nec – Rush The Court

NEC Tournament Preview & Season Wrap-Up

rtmsf — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:09:08 +0000

Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC conferences.

Tournament Preview

Opening Tip

The top teams in the Northeast Conference proved to be competitive and battled it against each other all season. Interestingly, the conference postseason shapes up as a very balanced eight team field. LIU Brooklyn is the defending champion and favorite. LIU will face challenges from Wagner, Robert Morris and St. Francis (NY) to name a few. Among the eight teams, even a hot Monmouth team poses a threat. It should make for an interesting tournament and if LIU Brooklyn repeats, they will have truthfully worked and earned [...]

Checking In On… the NEC

rtmsf — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 14:22:35 +0000

Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC conferences.

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Opening Tip

A week to go. Barring upsets, LIU Brooklyn appears set for the top seed. They own a one-game lead over Wagner but swept the Seahawks in their two meetings. In the postseason tournament, don’t count out Danny Hurley’s club. Nor Robert Morris or St. Francis (NY). Yes, one more week before the fun really starts.

Standings

Team, NEC record, overall record:

LIU 14-1, 20-7 Wagner 13-2, 22-4 Robert Morris 11-4, 20-8 St. Francis (NY) 11-4, 14-12 Quinnipiac 8-7, 15-11 Central Connecticut St. 8-7, 11-14 Sacred Heart 7-8, 13-15 Monmouth 7-8, 9-19 Mount St. Mary’s 5-10, 7-19 St. Francis (PA) 4-11, 5-21 Fairleigh Dickinson 1-14, 2-24 Bryant 1-14, 2-25

Notables

NEC Co-Players of the [...]

Checking In On… the NEC

rtmsf — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:01:10 +0000

Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC conferences.

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Opening Tip

The general consensus is that LIU Brooklyn and Wagner are the top two teams in the conference. With less than a month remaining in the regular season, however, there are five programs with a legitimate shot at the top. Keep an eye on LIU vs. St. Francis (NY) at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. It is a St. Francis “home” game and it gives the Terriers another opportunity to achieve a statement victory.

Standings

Team, MAAC record, overall record:

LIU 10-1, 16-7 Wagner 9-2, 18-4 St. Francis (NY) 9-2, 12-10 Robert Morris 7-4, 16-8 Central Connecticut [...]

Checking In On… the NEC

rtmsf — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:01:07 +0000

Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC conferences.

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Looking Back

There is still over half a conference season to play. But, on Saturday on Staten Island, a very important and interesting matchup is on tap: Long Island Brooklyn versus Wagner. The two met in Brooklyn in December with the Blackbirds earning a narrow 78-73 victory. Since then, Jim Ferry’s club has captured nine of 11 and is unblemished in NEC play. Meanwhile, Wagner has won nine of its last 10. Included are victories at Pitt and the championship of the Cable Car Classic. The only [...]

Checking In On… the NEC

rtmsf — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:36:47 +0000

Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC conferences.

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Looking Back

That is why, the cliché tells us, “they put erasers on pencils.” At any rate, Wagner has suddenly emerged as the team to beat in the NEC. There will be competition from LIU, Robert Morris and Central Connecticut. Regardless, Danny Hurley’s team has our undivided attention — and the attention of folks outside of our time zone as well (going into Pittsburgh to defeat Pitt, then winning the Cable Car Classic out West will do that). At any rate, out-of-conference skirmishes are done and in the [...]

Checking In On… the NEC

rtmsf — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:45:25 +0000

Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC conferences.

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Looking Back

Quick Recap: Relatively quiet time lately with exams finishing up. As we look towards the new year, the expected contenders: Robert Morris, Central Connecticut and LIU, are on top … with a surprise. St. Francis (PA), which played eight home games to date, had both their NEC games in friendly confines and the Red Flash won both contests to join the aforementioned trio on top of the conference standings. Wagner and Quinnipiac, certain to be factors, lead the next group. All of this will begin to [...]

Checking In On… the NEC

rtmsf — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:40:45 +0000

Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC conferences.

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Looking Back

The pre-2012 portion of the Northeast Conference schedule didn’t give us a whole lot to discern, with a couple of exceptions. Defending conference champ Long Island will once again be a tough out for rival foes. Central Connecticut State appears to be a threat with more players stepping up to help standout guard Ken Horton. Robert Morris has its young talent playing well and Wagner, despite having the “luck” to open the conference season at LIU, gave the host Blackbirds all they could handle. At the [...]

Checking In On… the NEC

Brian Goodman — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 22:00:17 +0000

Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC conferences.

