2025–26 Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball team

2025–26 Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball
2025–26 Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball
Conference	Northeast Conference
Record	18–12 (12–6 NEC)
Head coach	Patrick Sellers (5th season);
Assistant coaches	Ben Wood; Lenny Jefferson; Ryan Olander;
Home arena	William H. Detrick Gymnasium

2025–26 NEC men's basketball standings
	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
LIU †	15	–	3	.833	24	–	11	.686
Central Connecticut	12	–	6	.667	18	–	12	.600
Mercyhurst *	10	–	8	.556	17	–	17	.500
Le Moyne *	10	–	8	.556	15	–	17	.469
New Haven **	9	–	9	.500	14	–	17	.452
Stonehill	8	–	10	.444	12	–	21	.364
Fairleigh Dickinson	8	–	10	.444	11	–	21	.344
Wagner	8	–	10	.444	14	–	17	.452
Chicago State	5	–	13	.278	7	–	25	.219
Saint Francis	5	–	13	.278	7	–	24	.226

† 2026 NEC tournament winner * ineligible for the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II ** ineligible for both the 2026 NEC tournament and the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II

The 2025–26 Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Central Connecticut State University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Blue Devils, led by fifth-year head coach Patrick Sellers, played their home games at the William H. Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, Connecticut as members of the Northeast Conference.

Previous season

The Blue Devils finished the 2024–25 season 25–7, 14–2 in NEC play, to finish as NEC regular-season champions.^[1] They defeated Le Moyne,^[2] and Fairleigh Dickinson,^[3] before being upset by #3 seed Saint Francis in the NEC tournament championship game.^[4]

Preseason

On October 27, 2025, the NEC released their preseason coaches poll. Central Connecticut was picked to finish second in the conference.^[5]

Preseason rankings

NEC Preseason Poll
Place	Team
1	LIU*
2	Central Connecticut
3	Stonehill
4	Mercyhurst
5	Fairleigh Dickinson
6	Chicago State
7	Saint Francis
8	Wagner
9	Le Moyne
10	New Haven
() Unanimous selection*

Source:^[5]

Preseason All-NEC Team

Preseason All-NEC Team
Player	Position	Class
Darin Smith Jr.	Forward	Sophomore

Source:^[6]

Roster

2025–26 Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Elijah Parker	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Fr	St. Thomas More School	Waterbury, Connecticut
G	1	Jay Rodgers	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sr	Cochise College	Pickerington, Ohio
F	2	Nico Ashley	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	GS	Lees–McRae College	Elizabethton, Tennessee
G	3	Roddy Jones	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	RS Fr	Cheshire Academy	North Babylon, New York
F	5	Darin Smith Jr.	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	So	Vermont Academy	Springfield, Massachusetts
G	6	Melo Sanchez	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Sr	Arkansas	San Diego, California
G	10	Ja'Kobe Williams	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	GS	Edward Waters	Jacksonville, Florida
F	11	Jayden Mott	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	So	Northern Illinois	Midwest City, Oklahoma
G	12	Gabe Spinelli	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Sr	Chicago State	Watertown, Massachusetts
G	13	Ashton Reynolds	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Fr	Williston Northampton School	Brooklyn, New York
G/F	15	Adam Fox	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	RS Fr	Brewster Academy	Silver Spring, Maryland
G	20	Corsley Edwards Jr.	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	Fr	Milford Mill Academy	Baltimore, Maryland
F	22	Daniel James	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	So	Portland Community College	Bologna, Italy
F	23	Rashawn Tibby	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Fr	South Kent School	East Hartford, Connecticut
G	24	James Jones	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	So	Worcester Academy	New Britain, Connecticut
F	34	Max Frazier	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jr	Siena	Pittsboro, North Carolina

Head coach

Patrick Sellers (Central Connecticut State)

Assistant coach(es)

Ben Wood (Connecticut)
Lenny Jefferson (Central Connecticut State)
Ryan Olander (Fairfield)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: November 16, 2025

