MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The LIU men's basketball team is gearing up for the 2020 Northeast Conference Tournament semifinals, this Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m. The #4 seed Sharks will take on top seed Robert Morris at the UPMC Events Center, in a game that will air on ESPN3 and NEC Front Row.
AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh will also air both games live only on their DIRECTV (Ch. 659) and Dish (428) stations. The games will then air on same day delay on AT&T SN cable stations at 7 pm (RMU-LIU) and 9 pm (Saint Francis-Sacred Heart).
SHARK BITES
- This past Wednesday marked the first time since the 2011 NEC Tournament that all four top seeds advanced to the semifinal round. Only three NEC Tournaments - in 1987, 1991 and 1994 - have gone exactly according to seeding.
- The quarterfinal round also produced three games decided by two points or less for the first time since 1995 and only the second time in NEC Tournament annals.
- LIU is coming off of a late win over #5 seed FDU in the quarterfinals. Senior Julian Batts hit a layup with 0.8 seconds left to play that gave LIU the win.
RMU/LIU: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- RMU has reached the NEC semifinals in 12 of the last 13 years and an NEC record 23 times overall.
- Robert Morris is 21-3 with six NEC title wins in ten all-time appearances as the #1 seed.
- Semifinal opponents LIU and Robert Morris have met in five NEC finals with the Sharks winning in 1984, 2011 and 2012, and the Colonials winning in 1982 and 1983.
- In Derek Kellogg's three seasons at LIU, the Sharks won the NEC championship in 2018 and advanced to the semis in 2019 and 2020.
- Top-seeded Robert Morris avoided the upset in Wednesday's NEC quarterfinals, advancing with a 59-58 win over eight-seeded St. Francis Brooklyn in Moon Twp.
- Robert Morris has built an all-time record of 43-27 (.614) in the NEC Tournament. The 43 wins are the most in conference history and the Colonials rank second all-time in NEC Tournament win percentage behind Rider.
- RMU has posted a 29-8 (.784) home record in the NEC playoffs. The 29 home wins are a league record. The Colonials are 9-12 (.429) in road games and 5-7 (.417) in neutral site contests.
- Preseason NEC favorite LIU is back in the postseason for the sixth straight year and has now qualified in 12 of the last 13 seasons.
• The Sharks will be making their 18th NEC semifinal appearance, the third-most in league history.
- LIU has posted a 7-5 record in five appearances as the #4 seed with single wins in 1998, 2005, 2010 and 2020, along with a three-game run to the title in 2018.
- Robert Morris leads the all-time series with LIU, 47-32. Last year, the two teams split, with each squad winning on their home court. LIU won in Brooklyn, 80-73, before RMU exacted revenge on the trip to PA, beating LIU 62-49.
- Earlier this season when the two teams met, RMU took the win, 71-66. The difference came in the final five minutes, when RMU went to the line six times. The Colonials went 6-for-6 at the charity stripe as a part of an 8-1 run that put them up, 66-16 with 3:09 to play. Despite a three from senior Julian Batts, LIU went 1-for-5 from the field in the final stretch, and Robert Morris clinched the win, 71-66.
- Senior Raiquan Clark was 9-for-15 from the field, leading all scorers with 21 points. Sophomore Virshon Cotton had 19 points, going 6-for-11 from the field, and 4-for-7 from three-point range. Junior Ty Flowers had his 10th double double of the season, with 14 points and 10 rebounds, along with two blocks and two assists.
