The dust has settled on the Northeast Conference regular season and the field is set with an NCAA Tournament bid on the line.

Despite losing at Sacred Heart on Saturday, Saint Francis (PA), who was voted to win the conference in the preseason coaches’ poll, lived up to that expectation and took the top seed.

The Red Flash will host Bryant in their quarterfinal matchup. The Bulldogs shocked the perennial favorites in Smithfield 76-67 in late January. But the Red Flash bounced back and took down the Bulldogs in Loretto a few weeks later. The team has only lost three games at home all season, giving them an advantage as the tournament will run through DeGol Arena.

Bryant skidded into the tournament, losing to Saint Francis (BKN) and LIU Brooklyn. Thankfully for the Bulldogs, Central Connecticut and Mount St. Mary’s were unable to win both their contests.

Fairleigh Dickinson won a share of the regular season title after beating the Mount and CCSU, though they lost out on the tie-breaker. The Knights, who won their final five games, will host Wagner. The defending regular-season champion Seahawks lost their final four contests and both matchups against the Knights this season.

Sacred Heart ended the year on a high note with impressive, signature wins against Robert Morris and SFPA, securing the third seed in the tournament. Led by Sean Hoehn, the Pioneers have the top offense in the conference, though their defense ranks last.

They will take on defending tournament champion LIU Brooklyn, who also ended the year on a high note, dominating CCSU and Bryant, two of the teams chasing them in the standings.

The two teams split their regular season meetings, but the Pioneers hold one distinct advantage: their home court at the Pitt Center. They lost just two games all year at home and topped the Blackbirds there by four to open the conference slate.

For a while, Robert Morris looked like the cream of the crop in the NEC, winning seven of their first eight games. They would end up going 4-6 in their next 10 games to end the season, but still managed to secure a home game thanks to a win against Wagner on Saturday. This advantage is huge, as the Colonials are 11-3 at home, while just 5-12 on the road. Their ace in the hole is their defense, as they sport the second stingiest one in the conference.

They will take on Saint Francis (BKN), who did not finish the year on a high note, dropping their finale to the Mount at home. The Terriers dropped both games to the Colonials, including an ugly 52-49 loss in early January. The Terriers sport the third-best defense in the conference, meaning another defensive slugfest may be in order on Wednesday night.

Last season’s tournament was filled with unpredictability, with the two and three seeds losing at home in the first round. In addition, Wagner, who was unbeatable at home, fell to LIU Brooklyn in the finals.

If any of the eight teams get hot at the right time, they could be hoisting the trophy on Tuesday with a trip to the NCAA Tournament in sight.