Bridgewater, N.J. – The Le Moyne College men's basketball team has been picked fourth in the Northeast Conference preseason coaches poll, as announced by the conference office on Thursday morning.

Fifth-year guard Darrick Jones Jr. (Richmond, Va./Oak Hill Academy/Towson) was one of five players in the conference to be named to the 2024-25 Preseason All-NEC team.

In their debut season in the NEC last year, the Dolphins exceeded expectations by finishing in a tie for fourth place after being picked ninth in the nine-team poll.

Central Connecticut State University and Wagner College tied for first place in the poll. The Blue Devils, the reigning regular season champion, received five of the nine first-place votes, while the Seahawks, the reigning tournament champion, received the other four first-place votes.

FDU, which finished in a tie for fourth place with the Dolphins at 9-7 last year, landed third in the poll. Le Moyne was picked to reprise its role as finishing fourth. LIU finished fifth in the poll after placing seventh by going 6-10 in league play last year. NEC-newcomers Chicago State University and Mercyhurst University placed sixth and seventh, respectively, in the poll. Saint Francis University and Stonehill College tied for the eighth spot in the poll.

The 2024-25 conference season tips off on January 3 with nine teams playing a 16-game traditional round-robin schedule.
 
The eight-team NEC Tournament is scheduled for March 5 (quarterfinals), 8 (semifinals) & 11 (championship), with each game hosted by the higher seed. All eight eligible teams will participate in this year's NEC Tournament. Starting in the 2026-27 season, Mercyhurst will be eligible to compete in the NEC postseason.
 
If Le Moyne or Stonehill, both reclassifying institutions, wins the NEC Tournament championship, the tournament runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the NEC's automatic qualifier, per current policy. In instances where two reclassifying members reach an NEC final in men's and women's basketball, the NEC will stage an "AQ Qualifier" game between the two non-advancing semifinal teams. This will serve as a decisive game to determine the team that will secure the NEC's spot in the NCAA Tournament.

In his second year on the Heights, Jones averaged 8.5 points per game over 22.2 minutes per game as a starter in 17 of 28 games played. He hit 40 three-pointers on a 40.4 three-point percentage and ranked second in conference action with a 40.9 percent success rate from deep.

The Dolphins open the 2024-25 season on Wednesday with an exhibition game against Mansfield University at 6:00 p.m. They open the regular season on Monday, November 4 at Syracuse University.

2024-25 NEC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. (tie) CCSU (5)
    Wagner (4)
3. FDU
4. Le Moyne
5. LIU
6. Chicago State
7. Mercyhurst
8. (tie) Saint Francis U
    Stonehill