Sacred Heart took a 77-76 lead with a baseline out-of-bounds play ending with a Jordan Allen layup. St. Francis (PA) Greg Brown raced down the floor, attracting three defenders as he drove to the basket. His layup was off the mark, but his drive drew the attention of another Pioneer defender, allowing Earl Brown to sneak in for the second-chance effort and the game-winning bucket.
Brown, the 6-foot-6 senior forward, ended with nine points and six boards. The buzzer-beating win keeps the Red Flash atop the Northeast Conference standings along with Bryant and St. Francis (NY).
Beginning on October 3rd and running up until November 14th, the first day of the season, College Basketball Talk will be unveiling the 2014-2015 NBCSports.com college hoops preview package.
Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole has guided his program to back-to-back 20-win seasons, although his Colonials have no NCAA tournament appearances to show for it. For two straight seasons, Robert Morris has been relegated to the NIT following an upset in its conference tournament at the hands of Mount St. Mary’s.
Despite having one of the best young coaches in the nation and arguably the conference’s top player again this season, the Colonials have had trouble navigating through the NEC field, and this season the conference could resemble a minefield.
The Colonials lose the back court of Karvel Anderson and Anthony Myers-Pate, but six returning players, led by all-NEC second teamer Lucky Jones, logged 15 or more during the 2013-2014 season. Toole also brings in a six-man recruiting class (two JuCo transfers), which should help add size up front and depth on the perimeter.
While Robert Morris looks to get back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2010, St. Francis (NY) is looking to qualify for the tournament for the first time in school history. The Terriers bring back six key contributors from a season ago, including all-NEC first team selection Jalen Cannon, who averaged 14.9 points and 8.2 rebounds as a junior. Bryant may be without Alex Francis and his 2,000-plus career points, but Dyami Starks gives Tim O’Shea a go-to scoring option for a team coming off a third-place finish.
One of the conference’s others top scorers, Kyle Vinales, was sidelined with a finger injury for Central Connecticut State last season. The 6-foot-1 Vinales is one of four returners for the Blue Devils, a team looking to jump from the middle of the pack to conference contenders. St. Francis (PA) also returns the bulk of its lineup, led by second-team selection Earl Brown.
Mount St. Mary’s, which reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008, has to account for the loss of three 1,000 point scorers. Wagner will be without the conference’s three-time defensive player of the year, Kenneth Ortiz and second-leading scorer, Latif Rivers. But both the Mountaineers and Seahawks have quality pieces that could continue to make this low-major conference and interesting one to track as the season shifts into March.
PRESEASON NEC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Lucky Jones, Robert Morris
As a junior, playing alongside NEC Player of the Year Karvel Anderson, Jones averaged 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, earning all-NEC second team honors. The 6-foot-6 wing will carry a heavy load for Robert Morris this season: on offense, on defense and on the glass. He’s been a stable part of the program’s success from its two regular season conference titles to his 15-point performance in the Colonials’ NIT upset win over Kentucky in 2013.
THE REST OF THE PRESEASON NEC TEAM:
Kyle Vinales, Central Connecticut State: Scoring averaged dipped to 17.3 points per game this past season. Missed nine games with broken finger.
Dyami Starks, Bryant: The top returning scorer in the conference at 18.9 points per game in his junior season.
Jalen Cannon, St. Francis (NY): Only returning first-team all-conference selection from 2013-2014.
Earl Brown, St. Francis (PA): Nine double-doubles last season. Averaged 14.4 points and 8.0 boards per game
1. Robert Morris
2. St. Francis (NY)
3. Bryant
4. Central Connecticut State
5. Mount St. Mary’s
6. St. Francis (PA)
7. Wagner
8. Sacred Heart
9. Fairleigh Dickinson
10. LIU-Brooklyn
