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2024 Northeast Conference women's basketball tournament

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2024 Northeast Conference women's basketball tournament
ClassificationDivision I
Season2023–24
Teams8
SiteCampus sites
ChampionsSacred Heart (5th title)
Winning coachJessica Mannetti (2nd title)
MVPNy'Ceara Pryor (Sacred Heart)
TelevisionESPNU, ESPN+, NEC Front Row
← 2023
2025 →

The 2024 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament was the postseason women's basketball tournament for the Northeast Conference (NEC) for the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The tournament began on March 11, 2024 with first-round games, followed by semifinals on March 14 and the final on March 17, with all tournament games being played in the home arenas of the higher-seeded school. Regular-season NEC champion Sacred Heart won the tournament, receiving the conference's automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament. The championship game was also Sacred Heart's last in NEC play, as the university will join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in July 2024.

2023–24 Northeast Conference women's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Sacred Heart 15 1   .938 24 10   .706
Le Moyne* 14 2   .875 18 15   .545
Fairleigh Dickinson 11 5   .688 14 17   .452
Merrimack 8 8   .500 12 19   .387
Central Connecticut 7 9   .438 9 21   .300
LIU 5 11   .313 8 22   .267
Stonehill* 4 12   .250 4 26   .133
Saint Francis 4 12   .250 5 25   .167
Wagner 4 12   .250 7 21   .250
* ineligible for the 2024 NCAA tournament due to transition period
2024 NEC tournament winner

Seeds

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The top eight teams in the conference regular-season standings qualified. Effective with the 2023–24 academic year, NEC teams transitioning from Division II are eligible for the NEC tournament during the entirety of their transition periods. If a reclassifying institution wins the NEC tournament championship, the tournament runner-up will be awarded the NEC's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. If two reclassifying teams reach the final of the NEC tournament, the conference will stage an automatic qualifier game between the two non-advancing semifinalists.[1] Previously, transitioning NEC teams were eligible for the conference tournament only during their third and fourth transition years. The rule change results in Stonehill and Le Moyne being eligible for the 2024 NEC tournament, since Stonehill is in its second transition year, and Le Moyne is in its first.

Teams were seeded by record within the conference,[2] with a tiebreaker system to seed teams with identical conference records.[3]

Seed School Conf. Tiebreaker Notes
1 Sacred Heart 15–1
2 Le Moyne 14–2
3 Fairleigh Dickinson 11–5
4 Merrimack 8–8
5 Central Connecticut 7–9
6 LIU 5–11
7 Stonehill 4–12 3–1 vs. Saint Francis/Wagner
8 Saint Francis 4–12 2–2 vs. Stonehill/Wagner
DNQ Wagner 4–12 1–3 vs. Stonehill/Saint Francis

Schedule

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Game[4] Time* Matchup Score Television
Quarterfinals – Monday, March 11
1 7:00 pm No. 8 Saint Francis at No. 1 Sacred Heart 48–78 NEC Front Row
2 7:00 pm No. 7 Stonehill at No. 2 Le Moyne 59–79
3 7:00 pm No. 6 LIU at No. 3 Fairleigh Dickinson 59–71
4 7:00 pm No. 5 Central Connecticut at No. 4 Merrimack 51–76
Semifinals – Thursday, March 14
5 7:00 pm No. 4 Merrimack at No. 1 Sacred Heart 41–73 YES, ESPN+
6 7:00 pm No. 3 Fairleigh Dickinson at No. 2 Le Moyne 38–52
Championship – Sunday, March 17
7 12:00 pm No. 2 Le Moyne at No. 1 Sacred Heart 48–69 ESPNU
*Game times in ET. Rankings denote tournament seed

Tournament notes

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Quarterfinals

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Semifinals

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Final

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Bracket

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Teams will be reseeded after each round with highest remaining seeds receiving home-court advantage.

Quarterfinals
Monday, March 11
NEC Front Row
Semifinals
Thursday, March 14
YES/ESPN+
Championship
Sunday, March 17
ESPNU
         
1 Sacred Heart 78
8 Saint Francis 48
1 Sacred Heart 73
4 Merrimack 41
4 Merrimack 76
5 Central Connecticut 51
1 Sacred Heart 69
(Pairings are reseeded after the first round)
2 Le Moyne 48
2 Le Moyne 79
7 Stonehill 59
2 Le Moyne 52
3 Fairleigh Dickinson 38
3 Fairleigh Dickinson 71
6 LIU 59


Awards and honors

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Tournament MVP:

First Team

References

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  1. ^ "2023 NEC Spring Meeting Recap". Northeast Conference. June 15, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  2. ^ "2024 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Championship". Northeast Conference. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  3. ^ "NEC Women's Basketball Tiebreaker Procedure". Northeast Conference. February 24, 2021. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  4. ^ "2024 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Championship". Northeast Conference. Retrieved February 19, 2024.