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Monmouth, Quinnipiac moving from the NEC to the MAAC

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The news that was thought to be on the way Thursday is now official, as Monmouth and Quinnipiac will leave the Northeast Conference at the end of this academic year to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

While Monmouth has already released a statement announcing its decision Quinnipiac will make its announcement on Saturday according to Mike Anthony of the Hartford Courant. The move pushes the MAAC to 11 members in 2013 (Loyola (MD) is joining the Patriot League) while dropping the NEC to ten.

“Monmouth is flattered by the invitation to join the MAAC. I thank the Council of Presidents for having confidence in us,” said Monmouth president Paul G. Gaffney. “While we have enjoyed our relationships with the NEC member institutions and our successes on the field, Monmouth is pleased with the opportunity to aim for new goals.

“There is little doubt that Monmouth and our NEC friends will find ways to continue valuable competitions. I look forward to working closely with new colleagues in the continual advancement of our new home conference.”

Monmouth’s arrival means that three schools located in New Jersey call the MAAC home, as they join Saint Peter’s and Rider. Rider’s campus is located about an hour away from Monmouth, and they’ve met 38 times since the 1974-75 season. The Broncs hold a 23-15 edge in the series, most recently beating the Hawks 65-62 on November 17.

As for Quinnipiac they become the MAAC’s second member located in Connecticut, as its Hamden campus is just over a half-hour drive from Fairfield. But there’s isn’t much basketball history between the schools as they’ve met just once, a 72-60 Fairfield win in the season opener for both last year (part of the Connecticut 6 Classic).

“We are delighted to be joining the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference that will continue to advance us both athletically and academically,” said Quinnipiac President John L. Lahey in a statement released by the school. “We also want to thank the Northeast Conference which has provided collegiality and support to Quinnipiac’s athletic teams since our becoming a Division I program.”

The question for the NEC, provided they only lose Monmouth and Quinnipiac, is whether or not they’ll look to replace those schools with new members. Ten would allow the NEC to keep its 18-game conference schedule with a true round robin, which wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.