Northeast Tournament 2015: Bracket, schedule and scores

St. Francis College is eyeing its first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament and is just two wins away.

One of the best parts about small-conference tournaments is that they often take place at campus sites: tiny gyms, packed with students who rarely get the chance to see their team play with the stakes so high. The Northeast Conference offers a league full of such gyms, all in relatively close proximity, making for one of the more higher energy low-major tournaments.

This year, the favorite to win it all is St. Francis College-Brooklyn. The Terriers have never been to the NCAA Tournament, but finished the regular season in first place with a 15-3 league record, giving them home-court advantage throughout. Lurking behind St. Francis College is two-time defending NEC Tournament champion Robert Morris. The Colonials and Terriers split their regular season matchups, with each team winning on the other's home floor.

It seems as if the two teams are on a collision course for the final, but don't count out Bryant, either. The Bulldogs have also never reached the dance, but have already won at Robert Morris.

The format

Eight of the league's 10 teams advance to the conference tournament, setting up a fairly simple quarterfinal-semifinal-final format with no byes. The Northeast Conference deviates from most leagues, however, by re-seeding after the first round. Typically, these tournaments are set up so that the 1 vs. 8 winner would face the 4 vs. 5 winner in the semifinals. But here, the four semifinalists are paired so that the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining, no matter who it is. Such a format makes it more likely that the best team in the league will win the tournament and earn the tournament bid.

The teams

1. St. Francis College

2. Robert Morris

3. Bryant

4. Mount St. Mary's

5. St. Francis University

6. Sacred Heart

7. Wagner

8. LIU-Brooklyn

Bracket

You can find a bracket here, with quarterfinal results from Wednesday already filled in.

Schedule and Results (all times Eastern)

Wednesday, March 4 (Quarterfinals)

Game 1: No. 1 St. Francis College 79 No. 8 LIU-Brooklyn 70

Game 2: No. 2 Robert Morris 91 No. 7 Wagner 68

Game 3: No. 3 Bryant 91 No. 6 Sacred Heart 85 (2 OT)

Game 4: No. 5 St. Francis University 73 No. 4 Mount St. Mary's 58

Saturday, March 7 (Semifinals)

Game 5: No. 2 Robert Morris vs. No. 3 Bryant, Noon, MSG/NEC Front Row

Game 6: No. 1 St. Francis College vs. No. 5 St. Francis University, 2 p.m., MSG/NEC Front Row

Tuesday, March 10 (Championship)

Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 7 p.m., ESPN2

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