NEC
The conference loses two of their stronger members from last season with Merrimack and Sacred Heart going to the MAAC with Division I independent Chicago State and Division II Mercyhurst taking their spots.
Mercyhurst had a record of only 15-16 at the Division II level last season, allowing only 66.2 points per game, but also allowing opponents to make 37% of their 3-point shots — while blocking only 1.8 shots per game, which would have been 350th in the country at the Division I level last season.
Central Connecticut was the best team in the conference in points scored on a per possession basis last season among teams that return, ranking 214th in points scored on a per possession basis and their win total has increased in each of the past five seasons but have to replace three of last year’s top four scorers from a 20 win team.
Coach Gerald Gillion got Chicago State to 24 wins as an independent that past two seasons, which was more than the 23 total wins the program had the past seven seasons combined. But he left in the offseason to become the associate head coach within the conference for a Long Island team that has posted a 10-48 record the past two seasons.
The in-conference coaching change has Chicago State needing to replace last season’s top three scorers under new coach Scott Spinelli, who was an assistant last season, while Long Island brings in two Chicago State guards in a transfer haul that includes Malachi Davis, who was a former top JUCO transfer that spent last season on Arizona State’s bench.
Last season’s top three scorers are gone from a Wagner team that made the NCAA Tournament and was 67th in points allowed on a per possession basis and 16th in opponent 3-point shooting. The team also ranked in the top 67 in points allowed on a per possession basis each of the past three seasons.
The conference’s bottom two teams are St. Francis PA and Stonehill, which have big rebuilds ahead of them. St. Francis lost its top three scorers from a team that ranked 338th among Division I teams in points scored on a per possession basis and 303rd in points allowed on a per possession basis. Meanwhile, Stonehill ranked 316th in points allowed on a per possession basis and 357th in points scored on a per possession basis.
