round.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2023* 7:30 pm | | at Fordham | L 64–68 $^{OT}$ | 0–1 | 21 – Council Jr. | 13 – Kelton | 1 – Tied | Rose Hill Gymnasium (1,837) Bronx, NY |
| November 9, 2023* 7:00 pm | | Molloy | W 83–48 | 1–1 | 13 – Council Jr. | 12 – Allen | 3 – Tied | Spiro Sports Center (1,046) Staten Island, NY |
| November 14, 2023* 7:00 pm | | at Rhode Island | L 53–69 | 1–2 | 10 – Kelton | 5 – Kelton | 5 – Tied | Ryan Center (3,795) Kingston, RI |
| November 18, 2023* 12:00 pm | | at Seton Hall | L 51–72 | 1–3 | 9 – Kelton | 6 – Kelton | 4 – Taylor II | Prudential Center (8,344) Newark, NJ |
| November 25, 2023* 1:00 pm | | NJIT | W 64–51 | 2–3 | 18 – Council Jr. | 7 – Lewis | 4 – Tied | Spiro Sports Center (558) Staten Island, NY |
| November 28, 2023* 7:00 pm | | at Providence | L 52–86 | 2–4 | 17 – Council Jr. | 8 – Council Jr. | 2 – Zongo | Amica Mutual Pavilion (8,069) Providence, RI |
| December 2, 2023* 3:30 pm | | at Stony Brook | W 60–59 | 3–4 | 13 – Tied | 6 – Council Jr. | 5 – Ezquerra | Island Federal Arena (1,765) Stony Brook, NY |
| December 6, 2023* 7:00 pm | | at Coppin State | W 62–59 | 4–4 | 21 – Williams | 11 – Lewis | 3 – Ezquerra | Physical Education Complex (532) Baltimore, MD |
| December 10, 2023* 1:00 pm | | Boston University | L 59–73 | 4–5 | 15 – Williams | 4 – Tied | 5 – Council Jr. | Spiro Sports Center (905) Staten Island, NY |
| December 17, 2023* 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Fairfield | L 51–63 | 4–6 | 13 – Council Jr. | 7 – Tied | 4 – Council Jr. | Leo D. Mahoney Arena (1,616) Fairfield, CT |
| December 22, 2023* 2:00 pm | | Gwynedd Mercy | W 98–49 | 5–6 | 28 – Council Jr. | 8 – Tied | 11 – Council Jr. | Spiro Sports Center (312) Staten Island, NY |
| December 30, 2023* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Manhattan | W 68–56 | 6–6 | 17 – Allen | 12 – Council Jr. | 7 – Ezquerra | Draddy Gymnasium (909) Riverdale, NY |
| NEC regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2024 7:00 pm | | at LIU | L 67–69 | 6–7 (0–1) | 16 – Allen | 8 – Tied | 9 – Ezquerra | Steinberg Wellness Center (489) Brooklyn, NY |
| January 6, 2024 4:00 pm | | Saint Francis (PA) | W 71–56 | 7–7 (1–1) | 19 – Brown | 6 – Council Jr. | 5 – Tied | Spiro Sports Center (989) Staten Island, NY |
| January 15, 2024 1:00 pm | | Stonehill | W 64–54 | 8–7 (2–1) | 16 – Ezquerra | 9 – Allen | 6 – Ezquerra | Spiro Sports Center (972) Staten Island, NY |
| January 19, 2024 7:00 pm | | at Merrimack | W 71–65 | 9–7 (3–1) | 15 – Council Jr. | 13 – Council Jr. | 7 – Ezquerra | Hammel Court (812) North Andover, MA |
| January 21, 2024 2:00 pm | | at Sacred Heart | L 61–66 | 9–8 (3–2) | 14 – Council Jr. | 11 – Allen | 6 – Council Jr. | William H. Pitt Center (641) Fairfield, CT |
| January 25, 2024 7:00 pm | | Merrimack | L 44–60 | 9–9 (3–3) | 11 – Brown | 8 – Lewis | 5 – Ezquerra | Spiro Sports Center (889) Staten Island, NY |
