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Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Semifinals Preview

3/5/2010


For comprehensive NEC Semifinal notes, click here for PDF file
For NEC Tournament Headquarters, click here

With quarterfinal play now in the books, the 2010 NEC Men’s Basketball Tournament resumes with semifinal action on Sunday, March 7. Top-seeded Quinnipiac hosts #4 Long Island in a game to air live at 2:00 pm on MSG and Fox College Sports. The second game of the day features a rematch of the 2009 NEC title game as defending champion and #2 seed Robert Morris hosts #3 Mount St. Mary's.  Tipoff is at 7:00 pm and the game can be seen live on NortheastConference.TV.  The winners will face off for the NEC championship on Wednesday, March 10 at 7:00 pm on ESPN2.



2010 NEC Men’s Basketball Tournament
(all games played at home of higher seed)

Click Here For NEC Tournament Bracket

Quarterfinals
Thursday, March 4

#1 Quinnipiac 84, #8 Monmouth 75
#2 Robert Morris 71, #7 CCSU 63
#3 Mount St. Mary’s 65, #6 Saint Francis (PA) 50
#4 Long Island 63, #5 Fairleigh Dickinson 61

Semifinals
Sunday, March 7
 
#4 Long Island at #1 Quinnipiac (MSG, FCS), 2:00pm
#3 Mount St. Mary’s at #2 Robert Morris (NortheastConference.TV), 7:00 pm

Championship
Wednesday, March 10

8:07 pm on ESPN2



Team-By-Team Capsules

#1 Quinnipiac (22-8, 15-3 NEC)

• Top-seeded Quinnipiac had their hands full with #8 Monmouth on Thursday, but kept the Hawks at bay the final five minutes of the contest to win, 84-75, and advance to the NEC semis.

• Sophomore guard James Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Loughlin) scored a game-high 23 points in the win, while NEC Player of the Year Justin Rutty (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy) recorded his league-leading 15th double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 boards.

• Quinnipiac and #4 Long Island will now meet for the second straight year in the postseason. The Bobcats ousted LIU in the 2009 quarterfinals, 86-78, in overtime. This was the only NEC Tournament meeting between the two programs.

• This year, the Bobcats earned their first-ever NEC regular season title, the #1 seed and home court advantage in the NEC Tournament, along with a guaranteed spot in the Postseason NIT.

• Quinnipiac are taking part in the NEC playoffs for the fifth year in a row. The Bobcats have reached the NEC semifinals in each of Tom Moore’s first three years as head coach.

• Moore was named 2009-10 NEC Coach of the Year.

• The Bobcats are 6-6 in NEC Tournament competition (4-0 at home, 2-6 on the road), including a run to the 2002 title game after entering the tourney as the #7 seed. That year, Quinnipiac knocked off #2 Wagner and #3 UMBC before falling to top-seeded CCSU, 78-71, in the championship.

• Quinnipiac has matched the school record with 22 wins. The Bobcats also won 22 in 1979-80 and 1972-73, both under the legendary Burt Kahn.

• The Bobcats are a perfect 13-0 at home this season. Quinnipiac is the first NEC team since Monmouth in 2003-04 to go through the regular season unbeaten at home. The Bobcats are also one of just 11 programs nationwide this season with an unblemished home mark.

• Quinnipiac has played two tourney games at home. The Bobcats also defeated FDU, 78-77, in 2007.

• On February 13, Quinnipiac beat visiting LIU, 80-72, in their only 2009-10 meeting.

• Quinnipiac ranks second in the nation (behind Kentucky) in rebound margin at +9.6 per game. The Bobcats have outrebounded 29-of-30 opponents this season and are on target to break FDU’s single-season league record of +9.1 rpg set in 1997-98.

• Ironically, Long Island is the only team to outrebound Quinnipiac (39-38) this season.

• The Bobcats have now finished over .500 in NEC play in each of the last four seasons.

• Junior forward Justin Rutty (Newburgh, NY/Newburgh Free Academy) is the NEC’s top rebounder (10.9 rpg; 13th nationally) and paces the circuit with 15 double-doubles. He also ranks eighth with 15.0 ppg.

• Junior forward James Feldeine (New York, NY/Cardinal Hayes), a first team All-NEC performer, is the NEC’s third-leading scorer at 17.2 ppg.

• Rutty has moved up to 18th on the NEC career rebounding chart with 775.

• Feldeine (1,290 points) and Rutty (1,102) have both eclipsed 1,000 career points.

