2019–20 Merrimack Warriors men's basketball team explained

Mode:Basketball
Year:2019–20
Prev Year:2018–19
Next Year:2020–21
Team:Merrimack Warriors
Conference:Northeast Conference
Short Conf:NEC
Record:20–11
Conf Record:14–4
Hc Year:4th
Asst Coach1:Micky Burtnyk
Ac1 Year:11th
Asst Coach2:Phil Gaetano
Ac2 Year:2nd
Champion:NEC regular season champions

The 2019–20 Merrimack Warriors men's basketball team represented Merrimack College during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Warriors were led by fourth-year head coach Joe Gallo, and played their home games at Hammel Court in North Andover, Massachusetts as first-year members of the Northeast Conference (NEC).

The season marked the school's first season in NCAA Division I. The Warriors previously participated in Division II's Northeast-10 Conference (NE10).[1] As part of their transition to Division I, the Warriors were not eligible for postseason play, including the NEC tournament, until 2024.[2]

On February 27, 2020, Merrimack defeated Central Connecticut 69–58 to clinch at least a share of the Northeast Conference regular-season title. The Warriors became the first men's basketball team to record a 20-win season in its first Division I season. Due to NCAA rules for schools transitioning to D-I, the Warriors were ineligible to play in NCAA-sponsored postseason events (the NCAA Tournament and the NIT), and under NEC rules were ineligible for the conference tournament.[3] Two days later, Robert Morris' 78–68 win over Saint Francis (PA) gave the Warriors the outright regular-season NEC title, making them the first men's basketball program to win an outright conference title in its first D-I season. Contrary to an Associated Press report, the Warriors were eligible for non-NCAA postseason events.[4] [5] They were a candidate for an invitation to the 2020 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. However, the CIT, and all postseason tournaments, were cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previous season

The Warriors finished the 2018–19 season 22–10, 14–7 to finish in second place in the Northeast Division of NE10 play. They won the NE10 Tournament championship to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II tournament. As the No. 2 seed in the East Regional,[6] they lost in the first round to .[7]

Roster

Source[8]

Schedule and results

|-!colspan=9 style=|Exhibition|-!colspan=9 style=|Non-conference regular season|-!colspan=9 style=| Northeast Conference regular season |-Source[9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Northeast Conference - Merrimack College Accepts Invitation to Join Northeast Conference. northeastconference.org. en. 2018-09-10.
  2. Web site: This is Merrimack’s chance to make noise in Division I. Steinberg. Russell. 2019-10-25. Mid-Major Madness. en. 2019-11-18.
  3. HAIL THE CHAMPIONS! Men’s Basketball Downs CCSU, 69-58, to Capture NEC Regular Season Championship . Merrimack Warriors . February 27, 2020 . February 28, 2020.
  4. News: Merrimack claims Northeast title in 1st Division I season . Associated Press . ESPN.com . February 27, 2020 . February 28, 2020.
  5. Merrimack Men’s Basketball Makes NCAA History with Outright NEC Regular Season Title . Merrimack Warriors . February 29, 2020 . March 1, 2020.
  6. Web site: Men’s Basketball Receives Second Seed in NCAA East Regional, Faces Dominican in Tournament Play Saturday. Merrimack College Athletics. en. 2019-11-18.
  7. Web site: Merrimack falls in NCAA tournament to Dominican. McMahon. Mike. 2019-03-17. The Mack Report. en-US. 2019-11-18.
  8. Web site: 2019–20 Men's Basketball Roster. merrimackathletics.com. Merrimack Athletics. August 26, 2019.
  9. Web site: 2019-20 Merrimack Warriors Schedule. ESPN. en. 2020-02-27.

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