Northeast Conference Championship Winning Pick
by Charles Jay
The championship game of the Northeast Conference Tournament pits the Robert Morris Colonials against the Quinnipiac Bobcats on Wednesday night in Hamden, Conn.
Robert Morris Colonials @ Quinnipiac Bobcats
Wednesday, March 10th – 7:05 PM ET
TD Banknorth SportsCenter, Hamden, CT
Broadcast: ESPN2
: Qunnipiac -3.5
The Week That Was: Robert Morris
The Northeast Conference is extremely smart in how it structures its tournament. While most conferences play games on consecutive days at a neutral site, the NEC spreads its three-round tournament over seven days and plays each game at the home gymnasium of the higher seed. This system gives teams adequate rest and rewards the clubs who did better in the regular season. Robert Morris finished second in the NEC standings, so it makes sense that the Colonials are in the tournament final. RMU hosted its first two games in the NEC Tournament, and the boys from Moon Township, Pa., made the most of their home-court edge.
In the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 4, Robert Morris fought off seventh-seeded Central Connecticut State, 71-63. Five different Colonials scored in double figures, and guard Karon Abraham led the way with 18 points.
In the semifinals on Sunday, March 7, Robert Morris popped third-seeded Mount Saint Mary’s, 80-62. After a racehorse brand of basketball produced a 47-40 halftime score, the Colonials buckled down on defense and limited the visiting Mountaineers to just 22 points in the second half.
The Week That Was: Quinnipiac
The Bobcats, as the regular season champions of their league, guaranteed themselves a home game throughout the NEC Tournament. Quinnipiac hasn’t cruised through this event, but all that matters in March is to – as the late Jim Valvano put it – “survive and advance.” That’s exactly what the No. 1 seed has done over the past week.
In the quarterfinals on March 4, Quinnipiac outlasted Monmouth, 84-75. The Bobcats scored 53 points in the second half to clip the wings of the visiting Hawks. QU guard James Johnson scored 23 points, handed out eight assists, and plucked three steals for the winners. Four other Quinnipiac players scored in double figures, as the Bobcats scorched the nets and hit a whopping 55 percent of their field goal attempts.
In the semifinals on March 7, Quinnipiac received an even tougher test from the fourth-seeded Blackbirds of Long Island University, but came back to prevail, 83-78. Long Island led, 58-53, with 5:30 left in regulation, but the Bobcats roared to life and posted 30 points in the final five and a half minutes. Quinnipiac hit 15 of 16 foul shots in the final three minutes.
Outlook & Pick:
Quinnipiac is hosting this game, but Robert Morris is playing better basketball and hasn’t needed quite as much good fortune in getting to the NEC final. Moreover, the Colonials won this tournament last year and have a group of young men who won’t be fazed on the road. The combination of better defense and big-game experience will lead the second seed over the top seed in what should be a white-knuckle thriller from start to finish.
College Basketball Betting Free Pick: Robert Morris