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Looking Back

Early-season returns proved Long Island will have some challenges if they hope to defend their Northeast Conference crown. Wagner is off to a good start with a competitive loss at Connecticut being their only blemish so far. Robert Morris likewise, is fast out of the gate. Central Connecticut found some scorers which will make them a more dangerous club and take pressure off their senior do-everything star Ken Horton. Quinnipiac found another tough rebounder and will prove again to be a force under the glass. St. Francis [...]

RTC Conference Primers: #20 – Northeast Conference

Brian Goodman — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:30:52 +0000

Ray Floriani is the RTC correspondent for the NEC and MAAC.

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Top Storylines

Coaches Enjoy Honors: In September, Mount St. Mary’s coach Robert Burke coached in the Congressional County All-Star Classic. Burke coached a team of members of Congress while George Washington mentor Mike Lonergan guided a team of lobbyists. The game was at GW’s Smith Center. Hopefully Burke did not allow his ‘club’ a lengthy recess. In other news, Wagner assistant Bobby Hurley was inducted into the Duke University Hall of Fame in September. Hurley scored over 1,700 points, handed out an NCAA record 1,076 assists and led Duke to two [...]

Checking in on… the NEC

Brian Goodman — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:57:08 +0000

Ray Floriani of College Chalk Talk is the RTC correspondent for the Northeast Conference.

A Look Back

The top spot is decided, as Long Island clinched the regular season title on the road last week. In the NEC, the top eight teams qualify for the conference tournament. The individual games are at the home court of the higher seed, and this week’s action will have bearing on that all important seeding. Heading into the final week, three teams are battling for the number four spot. Another three are in the hunt for the eighth and final seed. [...]

Checking in on… the NEC

Brian Goodman — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 22:31:06 +0000

Ray Floriani of College Chalk Talk is the RTC correspondent for the NEC and MAAC.

Heading into the final third of the NEC race, Long Island is in the lead. Favorite Quinnipiac has hit a few rough spots, but is still in contention. Just ahead of the Bobcats and hot on LIU’s heels are Central Connecticut and Wagner. It is a cliché that every game matters, but it nevertheless holds true in the NEC. Even the contenders know that teams in the second half having struggles of their own can be dangerous and spring an upset.

Checking in on… the NEC

Brian Goodman — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 23:43:55 +0000

Ray Floriani of College Chalk Talk is the RTC correspondent for the Northeast and MAAC conferences.

A Look Back

The Northeast Conference is known for its parity and competitiveness. With the race virtually half over, there have been surprises. Favored Quinnipiac hit a few bumps in the road and is at mid-pack. Long Island has taken advantage of Quinnipiac’s struggles to spurt into first place. Robert Morris, Central Connecticut and Wagner are right on LIU’s heels. As noted, there is time and half a season to play. The only thing certainty is that nothing is guaranteed [...]

Checking in on… the NEC

Brian Goodman — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 13:29:21 +0000

Ray Floriani of College Chalk Talk is the RTC correspondent for the MAAC and NEC.

(ed. note – this week’s check-in was penned before Friday night’s action.)

A Look Back

The week brought on the resumption of Northeast Conference play. Thursday saw the membership battling in conference meetings, which continue until late season.

Besides NEC play heating up again, there was a milestone to remember. Dave Bike of Sacred Heart won his 500th game, as the Pioneers downed Holy Cross 77-75 on January 2. Bike has [...]

Checking in on… the NEC

Brian Goodman — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 15:30:10 +0000

Ray Floriani of College Chalk Talk is the RTC correspondent for the NEC and MAAC conferences.

A Look Back

The last of the non-conference games are being contested. Just after the ball drops at Times Square, well a few days after, the Northeast Conference gets into high gear. Given some of the road games and arduous early season schedules it is often difficult to get a totally accurate read on a club. One certainty is Quinnipiac seems to be a step ahead of the competition at this point. In the course of the weeks ahead things can, [...]

Checking in on… the NEC

Brian Goodman — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 00:59:01 +0000

Ray Floriani of College Chalk Talk is the RTC correspondent for the NEC and MAAC.

Close games and dramatic finishes are normally the order in the NEC. The first weekend of conference play provided just that and hinted that the conference race will be an interesting affair. Quinnipiac rallied from four down in the final minute at home to defeat Mount St.Mary’s. Bobcat junior James Johnson scored eight points in the final minute, including the game winner just before the buzzer. A few hours later, St. Francis (NY) came from four down to edge defending NEC champion Robert Morris [...]