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On a wild March afternoon in Brooklyn, Long Island University men’s basketball did more than punch a ticket to the Northeast Conference championship game. The Sharks used a gritty 64–56 victory over Wagner College to secure the NEC’s automatic bid and become the first official team locked into the 2026 NCAA Tournament field, all before a conference champion was even crowned.
Behind a game-high 19 points from NEC Defensive Player of the Year Greg Gordon, a dominant all-around performance from graduate guard Jamal Fuller, and a double-double from sophomore forward Shadrak Lasu, Long Island University turned a tense semifinal into a historic breakthrough at the Steinberg Wellness Center.
In most leagues, cutting down the nets on championship night is what delivers an automatic NCAA Tournament bid. In the Northeast Conference this season, a quirk in NCAA reclassification rules changed everything.
Third-seeded Mercyhurst University, which advanced out of the other NEC semifinal, is still transitioning from Division II to Division I. Under NCAA bylaws, reclassifying programs must complete a multiyear transition period before they are eligible for the NCAA Tournament. During that time, they can compete in regular-season schedules and conference tournaments but cannot appear in March Madness itself.
Mercyhurst began its Division I transition in 2024, which means it is not eligible for the NCAA Tournament until the 2027–28 season. So once the Lakers reached the NEC title game on the opposite side of the bracket, the conference’s automatic bid could no longer go to the tournament champion by default. Instead, it had to be awarded to the highest-finishing fully eligible Division I team in the bracket.
That turned LIU’s semifinal matchup with Wagner into a functional play-in for the NCAA bracket. By winning as the No. 1 seed and advancing to the conference final, the Sharks guaranteed themselves the NEC’s automatic bid, regardless of what happens in the championship game against Mercyhurst.
According to The Sporting News, that made LIU the first team in the nation to officially secure a spot in the 2026 NCAA men’s tournament field, thanks to what it described as an “unusual NEC situation” created by Mercyhurst’s reclassification.
While the bracket math was complicated, the game itself was anything but easy. The semifinal felt like a classic neighborhood fight between two familiar New York-area foes meeting for the 125th time. LIU entered with a 68–56 edge in the all-time series and the conference’s regular-season title at 15–3 in league play. Wagner arrived as the seventh seed at 14–17 overall and 8–10 in the NEC but carried confidence after upsetting No. 2 seed Central Connecticut in the quarterfinals.
From the opening tip, both defenses dictated the tempo. The Sharks struck first with a three-pointer from Fuller on their opening possession, but neither team could create major separation in a low-scoring first half.
Possessions were long, physical and often ended at the rim rather than the arc. LIU’s normally disruptive defense did its job, but the Sharks struggled to find consistent offense beyond drives and offensive rebounds. Wagner’s pressure and half-court toughness kept the top seed uncomfortable.
Fuller helped steady LIU late in the half, drawing contact and getting to the line. His free throws in the closing seconds pulled the Sharks level, sending both teams to the locker room tied at 23–23. For a No. 1 seed chasing an NCAA bid in front of a home crowd, the game felt anything but secure.
Wagner briefly grabbed the lead by scoring the first basket of the second half, but Gordon immediately answered. The senior guard rattled off his own 4–0 spurt, putting LIU in front for good and resetting the tone on both ends.
Named NEC Defensive Player of the Year, Gordon showed why in the game’s pivotal stretch. He paired aggressive drives to the rim with disruptive on-ball defense, finishing with 19 points and four steals. His energy at the top of LIU’s defense generated live-ball turnovers and tough, late-clock shots for the Seahawks.
Even as the Sharks struggled from deep, Gordon’s attacking mentality created high-percentage looks and fouls that kept their offense afloat.
Despite LIU taking control of the scoreboard early in the second half, Wagner refused to fade. The Seahawks kept the margin within one or two possessions for much of the period, leveraging their own defense and second-chance efforts to stay close.
