2009 Northeast Conference Tournament Predictions

The 2009 Northeast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament tips off Thursday, March 5th with four quarterfinal matchups. The semifinal round will be played Sunday, March 8th, and the championship game will take place on Wednesday, March 11th (ESPN 2). Mount St. Mary’s took home the 2008 edition of the tournament and is the No. 2 seed this season following a 12-6 mark in conference play. Robert Morris is the No. 1 seed after winning the regular season title. The Colonials finished with a 21-10 overall record and a 15-3 mark in NEC action. Find out if Mount St. Mary’s can repeat or if Robert Morris will run away with the title in this tournament predictions article. Bet the NEC Tournament at Bookmaker and receive a 20% cash sign up bonus.

The Favorite: Robert Morris
The Colonials take on No. 8 seed St. Francis in the first round of the tournament and they figure to advance to the semifinals as no No. 8 seed has ever knocked off a No. 1 in the history of this tournament. But St. Francis was the only team in the NEC to beat the Colonials on their home floor this season and it could happen again if St. Francis gets hot from three. Robert Morris is the worst team in the league at defending the three point shot, allowing its opponents to connect on nearly 38 percent of their attempts. To breathe more life into this, St. Francis is one of the better three point shooting teams in the league at 36.5 percent. I think the earlier season setback will have the Colonials taking St. Francis very seriously in this game. Robert Morris plays both ends of the floor, ranking No. 2 in both scoring offense and points against this season. The Colonials are led by Jeremy Chappel and his 16.6 points per game. Robert Morris is the clear favorite and I will be very surprised if they don’t win this tournament.

Another Team That Can Win: Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers
I’ve picked a lot of No. 1 and No. 2 seeds to win these smaller conference tournaments but that is normally who wins as these smaller leagues are usually very top heavy. Plus, the tournament framework really plays to the benefit of the top seeds. The Mountaineers have experience on their side, having won this tournament a season ago and they have a talented roster led by Jeremy Goode. Goode averages 15.8 points per game, but even more importantly to his team, Goode has dished out 120 dimes. Goode is my favorite guy to watch in this conference and one you should keep your eye on. Another thing that makes the Mountaineers so tough is their defense, which is the best in the league. Mount St. Mary’s gets Wagner in the first round. Wagner actually beat the Mountaineers by 5 points back in February. Wagner closed the season strong with a win over Robert Morris as well on its way to winning four straight. Wagner could be the sleeper and could knock the Mountaineers down to size in round one, but if the Mountaineers sneak by, they will have a shot at repeating.

2008 NEC Tournament Recap:
Mount St. Mary’s cruised to the title as a No. 4 seed in 2008, defeating Quinnipiac by 10 in round one, Robert Morris by 18 in the semi’s, and Sacred Heart by 13 in the championship game. Mount St. Mary’s won the play-in game over Coppin State and was then awarded the No. 16 seed in the East Region. The Mountaineers then got the chance to face No. 1 seed North Carolina and were crushed 113-74.

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