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025* 7:00 pm, NECFR		Vermont State–Johnson	W 117–55	1–0	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,007) New Britain, CT
November 6, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Quinnipiac	L 49–71	1–1	M&T Bank Arena (2,581) Hamden, CT
November 11, 2025* 7:00 pm, ACCNX		at Boston College	W 60–59	2–1	Conte Forum (3,774) Chestnut Hill, MA
November 16, 2025* 2:00 pm, ESPN+		at UMass	L 77–84	2–2	Mullins Center (2,743) Amherst, MA
November 21, 2025* 6:30 pm, B1G+		at Rutgers	W 67–54	3–2	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
November 24, 2025* 7:00 pm, NECFR		Sacred Heart	W 108–106 ^OT	4–2	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (2,067) New Britain, CT
November 30, 2025* 1:00 pm, NECFR		Johnson & Wales (RI)	W 122–57	5–2	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (511) New Britain, CT
December 3, 2025* 7:00 pm, ESPN+		at Seton Hall	L 61–77	5–3	Walsh Gymnasium (1,219) South Orange, NJ
December 7, 2025* 1:00 pm, FloCollege		at Northeastern	L 56–73	5–4	Cabot Center (653) Boston, MA
December 13, 2025* 4:00 pm, ESPN+		at Binghamton	W 84–67	6–4	Dr. Bai Lee Court (1,624) Vestal, NY
December 18, 2025* 7:00 pm, NECFR		Fairfield	L 70–84	6–5	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,054) New Britain, CT
NEC regular season
January 2, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR		at LIU	L 78–84	6–6 (0–1)	Steinberg Wellness Center (321) Brooklyn, NY
January 4, 2026 1:00 pm, NECFR		New Haven	W 72–61	7–6 (1–1)	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,118) New Britain, CT
January 8, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR		Stonehill	W 76–69	8–6 (2–1)	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (761) New Britain, CT
January 10, 2026 1:00 pm, NECFR		at Le Moyne	W 69–59	9–6 (3–1)	Ted Grant Court (639) DeWitt, NY
January 17, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR		at Saint Francis	W 98–90	10–6 (4–1)	DeGol Arena (768) Loretto, PA
January 19, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR		at Mercyhurst	L 61–79	10–7 (4–2)	Owen McCormick Court (567) Erie, PA
January 23, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR		Fairleigh Dickinson	L 66–76	10–8 (4–3)	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,045) New Britain, CT
January 25, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR		at Stonehill	L 59–61	10–9 (4–4)	Merkert Gymnasium (328) Easton, MA
January 29, 2026 7:30 pm, NECFR		at Wagner	W 62–55	11–9 (5–4)	Spiro Sports Center (916) Staten Island, NY
January 31, 2026 1:00 pm, ESPNU		LIU	L 59–80	11–10 (5–5)	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,611) New Britain, CT
February 5, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR		Chicago State	W 78–67	12–10 (6–5)	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (914) New Britain, CT
February 7, 2026 1:00 pm, NECFR		Wagner	W 84–67	13–10 (7–5)	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (732) New Britain, CT
February 12, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR		at New Haven	W 81–76	14–10 (8–5)	Hazell Center (903) West Haven, CT
February 14, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR		at Fairleigh Dickinson	W 63–57	15–10 (9–5)	Bogota Savings Bank Center (826) Hackensack, NJ
February 19, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR		Le Moyne	W 78–77	16–10 (10–5)	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (904) New Britain, CT
February 21, 2026 2:00 pm, NECFR		at Chicago State	L 51–70	16–11 (10–6)	Jones Convocation Center (272) Chicago, IL
February 26, 2026 7:00 pm, NECFR		Mercyhurst	W 80–78	17–11 (11–6)	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (914) New Britain, CT
February 28, 2026 1:00 pm, NECFR		Saint Francis	W 69–64	18–11 (12–6)	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,018) New Britain, CT
NEC tournament
March 4, 2026 7:00 pm, NEC Front Row	(2)	(7) Wagner Quarterfinals	L 60–70	18–12	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (2,105) New Britain, CT
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern.

Sources:^[7]^[8]

References

^ "2025 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Field Set". NEC. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
^ "Central Connecticut State extends nation's longest winning streak, advances in NEC tournament". Hartford Courant. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
^ "Central Connecticut tops Fairleigh Dickinson 76-72 in OT, will play St. Francis for NEC title". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
^ "St. Francis beats Central Connecticut State to win NEC tournament". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
^ ^a ^b "Shark Hunt Begins: LIU Unanimously Named 2025-26 NEC Preseason Men's Basketball Favorite". NEC. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
^ "LIU All-Star Duo Highlights 2025-26 Preseason All-NEC Men's Basketball Team". NEC. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
^ "2025-26 CCSU Men's Basketball Schedule". Central Connecticut State University Athletics. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
^ "Central Connecticut Blue Devils 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 16, 2025.

[1] "2025 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Field Set". NEC. Retrieved November 16, 2025.

[2] "Central Connecticut State extends nation's longest winning streak, advances in NEC tournament". Hartford Courant. Retrieved November 16, 2025.

[3] "Central Connecticut tops Fairleigh Dickinson 76-72 in OT, will play St. Francis for NEC title". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 16, 2025.

[4] "St. Francis beats Central Connecticut State to win NEC tournament". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 16, 2025.

[poll-5] "Shark Hunt Begins: LIU Unanimously Named 2025-26 NEC Preseason Men's Basketball Favorite". NEC. Retrieved November 16, 2025.

[6] "LIU All-Star Duo Highlights 2025-26 Preseason All-NEC Men's Basketball Team". NEC. Retrieved November 16, 2025.

[7] "2025-26 CCSU Men's Basketball Schedule". Central Connecticut State University Athletics. Retrieved November 16, 2025.

[8] "Central Connecticut Blue Devils 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 16, 2025.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball
Venues	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1965–present)
Rivalries	Hartford
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26