The 2023 Northeast Conference (NEC) men's basketball tournament was the postseason championship tournament for the NEC during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The tournament determined the conference’s automatic qualifier for the 2023 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
Format and Seeding
- The tournament featured the eight eligible NEC member institutions. Merrimack College, in its transition to Division I, was ineligible for the NCAA tournament and therefore did not participate.
- Teams were seeded No. 1 through No. 8 based on regular‑season conference records, with tiebreakers applied as necessary.
- All games were played at the campus site of the higher‑seeded team, giving the top seeds home‑court advantage throughout the event.
Schedule
- Quarterfinals: March 1, 2023
- Semifinals: March 4, 2023
- Championship game: March 7, 2023
Bracket and Results
| Round | Matchup | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinals | (1) Fairleigh Dickinson vs. (8) St. Francis (PA) | Fairleigh Dickinson won |
| (2) Wagner vs. (7) Central Connecticut State | Wagner won | |
| (3) LIU vs. (6) Sacred Heart | LIU won | |
| (4) Bryant vs. (5) Saint Francis Brooklyn | Bryant won | |
| Semifinals | (1) Fairleigh Dickinson vs. (4) Bryant | Fairleigh Dickinson won |
| (2) Wagner vs. (3) LIU | Wagner won | |
| Championship | (1) Fairleigh Dickinson vs. (2) Wagner | Fairleigh Dickinson defeated Wagner, 70–66 |
Champion
Fairleigh Dickinson University captured the tournament title, earning the NEC’s automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. The championship victory marked another conference tournament title for the Knights.
Aftermath
In the NCAA tournament, Fairleigh Dickinson entered as a No. 16 seed in the East Region and achieved a historic first‑round upset over No. 1 seed Purdue University.
References
- Northeast Conference official athletics website – 2023 men’s basketball tournament bracket and results.
- NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament records, 2023 edition.
Note: All information presented reflects data available from official conference and NCAA sources.
