NEC Front Row | Live Stats | SHU Game Notes

The Northeast Conference schedule begins this Wednesday when the Sacred Heart University men's basketball team hosts Long Island at 7 p.m. on NEC Front Row. The conference is back to its original format rather than the back-to-back series that was adopted a year ago. 

OPENING TIP

• The entire Northeast Conference kicks off league play on Wednesday night. For the second-straight season, Sacred Heart and LIU will open the conference slate against each other. The Sharks own the series, 15-9, after a series split last season. The Pioneers fell in the first game, 75-55, but prevailed in game two, 87-72. 
• Aaron Clarke (20) and Tyler Thomas (23) both posted 20-point performances in last year's victory over the Sharks. 
• As a team, Sacred Heart enters league play as one of the best three-point shooting teams in the NEC. The Pioneers rank first in three-point field goals made (185) and attempted (339), and rank second with 8.7 three-pointers made per game. They also lead the conference in total rebounds (481) and assists (185). 
• Last season's Most Improved Player of the Year Tyler Thomas continues to defend his crown as the NEC's top scorer at 19.2 points per game. 
• Sacred Heart has the most regular season NEC wins over the past three years. The Pioneers lead with 32 followed by Saint Francis (30) and Fairleigh Dickinson (29). 
• The Pioneers were selected sixth in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll after finishing third in 2020-21 with a 9-7 conference mark. SHU looks to defy odds again this season as they are no stranger to being overlooked. Before last season, the Pioneers were picked to finish last by the league's head coaches.

PHOTO FINISH
Ten games this season have been decided by ten points or less, not to mention SHU's OT win at La Salle thanks to a buzzer-beating three in regulation. Despite falling at NJIT, the Pioneers erased a 24-point first-half deficit to tie the game in the second frame. At Stony Brook, SHU was on the other side of a buzzer-beater to fall, 75-72. The Pioneers post a -1.1 scoring margin.

TURNING THE AC ON
Aaron Clarke plays a vital role in SHU's success. As the second-leading scorer on the team at 15.4 ppg, Clarke led the Pioneers in scoring in half the games that he's been a part of thus far. Despite being held to just six points at Columbia, Clarke dished out a career-high eight assists in SHU's 10-point feat. Most recently, Clarke led the team with 23 points against Hartford as he posted a perfect 11-for-11 clip from the charity stripe. Clarke sits 43 points away from the 1,000 point mark which would make him the 44th to hurdle the milestone in SHU's history - 16th in Division I history.  

TYLER T, MVP?
Tyler Thomas has posted double-digit scoring performances in all but one game so far this season after being held to just nine at Stony Brook. Thomas is one of the best scorers in the country as he ranks fourth in made FGs (97) and third in FG attempts (224). The junior continues to defend his crown as the NEC leader in scoring and ranks 37th nationally with 19.2 a night. In total, Thomas boasts 249 points on the year which is the 18th most in the country. His high marks are thanked in part to a season-high 30 points at URI off 10-of-18 shooting from the field. It marked his second 30-point performance of his career as he netted a career-high 36 at Merrimack last season.