2018–19 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights men's basketball team represented Fairleigh Dickinson University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Greg Herenda. The Knights played their home games at the Rothman Center in Hackensack, New Jersey as members of the Northeast Conference.

2018–19 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights men's basketball
NEC Tournament champions NEC regular season co-champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
Conference	Northeast Conference
Record	21–14 (12–6 NEC)
Head coach	Greg Herenda (6th season)
Assistant coaches	Bruce Hamburger Patrick Sellers Pete Lappas
Home arena	Rothman Center

2018–19 Northeast Conference men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Saint Francis (PA)	12	–	6		.667			18	–	15		.545
Fairleigh Dickinson †	12	–	6		.667			21	–	14		.600
Sacred Heart	11	–	7		.611			15	–	17		.469
Robert Morris	11	–	7		.611			18	–	17		.514
St. Francis Brooklyn	9	–	9		.500			17	–	16		.515
LIU Brooklyn	9	–	9		.500			16	–	16		.500
Wagner	8	–	10		.444			13	–	17		.433
Bryant	7	–	11		.389			10	–	20		.333
Mount St. Mary's	6	–	12		.333			9	–	22		.290
Central Connecticut	5	–	13		.278			11	–	20		.355
† 2019 NEC tournament winner

The Knights compiled a 21–14 record and went 12–6 in NEC play to finish in a tie for first place. They defeated Wagner, Robert Morris, and Saint Francis (PA) to capture the NEC tournament championship as the 2-seed. By winning the NEC tournament, the Knights received the conference's automatic bid and defeated Prairie View A&M in the First Four Round of the NCAA tournament in Dayton, OH. The Knights then lost to 1-seed Gonzaga.

Previous season

The Knights finished the 2017–18 season 13–18, 9–9 in NEC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. They defeated Saint Francis (PA) in the quarterfinals of the NEC tournament before losing in the semifinals to LIU Brooklyn.

Preseason

In a poll of league coaches at the NEC media day, the Knights were picked to finish in second place. Senior guard Darian Anderson was named the preseason All-NEC team.

Roster

2018–19 Fairleigh Dickinson Knights men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Hometown G 1 Darnell Edge 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Saugerties, New York G 2 Bassel Saliba, Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Hackensack, New Jersey G 3 Jahlil Jenkins 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So Ranson, West Virginia F 5 Xzavier Malone-Key 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Philadelphia, Pennsylvania G 10 Brandon Powell 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Middletown, New York G 11 Tyler Jones 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Lawrenceville, New Jersey F 12 Kaleb Bishop 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Paterson, New Jersey C 15 Oscar Okeke 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Abuja, Nigeria F 21 Elyjah Williams 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Evanston, Illinois F 24 Nadi Beciri 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Maywood, New Jersey G 33 Pat McNamara 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Arlington Heights, Illinois F 34 Mike Holloway Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Pittsgrove, New Jersey F 35 Marc Dadika 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Saddle Brook, New Jersey	Head coach Greg Herenda (Merrimack) Assistant coach(es) Bruce Hamburger (Central Connecticut State) Patrick Sellers (Central Connecticut) Pete Lappas (Boston College) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: January 21, 2019