With 5:37 left, Wagner trimmed the deficit to 48–47, quieting the building and ratcheting up the pressure on the top seed. That is when the Sharks delivered the type of closing run that defines March.
Over the final minutes, LIU finished the game on a 16–8 surge, finally creating separation by winning the battles at the free-throw line, on the glass and at the rim. Fuller and Lasu dominated the paint, while Gordon and the backcourt took care of the ball and knocked down enough free throws to keep Wagner at a safe distance.
According to LIU’s official box score and recap on LIUAthletics.com, the Sharks held Wagner to just 32.1 percent shooting from the field. LIU hit 41.5 percent of its own attempts despite an uncharacteristically cold 2-for-15 day from three-point range.
LIU’s return to the NCAA Tournament picture has been fueled all season by a veteran core, and that group delivered again in the NEC semifinal.
Gordon’s 19 points and four steals underscored his two-way importance. As the NEC Defensive Player of the Year, he has anchored one of the conference’s most disruptive units all season, and against Wagner he combined that defensive edge with timely scoring.
His personal 4–0 burst after halftime swung momentum back to LIU and ensured the Sharks would never trail again. From there, Gordon dictated pace, attacked mismatches and made life miserable for Wagner’s ball-handlers.
Fuller opened the game with a three-pointer and closed it by owning the paint. He finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and a career-high five blocks, providing exactly the kind of veteran versatility teams need in March.
On a day when LIU’s perimeter shooting lagged, Fuller’s willingness to rebound in traffic, challenge shots at the rim and generate contact helped tilt the game. He repeatedly turned defensive stops into transition opportunities and gave the Sharks critical extra possessions late through offensive rebounds.
Sophomore forward Shadrak Lasu put together one of the most important performances of his young career, posting 13 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. His presence inside was a major reason LIU controlled the glass down the stretch.
Lasu’s work on the boards allowed the Sharks to overcome their three-point woes and keep Wagner to one shot on most possessions. Paired with Fuller’s shot-blocking, Lasu helped wall off the rim and forced the Seahawks into tough, contested looks late in the shot clock.
Redshirt senior guard Malachi Davis added 11 points and, perhaps more importantly, stability as a primary ball-handler. Playing 38 minutes in a pressure-packed environment, Davis helped LIU limit itself to just eight turnovers.
That ball security was essential in a game where every possession felt magnified, particularly once it became clear that the winner would effectively lock up the NEC’s ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
This semifinal victory and the automatic bid it clinched are the latest benchmarks in a dramatic turnaround under head coach Rod Strickland. The former NBA guard took over the LIU program in 2022–23, inheriting a team that stumbled to a 3–26 record in his first season.
Instead of stagnating, the Sharks steadily climbed. In 2024–25, LIU improved to 17–16 and reached the NEC championship game, finishing as league runner-up. One year later, the Sharks have emerged as the conference’s standard-bearer, standing at 23–10 overall and 15–3 in league play while heading to both another NEC final and the NCAA Tournament.
Under Strickland, the program has developed an identity built around defense, experience and toughness. The semifinal win, in which LIU held Wagner to barely above 32 percent shooting and imposed its will in the lane, looked like a textbook example of that blueprint.
For Long Island University, the impact of this automatic bid goes beyond a single bracket line.
The school’s last NCAA Tournament appearance came in 2018, when the program still competed under the LIU Brooklyn name. In 2019, the university unified its Brooklyn and Post campuses’ Division I athletic operations into the One LIU model and rebranded its teams as the Sharks. Since that merger, the men’s basketball program had not returned to the NCAA stage.
The 2026 berth is the first NCAA appearance of the unified Sharks era and a tangible payoff for the institutional changes and recruiting efforts that came with the consolidation.
Historically, LIU is still looking for its first NCAA Tournament win after an 0–7 all-time record in March Madness. This group, which posted a 15–3 NEC mark and features one of the league’s best defenses, has already delivered a milestone that had eluded the unified university for nearly a decade.
