Northeast first conference tournament to tip off with Central Connecticut vs. Fairleigh Dickinson Monday

We don't have to wait until Tuesday for March Madness around men's college basketball as the first conference tournament tips off Monday evening with Central Connecticut visiting Fairleigh Dickinson at 7 p.m. ET from the Northeast Conference. The Knights are 4-point favorites to advance and face regular-season NEC champion Bryant, which is the betting favorite to win the tournament.

Needless to say, the NEC is going to be a one-bid league and that's for the conference tournament champion. Bryant isn't getting an at-large bid if it doesn't win the tournament despite a 16-2 league mark and the nation's leading scorer in Peter Kiss (25.1 ppg). Bryant earned the top seed for the first time in its history and will have home-court advantage throughout the event. The Bulldogs lost in the 2021 tournament final to Mount St. Mary's.

Fairleigh Dickinson and Central Connecticut both finished 5-13 in league play, but FDU earned the No. 8 seed and home court tonight vs. No. 9 CCSU. They split during the regular season, each winning at home. A No. 8 or lower seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed in the history of the NEC Tournament (37-0).

FDU last made the NCAA Tournament in 2019 and beat fellow No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M in the First Four before then getting smashed by No. 1 Gonzaga in the first round. Central Connecticut last reached the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and lost in the first round to No. 1 Ohio State.

The Knights' star is junior guard Brandon Rush, who averages a team-best 14.1 ppg. He had 36 points last week in an 88-86 OT upset of eventual NEC second-place finisher Wagner. Central Connecticut is led by junior guard Nigel Scantlebury's 13.1 ppg.

The programs are meeting for just the second time in the NEC Tournament, with CCSU winning the other meeting 64-62 in the 2004 semifinals. Central is 0-10 in true road games in the Northeast Conference Tournament.

The NEC announced a one-time expansion of the 2022 NEC Tournament field to include all nine eligible teams (Merrimack is not eligible because there is a four-year NCAA postseason moratorium for schools that transition to Division I) during the postseason. The NEC champion has played in the First Four seven times since the field expanded to 68 teams.

All NEC Tournament games are held on the campus of the better seed. Teams are reseeded after the quarterfinal round.

Monday

No. 9 Central Connecticut vs. No. 8 Fairleigh Dickinson, 7 PM ET

Wednesday

No. 5 St. Francis Brooklyn vs. No. 4 Mount St. Mary's, 7 PM ET

CCSU/FDU winner vs No. 1 Bryant, 7 PM ET

No. 7 St. Francis (PA) vs. No. 2 Wagner, 7 PM ET

No. 6 Sacred Heart vs. No. 3 LIU, 7 PM ET

Saturday

Semifinal games, 6 & 8 PM ET

Tuesday, March 8

Final, 7 PM ET

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