2024–25 Northeast Conference men's basketball season
| 2024–25 Northeast Conference men's basketball season | |
|---|---|
| League | NCAA Division I |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Defending champions | Wagner (2023–24) |
| Duration | November 4, 2024 – March 21, 2024 |
| Number of games | 72 regular-season games (16 per team) and 7 tournament games |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| Total attendance | 80,570 |
| Average attendance | 666 per game based on 121 home games of conference members for which attendance was reported |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN2, YES, SNP, NESN+ |
| Streaming partner(s) | NESN Nation, ESPN+, NEC Front Row |
| NBA draft | |
| Regular season | |
| Regular-season champions | Central Connecticut |
| Runners-up | LIU |
| Top seed | Central Connecticut |
| Season MVP | Jordan Jones (Central Connecticut) |
| Top scorer | Terrence Brown (Fairleigh Dickinson) 20.6 points per game |
| NEC tournament final | |
| Venue | William H. Detrick Gymnasium New Britain, Connecticut |
| Champions | Saint Francis (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Central Connecticut |
| Tournament MVP | Juan Cranford Jr. (Saint Francis) |
| Note | |
|---|---|
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Connecticut | 14 | – | 2 | .875 | 25 | – | 7 | .781 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LIU | 12 | – | 4 | .750 | 17 | – | 16 | .515 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mercyhurst ** | 9 | – | 7 | .563 | 15 | – | 16 | .484 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Francis † | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 16 | – | 18 | .471 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fairleigh Dickinson | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 13 | – | 20 | .394 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stonehill * | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | 15 | – | 17 | .469 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wagner | 6 | – | 10 | .375 | 14 | – | 16 | .467 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chicago State | 4 | – | 12 | .250 | 4 | – | 28 | .125 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Le Moyne * | 4 | – | 12 | .250 | 9 | – | 23 | .281 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 2025 NEC tournament winner * ineligible for the 2025 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II ** ineligible for both the 2025 NEC tournament and the 2025 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2024–25 Northeast Conference men's basketball season began with practices in October 2024, followed by the start of the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season on November 4. Conference play started on January 3, and the regular season ended on March 1, 2025. This was the 44th season of Northeast Conference men's basketball. Central Connecticut and Merrimack were the 2023–24 regular-season co-champions, but only Central Connecticut defended their title, since Merrimack left the NEC and joined the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Wagner was the defending conference tournament champion.
This was the first season of NEC membership for both Chicago State, which joined after two seasons as a Division I independent, and Mercyhurst, which began its transition from Division II.
Central Connecticut went 14–2 in conference play to win their second straight NEC regular-season championship, having shared the title in the 2023–24 season.
The NEC tournament was held in March with the higher seeded team hosting each game. All eight teams eligible under conference rules qualified for the tournament; Mercyhurst is ineligible until 2027. Saint Francis, picked in the preseason coaches poll to finish tied for last place, defeated Central Connecticut in the NEC tournament final and advanced to the 2025 NCAA Division I tournament. The tournament championship was the first for Saint Francis since 1991.
Saint Francis lost, 70–68, to Alabama State in a First Four game.