It was all right there for Sacred Heart.

The preseason favorite to win the Northeast Conference entered the league tournament as a No. 3 seed and figured it would have to play on the road in the semifinals and finals. They traveled to No. 2 Wagner and won but didn't have to go to No. 1 Robert Morris.

The Colonials were upset by No. 4 Mount St. Mary's, so the Pioneers were allowed to play at home in their bid for their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

But things didn't turn out well as Sacred Heart, which also beat Central Connecticut in the tournament, shot just 29 percent from the field and saw the Mountaineers celebrate in Fairfield.

"What it came down to was, it's tough to win and tough to look good when you shoot 29 percent," said SHU coach Dave Bike. "We didn't have any flow."

So, they ended their season with an 18-14 record and know how close they came to going to the NCAA Tournament.

It was a season that started with six straight losses and featured an 18-8 record the rest of the way. But the folks in Fairfield will most remember the night Mount St. Mary's came in and stole the NEC title.

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