| January 27, 2024 1:00 pm | | at Central Connecticut | L 68–69 $^{OT}$ | 9–10 (3–4) | 22 – Ezquerra | 11 – Lewis | 3 – Kelton | William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,121) New Britain, CT |
| February 1, 2024 7:00 pm | | Le Moyne | W 80–57 | 10–10 (4–4) | 23 – Brown | 10 – Allen | 10 – Ezquerra | Spiro Sports Center (1,093) Staten Island, NY |
| February 3, 2024 2:00 pm | | at Stonehill | L 61–71 | 10–11 (4–5) | 19 – Council Jr. | 7 – Council Jr. | 6 – Ezquerra | Merkert Gymnasium (1,025) Easton, MA |
| February 8, 2024 7:00 pm | | at Fairleigh Dickinson | W 66–62 | 11–11 (5–5) | 22 – Allen | 7 – Brown | 5 – Council | Bogota Savings Bank Center (347) Hackensack, NJ |
| February 15, 2024 7:00 pm | | at Saint Francis (PA) | W 65–63 $^{OT}$ | 12–11 (6–5) | 20 – Council Jr. | 8 – Council Jr. | 3 – Ezquerra | DeGol Arena (703) Loretto, PA |
| February 17, 2024 4:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Sacred Heart | L 53–63 | 12–12 (6–6) | 17 – Council Jr. | 10 – Ezquerra | 8 – Ezquerra | Spiro Sports Center (1,173) Staten Island, NY |
| February 22, 2024 7:00 pm | | Central Connecticut | L 72–73 | 12–13 (6–7) | 17 – Brown | 7 – Tied | 8 – Ezquerra | Spiro Sports Center (1,051) Staten Island, NY |
| February 24, 2024 1:00 pm | | LIU | W 72–57 | 13–13 (7–7) | 25 – Council Jr. | 7 – Tied | 6 – Council Jr. | Spiro Sports Center (1,276) Staten Island, NY |
| February 29, 2024 7:00 pm | | at Le Moyne | L 56–70 | 13–14 (7–8) | 21 – Council Jr. | 8 – Kelton | 3 – Ezquerra | Ted Grant Court (570) Syracuse, NY |
| March 2, 2024 4:30 pm | | Fairleigh Dickinson | L 54–57 | 13–15 (7–9) | 16 – Council Jr. | 13 – Council Jr. | 5 – Council Jr. | Spiro Sports Center (1,486) Staten Island, NY |
| NEC Tournament |||||||||
| March 6, 2024 7:00 pm, NEC Front Row | (6) | at (3) Sacred Heart Quarterfinals | W 60–57 | 14–15 | 22 – Allen | 9 – Council Jr. | 5 – Ezquerra | William H. Pitt Center (361) Fairfield, CT |
| March 9, 2024 2:00 pm, YES/ESPN+ | (6) | at (1) Central Connecticut Semifinals | W 66–56 | 15–15 | 20 – Brown | 9 – Lewis | 5 – Ezquerra | William H. Detrick Gymnasium (2,449) New Britain, CT |
| March 12, 2024 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | (6) | at (2) Merrimack Championship | W 54–47 | 16–15 | 22 – Allen | 12 – Lewis | 3 – Brown | Lawler Arena North Andover, MA |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 19, 2024 6:40 pm, TruTV | (16 W) | vs. (16 W) Howard First Four | W 71–68 | 17–15 | 21 – Council Jr. | 7 – Lewis | 8 – Ezquerra | UD Arena Dayton, OH |
| March 21, 2024 2:45 pm, CBS | (16 W) | vs. (1 W) No. 5 North Carolina First Round | L 62–90 | 17–16 | 18 – Tied | 5 – Allen | 4 – Brown | Spectrum Center (18,223) Charlotte, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. |||||||||
Sources: