# 2019–20 Northeast Conference men's basketball season

The 2019–20 Northeast Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2019, followed by the start of the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in November. Conference play started in January and ended in February 2020.
The NEC tournament was held in March with the higher-seeded team hosting each game. The quarterfinals were played on March 4, the semifinals on March 7, and the championship game on March 10.

## Changes from last season

Merrimack College joined the Northeast Conference from Division II Northeast-10 Conference. They are not eligible this year for the NEC tournament.
On October 3, 2018 Long Island University announced that it would combine its two existing athletic programs—NEC member LIU Brooklyn and the Division II program at LIU Post—into a single Division I program under the LIU name. The new LIU program, nicknamed Sharks, maintained LIU Brooklyn's existing memberships in Division I and the NEC.

## Head coaches

| Team | Head coach | Previous position | Year at school | Overall record | NEC record | NEC tournament championships |
| Bryant | Jared Grasso | Iona (asst.) | 2 | 10–20 | 7–11 | 0 |
| Central Connecticut | Donyell Marshall | Buffalo (asst.) | 4 | 31–61 | 16–38 | 0 |
| Fairleigh Dickinson | Greg Herenda | UMass Lowell | 7 | 81–108 | 50–56 | 2 |
| LIU | Derek Kellogg | UMass | 3 | 34–33 | 19–17 | 1 |
| Merrimack | Joe Gallo | Robert Morris (asst.) | 4 | 61–34 | 0–0 | 0 |
| Mount St. Mary's | Dan Engelstad | Southern Vermont | 2 | 9–22 | 6–12 | 0 |
| Robert Morris | Andrew Toole | Robert Morris (asst.) | 10 | 168–140 | 102–58 | 1 |
| Sacred Heart | Anthony Latina | Sacred Heart (asst.) | 7 | 70–118 | 46–60 | 0 |
| St. Francis Brooklyn | Glenn Braica | St. John's (asst.) | 10 | 132–152 | 86–74 | 0 |
| Saint Francis (PA) | Rob Krimmel | Saint Francis (asst.) | 8 | 97–123 | 65–59 | 0 |
| Wagner | Bashir Mason | Wagner (asst.) | 8 | 123–96 | 78–46 | 0 |
Notes:
* All records, appearances, titles, etc. are from time with current school only.
* Year at school includes 2019–20 season.
* Overall and NEC/NCAA records are from time at current school and are before the beginning of the 2019–20 season. Because the current LIU athletic program inherited the athletic history of LIU Brooklyn, Kellogg's record includes his two seasons at LIU Brooklyn before the LIU athletic merger.
* Previous jobs are head coaching jobs unless otherwise noted.

## Preseason
### Preseason coaches poll

Source
| Rank | Team |
| 1. | LIU (5) |
| 2. | Sacred Heart (3) |
| 3. | Saint Francis (PA) (1) |
| 4. | Fairleigh Dickinson (2) |
| 5. | Robert Morris |
| 6. | Bryant |
| 7. | Mount St. Mary's |
| 8. | St. Francis Brooklyn |
| 9. | Wagner |
| 10. | Central Connecticut |
| 11. | Merrimack |
 first place votes

### Preseason All-NEC team

Source
| Recipient | School |
| Keith Braxton, (Senior, Guard) | Saint Francis (PA) |
| Raiquan Clark, (R-Senior, Swingman) | LIU |
| E.J. Anosike, (Junior, Swingman) | Sacred Heart |
| Adam Grant, (Senior, Guard) | Bryant |
| Jahlil Jenkins, (Junior, Guard) | Fairleigh Dickinson |

## NEC regular season
### Player of the week

Throughout the regular season, the Northeast Conference offices named player(s) of the week and rookie(s) of the week.
| Week | Player of the week | Rookie of the week |
| November 11, 2019 | Juvaris Hayes, MC | Charles Pride, BRY |
| November 18, 2019 | Keith Braxton, SFPA | Jordan Minor, MC |
| November 25, 2019 | E.J. Anosike, SHU | Charles Pride (2), BRY |
| December 2, 2019 | Raiquan Clark, LIU | Greg Outlaw, CCSU |
| December 9, 2019 | E.J. Anosike (2), SHU Jermaine Jackson Jr., LIU | Benson Lin, BRY |
| December 16, 2019 | Chauncey Hawkins, SFBK | Benson Lin (2), BRY |
| December 23, 2019 | E.J. Anosike (3), SHU Deniz Celen, SFBK | Tyler Thomas, SHU |
| December 30, 2019 | Jalen Gibbs, MSM | Jordan Minor (2), MC |
| January 6, 2020 | Isaiah Blackmon, SFPA | Tyler Thomas (2), SHU |
| January 13, 2020 | Josh Williams, RMU | Mykel Derring, MC |
| January 22, 2020 | A.J. Bramah, RMU | Rob Higgins, SFBK Benson Lin (3), BRY |
| January 27, 2020 | Jaleel Lord, MC | Charles Pride (3), BRY |
| February 3, 2020 | Juvaris Hayes (2), MC | Devon Dunn, FDU |
| February 10, 2020 | Keith Braxton (2), SFU Ty Flowers, LIU | Larry Moreno, SFBK |
| February 17, 2020 | E.J. Anosike (4), SHU Jahlil Jenkins, FDU | Larry Green III, BRY |
| February 25, 2020 | Isaiah Blackmon (2), SFU | Larry Green III (2), BRY |
| March 2, 2020 | E.J. Anosike (5), SHU Keith Braxton (3), SFU | Charles Pride (4), BRY |
| School | Player of the week Awards | Rookie of the week Awards |
| Bryant | 0 | 9 |
| Central Connecticut | 0 | 1 |
| Fairleigh Dickinson | 1 | 1 |
| LIU | 3 | 0 |
| Merrimack | 3 | 3 |
| Mount St. Mary's | 1 | 0 |
| Robert Morris | 2 | 0 |
| Sacred Heart | 5 | 2 |
| St. Francis Brooklyn | 2 | 2 |
| Saint Francis (PA) | 5 | 0 |
| Wagner | 0 | 0 |

### Against other conferences

Conference newcomer Merrimack produced the biggest upset of the season for an NEC team when they defeated the Northwestern Wildcats, 71–61. For Merrimack, it was just their second Division I game since moving up from Division II this past season. It was the lone victory for an NEC team against a Power Five conference team; NEC teams produced a 1–15 overall record against that group of schools.
NEC versus other Division I conferences :
| Conference | Outcome |
| America East Conference | 6–13 |
| American Athletic Conference | 0–1 |
| Atlantic Coast Conference | 0–6 |
| Atlantic Sun Conference | 3–2 |
| Atlantic 10 Conference | 2–9 |
| Big East Conference | 0–9 |
| Big South Conference | 2–1 |
| Big Ten Conference | 1–4 |
| Big West Conference | 1–1 |
NEC versus other Division I conferences :
| Conference | Outcome |
| Big 12 Conference | 0–1 |
| Colonial Athletic Association | 2–2 |
| Conference USA | 0–2 |
| Horizon League | 0–3 |
| Ivy League | 4–6 |
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | 5–5 |
| Mid-American Conference | 1–2 |
| Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | 6–0 |
| Mountain West Conference | 0–2 |
NEC versus other Division I conferences :
| Conference | Outcome |
| Pac-12 Conference | 0–2 |
| Patriot League | 8–7 |
| Southeastern Conference | 0–2 |
| Southland Conference | 0–1 |
| Sun Belt Conference | 0–1 |
| Western Athletic Conference | 1–1 |
| Total | 42–83 (.336) |
| As of December 29, 2019 In bold are the Power Five conferences. ||

### Conference matrix

This table summarizes the head-to-head results between teams in conference play.
| | Bryant | Central Conn. | Fairleigh Dickinson | LIU | Merrimack | Mount St. Mary's | Robert Morris | Sacred Heart | St. Francis Brooklyn | Saint Francis (PA) | Wagner |
| vs. Bryant | – | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| vs. Central Conn. | 1–1 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 |
| vs. Fairleigh Dickinson | 0–2 | 1–1 | – | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| vs. LIU | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | – | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Merrimack | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | – | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| vs. Mount St. Mary's | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | – | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 |
| vs. Robert Morris | 0–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | – | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| vs. Sacred Heart | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | – | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| vs. St. Francis Brooklyn | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | – | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| vs. Saint Francis (PA) | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | – | 0–2 |
| vs. Wagner | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | – |
| Total | 7–11 | 3–15 | 9–9 | 9–9 | 14–4 | 7–11 | 13–5 | 12–6 | 7–11 | 13–5 | 5–13 |