Local coverage from Greater Long Island highlighted the atmosphere at the Steinberg Wellness Center, where LIU fans have embraced the Sharks era with a signature “Fins Up” hand gesture at the free-throw line. As word spread during the final minutes that the NEC’s automatic bid was officially theirs, that tradition filled the arena again, turning the semifinal into a celebration of a new chapter for LIU basketball.
For recruits, families and coaches watching the situation unfold, the LIU–Mercyhurst dynamic is a helpful reminder that NCAA bylaws can quietly shape postseason paths.
When a university jumps from Division II to Division I, the NCAA requires it to complete a multiyear reclassification process. During those years, schools can join conferences and compete in regular-season schedules and league tournaments, but they are ineligible for NCAA championships until their transition is complete. The NCAA outlines these rules in its membership and reclassification handbook and legislative materials, which are available on NCAA.org.
Because Mercyhurst is in the middle of that process, the NEC had to assign its automatic bid to the highest-finishing fully eligible team. Once the Lakers advanced to the championship game, LIU’s semifinal effectively became a winner-goes-dancing matchup for eligible teams, even though a trophy was still up for grabs on Tuesday night.
For prospective student-athletes evaluating schools in transition, this is a crucial detail. Reclassification can bring exciting new opportunities, but it can also delay access to NCAA Tournament play. Understanding that timeline should be part of any athlete’s college decision-making process.
Clinching the NEC’s NCAA bid with a semifinal win has not satisfied this LIU group. After the game, Gordon emphasized that the Sharks want more than just a bracket line. They want the championship trophy, the net and the ring, with their attention now shifting to the NEC title game against Mercyhurst and then the national stage.
From a bracket perspective, LIU’s profile as a mid-major champion with a strong conference record and a disruptive defense will likely shape where the Sharks land on the seed line. Regardless of matchup, they will carry the confidence of a program that has survived tight, physical games and emerged as the last eligible NEC contender standing.
For high school and transfer recruits, LIU’s rise to the top of the NEC and its breakthrough into the 2026 NCAA Tournament offer several important takeaways:
If you are trying to figure out how a school like LIU fits into your broader college search, the Pathley College Directory is a helpful starting point. You can explore basic details for thousands of colleges, then save schools like Long Island University, St. Francis College or other Brooklyn options to your personal shortlist.
Want to focus specifically on basketball programs? Pathley’s dedicated Basketball Sport Hub helps you explore college hoops programs across divisions, compare options and find events that match your position and recruiting timeline.
To quickly understand whether a program like LIU is a good fit for your academics, athletics and campus preferences, you can also run a free College Fit Snapshot. It gives you a simple, one-page overview of how you align with a specific school so you can prioritize where to email coaches, visit and apply.
While LIU’s men’s basketball run is grabbing headlines, Brooklyn is home to several other colleges that may appeal to prospective student-athletes and students looking for different academic, athletic or campus experiences.
Using Pathley’s tools, you can compare these schools directly, exploring how they differ in academics, cost, campus life and athletics. The Compare Two Colleges feature lets you see these differences side by side so you can build a focused, realistic college list.
LIU’s 64–56 win over Wagner and its status as the first team into the 2026 NCAA Tournament are reminders of how quickly the landscape can change in college basketball. For aspiring college athletes, the lesson is clear: programs rise, opportunities open and the right fit may come from a school that is still building its national brand.
If you are serious about playing at the next level, consider using Pathley as your AI-powered assistant in the process. You can explore colleges, understand where you might fit best and build a smarter plan for reaching out to coaches.
Whether you are dreaming about playing under bright March lights like the Sharks or simply want a college where your academics and athletics line up, tools like the Pathley College Directory, Basketball Sport Hub and College Fit Snapshot can help you navigate the journey with more clarity and less guesswork.
For LIU, the path now leads to the NEC championship game and a long-awaited return to the NCAA bracket. For recruits watching from home, it might be the perfect moment to imagine where your own March story could start.