• Sophomore guard James Johnson (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Loughlin) is averaging 17.0 ppg, 4.9 apg and has shot 45-55 (81.8 percent) from the line over the last eight games.



#2 Robert Morris (21-11, 15-3 NEC)

• Robert Morris survived a quarterfinal scare from #7 CCSU on Thursday, pulling away late for a 71-63 win.

• NEC Rookie of the Year Karon Abraham (Paterson, NJ/Harp Academy) led the Colonials with 18 points, including 4-5 shots from outside the arc. Nursing a one point lead with three minutes to play, Abraham hit back-to-back three pointers to spark a 9-0 run.

• The Colonials had five players in double figures in the win.

• Robert Morris claimed a share of its third straight NEC regular-season championship and seventh overall (nine if 1981-82 and 1982-83 divisional championships are included) with a 15-3 league record.

• The Colonials will attempt to become the first NEC program to repeat as champions since Rider in 1993 and 1994.

• The Colonials have won a league-high six NEC titles, with five of them coming between 1982 and 1992.

• In three seasons under Mike Rice, the Colonials are 46-8 (.852) in NEC play, the best three year stretch in league history in terms of wins and winning percentage.

• Robert Morris has now posted a 103-55 record over the last five years, the most wins over a five-year period in NEC history.

• Robert Morris has posted three straight 20-win seasons for the first time in school history.

• The Colonials are now 71-30 in Rice’s three years at the helm of the program.

• The Colonials are 11-3 at home this season.

• Robert Morris is making its seventh straight NEC Tournament appearance. The Colonials have reached the semifinals five times in that span (2004, 2006, 2008-10).

• Robert Morris is 15-6 all-time in NEC Tournament games at home. The 15 home playoff victories are the most in league history.

• Sunday’s semifinal game against the Mount will mark the eighth straight tournament home game for Robert Morris. The Colonials are 5-2 in that stretch with both losses coming to Mount St. Mary’s.

• Robert Morris and Mount St. Mary’s will meet in the NEC Tournament for the fifth straight year. The two teams have split six postseason meetings. The Colonials beat the Mountaineers, 48-46, in the 2009 title game.

• Robert Morris and the Mount split their two regular season meetings with each team defending its home court. This will be the 15th game between the two programs over the last five years.

• Robert Morris is 27-19 (.578) all-time in NEC Tournament play. The 27 wins are tied with FDU for most in league history.

• Abraham leads the Colonials and is the leading freshman scorer in the conference with 13.1 ppg. He leads the NEC in free throw shooting (.867), and ranks third in 3PFG% (.447) and fourth in made three-pointers (2.4/game).

• With 419 points on the year, Abraham has eclipsed former guard Jeremy Chappell’s freshman record of 410 points.

• Senior forward Rob Robinson (Waldorf, MD/Globe Institute of Technology) was named to the All-NEC second team.

• Senior guard Mezie Nwigwe (Hyattsville, MD /High Point), who has established a new RMU record for games played with 128, was named NEC Defensive Player of the Year.

• RMU’s balanced attack has eight players averaging between 5.7 ppg and 13.1 ppg. No player is averaging more than 26.8 minutes per game.


#3 Mount St. Mary's (16-14, 12-6 NEC) 

• Preseason NEC favorite Mount St. Mary’s utilized a 13-5 run over the final five minutes of the contest to pull away from #6 Saint Francis (PA) and post a 65-50 win.

• Junior guard Jean Cajou (Fairfax, VA/Paul VI) and senior guard Will Holland (Houston, TX/Lamar) scored 14 points apiece to lead the Mount. Senior forward Kelly Beidler (Virginia Beach, VA/Tallwood) also chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds.

• The NEC’s hottest team, the Mount has run off 11 straight wins - the longest streak in the conference this season - following a 2-6 start in league play. The 11-game win streak is the longest for the program since a 15-game streak during the 1995-96 season

• The Mount is appearing in its fifth straight NEC tourney and sixth in seven years under Milan Brown.

• The Mountaineers are the only team in the history of the NEC to have winning and losing streaks of at least nine in the same season.

• Mount St. Mary’s captured its three NEC titles in 1995, 1999 and 2008.

• The Mount owns the distinction of being both the lowest (#6 seed in 1999) and second-lowest (#4 seed in 2008) seeded teams to win the NEC Tournament.

• Mount St. Mary’s is 18-11 all-time in NEC Tournament games, including 7-4 under Brown. The Mount’s .623 winning percentage in the postseason ranks first among current NEC institutions.

