Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College men's basketball team had its NEC schedule released by the conference office on Tuesday afternoon.
The 18-game schedule will feature home and away matchups against each league foe.
The Dolphins will play their first conference game on Friday, January 2 at defending tournament champion Saint Francis University. The teams have split the four matchups since Le Moyne joined the conference. They continue opening weekend at Mercyhurst University, whom the Dolphins split with last season, on Sunday.
The 'Phins play their first home game the following Thursday by renewing their rivalry with NEC-newcomer University of New Haven, which the Dolphins went 17-11 against as NE10 foes between 2008 and 2023. Two days later, they host Central Connecticut State University, which has been the top seed in the conference championship the last two seasons.
The team heads to Chicago State University on Saturday the 17th before returning home to face LIU two days later on Martin Luther King Day. The Dolphins split with Chicago State in the Cougars' first season in the conference, while LIU claimed both meetings.
The Dolphins remain home to take on Wagner College on Friday the 23rd. The Dolphins have won both meetings with the Seahawks at Ted Grant Court since joining the league. Two days later, they head to FDU, where they claimed their first NEC win in January 2024.
The team completes its season series with LIU on Thursday the 29th and then closes out January on Saturday the 31st by hosting Stonehill College, which the Dolphins have defeated at Ted Grant Court in both meetings as NEC foes.
They open February at Wagner College on Thursday the 5th. Two days later, the Dolphins start a three-game homestand by hosting Saint Francis in a regular season matchup for the final time. The Dolphins welcome Mercyhurst to Ted Grant Court on Thursday the 12th and wrap the stretch against Chicago State.
The Dolphins are on the road for their next two games. They head to Central Connecticut State on Thursday the 19th and then visit Stonehill on Saturday the 21st.
The 'Phins close out the regular season with a home game and a road game. Their final home game is on Thursday the 26th against FDU, while they finish out the regular season at New Haven on Saturday the 28th.
The Northeast Conference Championship will feature an eight-team field with the quarterfinals to be held on March 4, the semifinals on the 7th and the championship game on the 10th. All games will be played at the site of the higher seed.
Eight of the nine schools that are NEC postseason eligible (CCSU, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner) will qualify for this year's NEC Tournament. During its NCAA reclassification, New Haven will become eligible to compete in the NEC postseason in 2026-27 or 2027-28.
Should Le Moyne or Mercyhurst win the NEC Tournament championship, the tournament runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the NEC's automatic qualifier as per current policy, while if Le Moyne and Mercyhurst both reach the championship game, 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.
