2023–24 Northeast Conference men's basketball season
The 2023–24 Northeast Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2023, followed by the start of the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season on November 6. Conference play started in early January and ended on March 2, 2024. This was the 43rd season of Northeast Conference men's basketball. Merrimack was the defending regular-season and conference tournament champion. Due to Merrimack's ineligibility as a team transitioning from Division II, Fairleigh Dickinson represented the conference in the 2023 NCAA tournament and advanced to the second round.
| 2023–24 Northeast Conference men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | November 6, 2023 – March 21, 2024 |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| Total attendance | 103,394 for 120 home games for which attendance was reported (average: 862 per game) |
| TV partner(s) | CBSSN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SNY, YES |
| Streaming partner(s) | ESPN+, NEC Front Row |
| NBA draft | |
| Regular season | |
| Regular-season co-champions | Central Connecticut Merrimack |
| Top seed | Central Connecticut |
| Season MVP | Jordan Derkack (Merrimack) |
| Top scorer | Jordan Derkack (Merrimack) |
| NEC tournament | |
| Venue | Lawler Arena North Andover, Massachusetts |
| Champions | Wagner |
| Runners-up | Merrimack |
| Tournament MVP | Tahron Allen (Wagner) |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Connecticut | 13 | – | 3 | .813 | 20 | – | 11 | .645 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Merrimack | 13 | – | 3 | .813 | 21 | – | 12 | .636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sacred Heart | 10 | – | 6 | .625 | 16 | – | 16 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Le Moyne* | 9 | – | 7 | .563 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fairleigh Dickinson | 9 | – | 7 | .563 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wagner † | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 17 | – | 16 | .515 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LIU | 6 | – | 10 | .375 | 7 | – | 22 | .241 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Francis | 3 | – | 13 | .188 | 8 | – | 22 | .267 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stonehill* | 2 | – | 14 | .125 | 4 | – | 27 | .129 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * ineligible for the 2024 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2024 NEC tournament winner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Central Connecticut and Merrimack were co-champions of the 2023–24 NEC regular season, giving Merrimack the title in two straight years.
The NEC tournament was held in March with the higher-seeded team hosting each game. The top eight teams in the conference standings qualified for the tournament. Wagner defeated Merrimack in the tournament final to win the program's second NEC tournament title and advance to the NCAA Division I tournament for the second time in school history. Wagner's only previous NEC tournament title and NCAA tournament appearance came in 2003.
Wagner received the overall no. 68 seed of the 68 teams in the NCAA tournament but defeated Howard in the First Four for the program's first ever NCAA tournament victory. The Seahawks then fell to North Carolina in the first round.
This was the final season for two NEC members. Merrimack and Sacred Heart will leave the conference after the 2023–24 school year to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. At the same time, Chicago State will join the NEC after two seasons as a Division I independent.