NEC PICKS

So I'm going to save the CCSU stuff until my story is posted to our web site, since I don't want to steal my own thunder, but for now I'll give you some thoughts on the other games in the league.

Something has to give Thursday night. This is the tightest the league has been in a long time (at least, everyone below LIU), as evidenced by the fact that all four playoff matchups were split in the regular season, but the top three seeds in the NEC Tournament are 15-0 in the quarters in the last five years.

Either the tournament stays true to form or we get our first big upset in a long time. Let's see if we can't figure it out.

LIU vs. SFPA: LIU is 18-1 in its last 19. The lone loss? At SFPA. I don't think the Red Flash can turn the trick on the road, but you have to put this one in the "upset watch" category because of the number of shots LIU takes (teams that shoot a lot can miss a lot on a given night) and because SFPA won't be scared having a win already over the Blackbirds.

Quinnipiac vs. The Mount: The Bobcats dropped a game in Maryland earlier this year. This post originally was going to say that I couldn't think of a single reason it would happen again in Hamden, then I thought of one.

The Cats have a tendency to lose focus. When they give a darn, they might just be the best team in this league. But too often, they don't seem to. Granted that hasn't been a problem in a couple of weeks and this IS a playoff game, but with this team, you always have to keep that 1 percent chance open that it doesn't show up. I don't think it's Tom Moore's fault as much as just being a bunch of college kids, but he has to get them going now.

They have been playing much better defense of late, according to Moore, so let's see if the Bobcats can keep it up.

RMU vs. Wagner: The Colonials just rocked Wagner without Karon Abraham. I think the Hurleys are going to make a lot of noise in this league, but not Thursday night. Of course, with that being my strongest opinion on a game, watch Wagner roll now.

CCSU vs. SFNY: I can't imagine Central's experienced players letting this chance to win a home game get away. Of course, I couldn't imagine Central losing at Bryant. Or SFNY. Still, I have to think that Central, which is a different team at home, squeaks this one out at worst.

Final verdict: Since there's 3 games with upset potential in my opinion, I'm going to say one of the home teams loses. I don't think it's Central.