2026 NEC women's basketball tournament
| 2026 Northeast Conference women's basketball tournament | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Division I |
| Season | 2025–26 |
| Teams | 8 |
| Site | Campus sites |
| Television | ESPNU, ESPN+, NEC Front Row |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fairleigh Dickinson † | 18 | – | 0 | 1.000 | 30 | – | 4 | .882 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mercyhurst* | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | 15 | – | 16 | .484 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LIU | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | 21 | – | 11 | .656 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wagner | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 13 | – | 17 | .433 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Le Moyne* | 9 | – | 9 | .500 | 12 | – | 21 | .364 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago State | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 9 | – | 23 | .281 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stonehill | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 12 | – | 18 | .400 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Haven** | 5 | – | 13 | .278 | 7 | – | 22 | .241 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Francis | 3 | – | 15 | .167 | 3 | – | 27 | .100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Connecticut | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 2 | – | 27 | .069 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 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 2026 NEC Women's Basketball Tournament is the upcoming postseason women's basketball tournament for the Northeast Conference for the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The tournament will take place on three dates between March 9 and 15, 2026, with all tournament games played in the home arenas of the better-seeded school.[1] The winner will receive the conference's auto bid to the 2026 NCAA tournament, if such team is eligible.
This will be the first women's tournament held under the "NEC" name. On October 2, 2025, the conference changed its name from the Northeast Conference to its longstanding initialism of NEC.[2]
Seeds
| Seed | School | Conf. | Tiebreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 18–0 | |
| 2 | Mercyhurst | 14–4 | 2–0 vs. Wagner |
| 3 | LIU | 14–4 | 1–1 vs. Wagner |
| 4 | Wagner | 9–9 | 1–1 vs. LIU |
| 5 | Le Moyne | 9–9 | 0–2 vs. LIU |
| 6 | Chicago State | 8–10 | 1–1 vs. Mercyhurst |
| 7 | Stonehill | 8–10 | 0–2 vs. Mercyhurst |
| DNQ | New Haven | 5–13 | |
| 8 | Saint Francis | 3–15 | |
| DNQ | Central Connecticut | 2–16 |
Schedule
| Game | Time* | Matchup | Score | Television | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterfinals – Monday, March 9 | |||||
| 1 | 6 p.m. | No. 7 Stonehill at No. 2 Mercyhurst | 64–70 | NEC Front Row | |
| 2 | 7 p.m. | No. 8 Saint Francis at No. 1 FDU | 56–81 | ||
| 3 | No. 6 Chicago State at No. 3 LIU | 77–99 | |||
| 4 | No. 5 Le Moyne at No. 4 Wagner | 54–47 | |||
| Semifinals – Thursday, March 12 | |||||
| 5 | 7 p.m. | No. 5 Le Moyne at No. 1 FDU | 51–71 | ESPN+ | |
| 6 | No. 3 LIU at No. 2 Mercyhurst | 82–64 | |||
| Championship – Sunday, March 15 | |||||
| 7 | Noon | No. 3 LIU at No. 1 FDU | 57–79 | ESPNU | |
| *Game times in ET. Rankings denote tournament seed. | |||||
Bracket
Teams will be reseeded after each round with highest remaining seeds receiving home-court advantage.
| Quarterfinals Monday, March 9 NEC Front Row | Semifinals Thursday, March 12 ESPN+ | Final Sunday, March 15 ESPNU | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 81 | ||||||||||||
| 8 | St. Francis (PA) | 56 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 71 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Le Moyne | 51 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Mercyhurst | 70 | ||||||||||||
| 7 | Stonehill | 64 | ||||||||||||
| 1 | Fairleigh Dickinson | 79 | ||||||||||||
| Pairings are reseeded after the quarterfinals. | ||||||||||||||
| 3 | LIU | 57 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | LIU | 99 | ||||||||||||
| 6 | Chicago State | 77 | ||||||||||||
| 2 | Mercyhurst | 64 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | LIU | 82 | ||||||||||||
| 4 | Wagner | 47 | ||||||||||||
| 5 | Le Moyne | 54 | ||||||||||||
Source:
References
- ^ "2026 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Championship". Northeast Conference. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ "New Look, Same Mission: NEC Begins Fresh Chapter". necsports.com. Retrieved March 9, 2026.