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NEC Tournament Preview

Season in Review
The NEC has seen many talented players, such as Cane Broome, Quincy McKnight, and Elijah Mitrou-Long, transfer to better programs, and the level of play in the conference has suffered. Simply put, it is one of the worst conferences in the nation, and it's I have seen very little of it throughout the year. However, that doesn't mean I know nothing. Saint Francis (PA) and Fairleigh Dickinson both had good seasons, finishing tied atop the conference at 12-6. Robert Morris and Saint Francis (NY) also finished above .500 overall, and the gap between the third place team and the eighth is just 4 games, so there is the potential for some craziness in the conference tournament.

Bracket
NEC MBB Bracket - 2019 - Story

Contenders
St. Francis (PA) (16-13, 12-6)
The Red Flash have been great offensively throughout conference play, leading the conference in adjusted offensive efficiency. They have succeeded by rarely turning the ball over thanks to star point guard Jamaal King, and King and Keith Braxton are arguably the best duo in the league. They also hit the boards well, which gives them an obvious advantage. They also shoot it pretty well, so their offense is what will propel them to a deep tournament run.

Fairleigh Dickinson (17-13, 12-6)
The Knights are also very good offensively, led by their red hot shooting from deep. They make 40% of their shots from behind the arc on the year, the fifth best mark in the country, and 42% in conference play. The team is hot right now, winning their last 5 games and 11 of their last 13 and while they only do one thing well, the Knights have a shot at winning this tournament thanks to their shooting.

Sleeper Team
LIU Brooklyn (15-15, 9-9)
The Blackbirds are the reigning conference champions, and led by a group of players that made an appearance in last year's NCAA Tournament. They have the leading scorer in the conference in Raiquan Clark, and they play at a pretty fast pace, so they could run the other teams off the court. They also split with the two favorites, and they have one of the best interior defenses in the conference. If Clark can get hot and the defense continues to play well, the Blackbirds could make a run once again.

Players to Watch
Keith Braxton
Stats: 16.4 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 52.1/35.1/76.9
Braxton is one of the main reasons that St. Francis has the one seed in the conference tournament. The versatile big man has a lot of offense run through him, which is why he averages roughly 4 assists a game, and his ability on the offensive end is so key to the Red Flash. He is very consistent and can impact the game in many different ways. There are few bigs in the NEC that can match up with him, and he should be a key part of the Red Flash's run in this tournament.

Darnell Edge
Stats: 16.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0 BPG, 46.4/47.6/87
As I mentioned earlier, the Knights have some great shooters, and they are led by Edge. He makes 47.1% of his threes, which is better than he shoots from inside the arc, so he's a shooter. When he's on, he's on, like his 32 point performance on 7 made threes against Bryant, and he's a threat to go off at pretty much any point. It's very easy to see a scenario where Edge gets hot for three games and carries the Knights to a conference tournament championship.

Raiquan Clark
Stats: 19.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 50.7/25/70.1
As I said earlier, Clark is the leading scorer in the conference, and if the Blackbirds are going to make a run, they will do so on the back of Clark. He is a scoring machine, having not scored in double digits just 3 times and regularly clearing 20 points in games. He scored 20 points in the conference tournament final last year, and he's got the experience, so he might be able to lead them back to the NCAA Tournament.

My All Conference Teams
First Team
G: Darnell Edge, Fairleigh Dickinson
G: Tyler Kohl, Central Connecticut State
F: Romone Sanders, Wagner
F: Keith Braxton, St. Francis (PA)
F: Raiquan Clark, LIU Brooklyn

Second Team
G: Jamaal King, St. Francis (PA)
G: Jahlil Jenkins, Fairleigh Dickinson
G: Sean Hoehn, Sacred Heart
G: Jalen Jordan, St. Francis (NY)
F: EJ Anosike, Sacred Heart

My Pick: Fairleigh Dickinson over LIU Brooklyn
It should be noted that the tournament reseeds after the first round, so the Blackbirds will face off against St. Francis in the second round, and I think they will upset them. I think Clark will go wild against Keith Braxton, and lead them to the final, but I like the Knights ability to shoot the ball from deep and I don't know if any of the other teams can keep up with their shooting ability.

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