Central Connecticut State won the 2024-25 Northeast Conference regular season championship last season. However, they lost the conference tournament final to St. Francis (PA) and ultimately missed the tournament. The real Blue Devils also lost all their starters from last year’s team, but they’ve assembled a solid team through the transfer portal and internal development. Have they reloaded, or will they come up short this year? Is this the year that Chicago State levels up in the Northeast Conference? Hint: probably not. We’ve gone through the rosters and found one play you’ll want to take for the upcoming NEC regular season.
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2025-26 Northeast Conference Basketball Champion Best Bet
Long Island to win the Northeast Conference
The Long Island Sharks had a bit of a breakout season last year. LIU finished in second place in the 2024-25 Northeast Conference regular season. This year? The Sharks return three starters from last year’s squad, but at least two returning starters should end up on the All-Northeast Conference team at the end of the year.
Top scorer Malachi Davis returns to Long Island for his graduate senior season this year. Davis averaged 17.7 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per game last season. Senior forward Jamal Fuller also comes back. Fuller averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting over 36% from three-point range.
Long Island also brings back senior power forward Shadrak Lasu. Lasu averaged 5.8 points, 7.4 boards, and 1.4 blocks per game last season as a starter.
To round out their starting lineup, Long Island brought in graduate senior guard Jomo Goings from Slippery Rock, and junior JUCO transfer Faheim Meran at point guard.
The Sharks also bring back several bench pieces from last year’s team and added more depth through the transfer portal.
Swingman Greg Gordon left both Iona and UAB for personal reasons over the past two years, but Gordon signed with LIU and should feature off the bench to start. Wing Mason Porter-Brown also transfers in from the JUCO ranks and offers length and athleticism.
Sophomore forward Tre’shawn Sheppard, junior forward Xinyi Li, and junior guard AJ Neal all return to Long Island for the 2025-26 season. The trio should play key roles in the LIU second unit.
Also, the Sharks have a fantastic home court advantage with the Steinberg Wellness Center. The screws might be loose and the elevators might not always work, but the vending machines have some of the best snacks in the NEC.
Long Island enters its fourth season with head coach Rod Strickland. After winning only three games in his first year, the Sharks have improved each year that Strickland has led the program. They won seven games in 2023-24 and 17 games last year. Given what the Sharks bring back and what they brought in, they should make the leap to the top of the Northeast Conference this year.
This team has grown up together and now it’s time to win. Lock up the Long Island Sharks to win the Northeast Conference regular season this year.
The College Basketball Experience
For more analysis on every college basketball game for the 2025-26 season, make sure you tune into The College Basketball Experience. Colby Dant, Moneyline Mac, and Noah Bieniek talk about each game on the entire slate. Listen for input on ATS and moneyline college basketball picks every night!
