Northeast Basketball: Sacred Heart, St. Francis (PA) tournament favorites

Semifinals

Note: Teams are reseeded after the quarterfinals

1.) Saint Francis (PA) vs. 6.) Long Island

This may end up being the best game of the tournament, with the defending champ facing the top seed and preseason favorite. The two teams split the series, but unlike the other splits in the league, this time both teams won on the road. This might come down to a battle of the top seed’s offensive depth and their ability to offset the Blackbirds’ duo of Clark and Flowers, who combined for 37.5 points and 17.5 rebounds in the two meetings. Despite the seed numbers, this game is a tossup, I’ll take the home team in a tight one.

Prediction: Saint Francis (PA)

2.) Fairleigh Dickinson vs. 5.) St. Francis (BKN)

The second-seeded Knights swept the season series, but in the first meeting the Knights surrendered a 15-point halftime lead and needed a 10-4 run to end the game and get a win. In the second game, FDU outscored the Terriers by 22 to erase an 11-point halftime deficit to earn the season sweep. Beating a team three times in a season is hard, it’s even harder if you don’t shoot over 50% from the field and your opponents shoot under 40%, as happened in the regular-season meetings. In a slight upset, give me the fifth-seeded Terriers to move on to the title game.

Prediction: St. Francis (BKN)

Finals

1.) Saint Francis (PA) vs. 5.) St. Francis (BKN)

The two St. Francis teams, predictably, at least in this league, split the season series with each protecting their home floor. In the first game, the Red Flash erased a nine-point halftime deficit to take a 67-66 lead with just under two minutes to play, but St. Francis (BKN) finished the game on a 6-1 run for the win.

In the rematch, Saint Francis (PA) had an easier time, getting a 10-point win. With so much on the line and on their home floor, I see the Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash going back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991.

Prediction: Saint Francis (PA)