BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Long Island University men's basketball team (23-10, 15-3 NEC) returns to the NEC Men's Basketball Tournament championship game for the first time since 2018 on Tuesday night, hosting No. 3 seed Mercyhurst University in Brooklyn.
Tuesday's game will mark LIU's 10th overall appearance in the NEC championship game, and the first in the Sharks era of the program. LIU holds a 6-3 record in the NEC title matchup with its last win coming in 2018, defeating Wagner College 71-61 on the road.
LIU enters the game coming off a 64-56 defeat of No. 7 seed Wagner on Saturday, a game that clinched the NEC's automatic qualifier bid to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament due to Mercyhurst's current status as a reclassifying Division I institution. Greg Gordon led LIU with 19 points, while Shadrak Lasu posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The Sharks split the regular season series against the Lakers, first winning 60-58 at home on Jan. 8 before falling 91-83 on the road on Feb. 21.
Tuesday's game will be televised on ESPN2, with Jay Alter (play-by-play) Dan Bonner (analyst) on the call. Additional audio coverage of Tuesday's NEC championship game will be available on the LIU Sharks Audio Network via the Varsity Network App, with "The Voice of the Sharks" Phil Constantino (play-by-play) and Jon Gross (analyst) on the call. Mike Murabito will host pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage.
Quick Facts
-LAKER HISTORY: Tuesday's game will be the 5th meeting between the Sharks and the Lakers, with each team holding two wins in the all-time series. Mercyhurst won the previous matchup 91-83 in Erie on Feb. 21.
-LAST TIME OUT: LIU pulled away late in its NEC semifinal win over Wagner, defeating the Seahawks 64-56 in Brooklyn. Greg Gordon led LIU with 19 points, while Shadrak Lasu recorded his second double-double of the season with 13 points and 13 rebounds, posting season-highs in both categories.
-NEC TITLE GAME: Tuesday marks LIU's 10th appearance in the NEC title game in program history, and its first of the Sharks era. LIU's last appearance in the NEC Championship game came in the 2017-18 season, defeating Wagner 71-61.
-NEC CHAMPS: With a win over Saint Francis on Feb. 19, LIU secured a share of the 2025-26 NEC regular season title, later claiming the outright title with CCSU's loss to Chicago State. This is LIU's 7th NEC Regular Season title in program history, joining the 1982-83, 1983-84, 1996-97, 1997-98, 2010-11, and 2011-12 teams.
-COACH OF THE YEAR: Rod Strickland became the third LIU head coach to receive NEC Coach of the Year honors in program history, joining Ray Haskins (1996-97) and Jim Ferry (2x; 2004-05, 2010-11).
-DPOY: Greg Gordon became the first LIU student-athlete to receive NEC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Gordon led LIU in both total rebounds (174) and steals per game (1.7) this winter, and finished 3rd on the team in blocks per game (.8).
-NEC HONORS: Malachi Davis and Jamal Fuller were 1st-Team All-NEC selections, while Greg Gordon was placed on the 2nd-Team All-NEC and All-Defensive lists. Fuller, Gordon, and Davis have all earned two NEC Player of the Week awards.
-OFFENSIVE LEADERS: Through 33 games, the Sharks lead the NEC with 73.9 ppg. Jamal Fuller (16.6 ppg, 4th), Malachi Davis (14.1, 8th), and Greg Gordon (13.8, 10th) all sit in the top 10 of the NEC in points per game.
-BUCKET GETTERS: The Sharks lead the NEC in team field goal percentage with a 47.9% mark, with Greg Gordon (56.3%, 3rd in NEC), Jamal Fuller (52.4%, 4th) both in the top 5 of individual field goal percentage. Malachi Davis (41.6%) ranks 10th.
-SHOT BLOCKING SHARKS: LIU leads the NEC and is 11th in Division I in blocked shots per game, posting an average mark of 5.4. Shadrak Lasu (1.5 BPG), Jamal Fuller (1.1), and Greg Gordon (.8) all sit in the top 10 of the NEC in blocks per game.