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
November 1, 2018* 7:00 pm		Post	W 86–61		Rothman Center (267) Hackensack, NJ
Non-conference regular season
November 9, 2018* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus		at Rutgers	L 55–90	0–1	Louis Brown Athletic Center (5,521) Piscataway, NJ
November 14, 2018* 7:00 pm		Queens College	W 87–48	1–1	Rothman Center (450) Hackensack, NJ
November 16, 2018* 7:00 pm		NYIT	W 85–57	2–1	Rothman Center (398) Hackensack, NJ
November 21, 2018* 7:00 pm, ESPN		at Princeton	W 77–66	3–1	Jadwin Gymnasium (1,291) Princeton, NJ
November 25, 2018* 3:00 pm		Lafayette	L 76–80	3–2	Rothman Center (242) Hackensack, NJ
November 27, 2018* 8:30 pm, FS1		at Providence	L 59–69	3–3	Dunkin' Donuts Center (4,879) Providence, RI
December 1, 2018* 1:00 pm		at Holy Cross	L 49–67	3–4	Hart Center (1,458) Worcester, MA
December 12, 2018* 7:00 pm		Army	W 93–84	4–4	Rothman Center (566) Hackensack, NJ
December 15, 2018* 7:00 pm		NJIT	L 80–90	4–5	Rothman Center (612) Hackensack, NJ
December 19, 2018* 7:00 pm		Saint Peter's	W 83–74	5–5	Rothman Center (688) Hackensack, NJ
December 21, 2018* 3:30 pm, ESPN		at UMass	L 84–85	5–6	Mullins Center (2,276) Amherst, MA
December 29, 2018* 1:00 pm, ESPN3		at South Florida	L 54–60	5–7	Yuengling Center (2,945) Tampa, FL
NEC regular season
January 3, 2019 7:00 pm		at Robert Morris	L 62–69	5–8 (0–1)	North Athletic Complex (1,016) Pittsburgh, PA
January 5, 2019 7:00 pm		at Saint Francis (PA)	W 79–61	6–8 (1–1)	DeGol Arena (704) Loretto, PA
January 10, 2019 7:00 pm		Central Connecticut	L 96–103 2OT	6–9 (1–2)	Rothman Center (327) Hackensack, NJ
January 12, 2019 4:00 pm		at Wagner	L 60–66	6–10 (1–3)	Spiro Sports Center (1,712) Staten Island, NY
January 19, 2019 4:30 pm		at LIU Brooklyn	L 77–79	6–11 (1–4)	Steinberg Wellness Center (492) Brooklyn, NY
January 21, 2019 2:00 pm		Mount St. Mary's	W 87–69	7–11 (2–4)	Rothman Center (443) Hackensack, NJ
January 24, 2019 7:00 pm		St. Francis Brooklyn	W 60–58	8–11 (3–4)	Rothman Center (592) Hackensack, NJ
January 26, 2019 4:00 pm		at Bryant	W 78–63	9–11 (4–4)	Chace Athletic Center (847) Smithfield, RI
January 31, 2019 5:00 pm, ESPNU		LIU Brooklyn	W 80–77	10–11 (5–4)	Rothman Center (990) Hackensack, NJ
February 2, 2019 4:30 pm		Robert Morris	W 97–94 2OT	11–11 (6–4)	Rothman Center (610) Hackensack, NJ
February 7, 2019 6:00 pm		at Sacred Heart	L 63–69	11–12 (6–5)	William H. Pitt Center (567) Fairfield, CT
February 9, 2019 4:00 pm		at St. Francis Brooklyn	W 84–73	12–12 (7–5)	Generoso Pope Athletic Complex (707) Brooklyn, NY
February 14, 2019 6:00 pm, CBSSN		Saint Francis (PA)	L 62–87	12–13 (7–6)	Rothman Center  Hackensack, NJ
February 16, 2019 4:30 pm		Bryant	W 97–84	13–13 (8–6)	Rothman Center (576) Hackensack, NJ
February 21, 2019 7:00 pm		Sacred Heart	W 81–63	14–13 (9–6)	Rothman Center  Hackensack, NJ
February 23, 2019 4:30 pm		Wagner	W 74–66	15–13 (10–6)	Rothman Center (742) Hackensack, NJ
February 28, 2019 7:00 pm		at Mount St. Mary's	W 65–59	16–13 (11–6)	Knott Arena (2,032) Emmitsburg, MD
Mar 2, 2019 1:00 pm		at Central Connecticut	W 70–58	17–13 (12–6)	William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,114) New Britain, CT
NEC tournament
March 6, 2019 7:00 pm, NEC Front Row	(2)	(7) Wagner Quarterfinals	W 84–46	18–13	Rothman Center (1,190) Hackensack, NJ
March 9, 2019 2:00 pm, ESPN3	(2)	(4) Robert Morris Semifinals	W 66–62	19–13	Rothman Center (1,212) Hackensack, NJ
March 12, 2019 7:00 pm, ESPN2	(2)	at (1) Saint Francis (PA) Championship	W 85–76	20–13	DeGol Arena (2,610) Loretto, PA
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2019* 6:40 pm, truTV	(16 W)	vs. (16 W) Prairie View A&M First Four	W 82–76	21–13	UD Arena (11,784) Dayton, OH
March 21, 2019* 7:27 pm, truTV	(16 W)	vs. (1 W) No. 4 Gonzaga First Round	L 49–87	21–14	Vivint Smart Home Arena (16,807) Salt Lake City, UT
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time Source.