Northeast Conference(NEC)

The Northeast Conference, founded in 1981, serves smaller universities primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. Wagner, Sacred Heart, Long Island University, Fairleigh Dickinson, Merrimack, Central Connecticut State, St. Francis Brooklyn, St. Francis Pennsylvania, and Bryant compete in a conference based primarily in the greater New York City metropolitan area. Fairleigh Dickinson's 2023 NCAA Tournament victory over Purdue as a 16-seed — only the second time a 16 had beaten a 1 — sent shockwaves through college basketball and put the NEC in the spotlight.