### All-NEC honors and awards

At the conclusion of the regular season, the conference selects outstanding performers based on a poll of league coaches, below are the results.
| Honor | Recipient |
| Player of the Year | Isaiah Blackmon, SFPA |
| Coach of the Year | Joe Gallo, MER |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Juvaris Hayes, MER |
| Rookie of the Year | Michael Green III, BRY |
| Most Improved Player of the Year | Damian Chong Qui, MSM |
| All-NEC First Team | Keith Braxton, SFPA |
| All-NEC First Team | Raiquan Clark, LIU |
| All-NEC First Team | E.J. Anosike, SHU |
| All-NEC First Team | Juvaris Hayes, MER |
| All-NEC First Team | Isaiah Blackmon, SFPA |
| Honor | Recipient |
| All-NEC Second Team | AJ Bramah, RMU |
| All-NEC Second Team | Ty Flowers, LIU |
| All-NEC Second Team | Adam Grant, BRY |
| All-NEC Second Team | Jahlil Jenkins, FDU |
| All-NEC Second Team | Josh Williams, RMU |
| All-NEC Third Team | Chauncey Hawkins, SFBK |
| All-NEC Third Team | Deniz Celen, SFBK |
| All-NEC Third Team | Kaleb Bishop, FDU |
| All-NEC Third Team | Damian Chong Qui, MSM |
| All-NEC Third Team | Koreem Ozier, SHU |
| All-NEC Rookie Team | Rob Higgins, SFBK |
| All-NEC Rookie Team | Benson Lin, BRY |
| All-NEC Rookie Team | Michael Green III, BRY |
| All-NEC Rookie Team | Devon Dunn, FDU |
| All-NEC Rookie Team | Myles Baker, CCSU |

## Postseason
### NEC tournament

The NEC tournament features the top eight eligible teams from the field of eleven participate. The teams are seeded according to their conference records, and when there are similar records between teams, tie-breakers are applied. After the first round, teams are reseeded after each round, with highest remaining seeds receiving home court advantage.
Regular-season champion Merrimack was ineligible under NEC rules as a transitional D-I school. #1 Seed Robert Morris won the NEC tournament for a NEC record 9th time.
| Quarterfinals Wednesday, March 4, 2020 NEC Front Row | Quarterfinals Wednesday, March 4, 2020 NEC Front Row | Quarterfinals Wednesday, March 4, 2020 NEC Front Row | | | Semifinals Saturday, March 7, 2020 ESPN3 | Semifinals Saturday, March 7, 2020 ESPN3 | Semifinals Saturday, March 7, 2020 ESPN3 | Championship Tuesday, March 10, 2020 ESPN2 | Championship Tuesday, March 10, 2020 ESPN2 | Championship Tuesday, March 10, 2020 ESPN2 |
| 1 | Robert Morris | 59 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | St. Francis (NY) | 58 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | St. Francis (NY) | 58 | | | 1 | Robert Morris | 86 | | | |
| | | | | | 4 | LIU | 66 | | | |
| 4 | LIU | 73 | | | 4 | LIU | 66 | | | |
| 5 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 72 | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 72 | | | | | | 1 | Robert Morris | 77 |
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | 1 | Robert Morris | 77 |
| (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | (Pairings are reseeded after the first round) | 2 | St. Francis (PA) | 67 |
| 3 | Sacred Heart | 61 | | | | | | | | | 2 | St. Francis (PA) | 67 |
| 6 | Mount St. Mary's | 59 | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Mount St. Mary's | 59 | | | 3 | Sacred Heart | 72 | | | |
| | | | | | 2 | St. Francis (PA) | 84 | | | |
| 2 | St. Francis (PA) | 87 | | | 2 | St. Francis (PA) | 84 | | | |
| 7 | Bryant | 61 | | | | | | | | |

### NCAA tournament

| Seed | Region | School | First Four | 1st round | 2nd round | Sweet 16 | Elite Eight | Final Four | Championship |
| | | Robert Morris | | | | | | | |