• Mount St. Mary’s and Robert Morris are set to lock horns for the fifth straight year in the postseason. The two programs will also play for the 15th time in the last five years.

• The Mount and Robert Morris have split six NEC Tournament games.

• Mount St. Mary’s and Robert Morris split their two regular season meetings with each team defending its home court. The Mount won on the final day of the regular season, 63-61.

• Mount St. Mary’s is 10-4 all-time in NEC quarterfinal games with victories in each of the last four years.

• The Mount is assured of finishing at least .500 overall record for the third straight year, a feat that had not been accomplished since the three-year span from 1994-97.

• The Mount is 9-2 all-time at home in the NEC Tournament.

• The Mount has posted back-to-back 12-6 NEC marks, which ties for the second-most league wins in program history. The 1995-96 squad went 16-2 and the 1994-95 team also went 12-6.

• Mount St. Mary’s leads the NEC in scoring defense (62.6 ppg), field goal percentage defense (.405) and 3PFG% defense (.300). The Mount has held 17 straight teams to under 70 points.

• Senior guard Jeremy Goode (Charlotte, NC/Providence Day) has moved into second place on the NEC career assist list with 600. He is also 23rd on the career scoring chart with 1,696 points.

• Goode was named to the All-NEC first team for the second year in a row.

• Beidler has also cracked the 1,000 point mark (1,032 points) with Cajou approaching the milestone (960 points).

• Junior forward Shawn Atupem (Newport News, VA/Woodside) has hit 19 of his last 22 shots from the field (.864).

• Senior guard Will Holland (Houston, TX/Lamar) has hit 30 of his last 50 shots from three-point range (.600). In doing so, he now ranks second in the NEC in 3PFG% at 45.7 percent.



#4 Long Island (14-16, 11-7 NEC)

• Long Island won its first NEC Tournament since 2005 with a 63-61 win over #5 in quarterfinal round play at the WRAC on Thursday. The Blackbirds fell behind 13-1, then roared back to build a nine-point lead with under six minutes to play. Up by two, neither teams scored after Kenny Onyechi’s (Sugar Land, TX/Kempner) layup with 1:48 to play. Long Island did have to sweat out a missed Mike Scott shot at the buzzer that would have tied the game.

• Freshman forward Jamal Olasewere (Silver Spring, MD/Spring Brook) posted a double-double with 14 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, while sophomore guard Michael Culpo (Pittsfield, MA/St. Andrew’s Prep (RI)) came off the bench to hit five three-pointers and finish with 18 points.

• Long Island is making its third straight NEC Tournament appearance and sixth in Jim Ferry’s eight years as head coach. The Blackbirds are 2-5 in those games.

• The Blackbirds will meet Quinnipiac for the second straight year in the NEC Tournament. In 2009, the Blackbirds fell to visiting Quinnipiac in overtime, 86-78.

• Long Island won its two NEC crowns in 1984 and 1997.

• The Blackbirds are 21-20 all-time in tourney play.

• Quinnipiac beat Long Island, 80-72, on February 13th in Hamden. The two teams only met once this season.

• Long Island is 3-4 as the #4 seed (1988, 2001, 2005 and 2009).

• Long Island is 12-7 all-time at home in the NEC Tournament.

• Long Island is now 23-13 in NEC play over the last two years, the best two-year stretch for the program since going 24-12 from 1997-99.

• Senior guard Jaytornah Wisseh (Brooklyn, N.Y./Banneker Academy) has dished for five or more assists in each of the last nine games. He leads the NEC with 5.6 apg (22nd nationally) and ranks fourth with 17.1 ppg.

• Wisseh was named to the All-NEC first team for the second year in a row. He was also a second team all-star in 2007-08. Onyechi was tabbed to the NEC All-Rookie team.

• Wisseh is the NEC’s second-leading active scorer and 28th all-time with 1,660 points. He is 10th on the league’s all-time chart with 531 assists.

• Long Island is one of three teams in the NEC Tournament with a pair of 1,000-point career scorers. Junior guard Kyle Johnson (Ajax, Ontario/West Hill) has amassed 1,074 points.

• Freshman forward Kenny Onyechi (Sugar Land, TX/Kempner) is the NEC leader with 2.2 blocks per game

• Olasewere paces all NEC freshman with 6.7 rpg.

• Culpo is the NEC’s leading three-point shooter, draining 46.6 percent of his attempts.