2025–26 Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball team

2025–26 Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball
ConferenceNortheast Conference
Record6–4 (0–0 NEC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Ben Wood
  • Lenny Jefferson
  • Ryan Olander
Home arenaWilliam H. Detrick Gymnasium
2025–26 NEC men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Central Connecticut 0 0   6 5   .545
LIU 0 0   6 5   .545
Le Moyne * 0 0   5 6   .455
New Haven ** 0 0   5 6   .455
Wagner 0 0   4 6   .400
Mercyhurst * 0 0   4 8   .333
Stonehill 0 0   3 9   .250
Fairleigh Dickinson 0 0   2 8   .200
Chicago State 0 0   2 10   .167
Saint Francis 0 0   2 10   .167
† 2026 NEC tournament winner
* ineligible for the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II
** ineligible for both the 2026 NEC tournament and the 2026 NCAA tournament due to transition from Division II
As of December 18, 2025

The 2025–26 Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball team represents Central Connecticut State University during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Blue Devils, led by fifth-year head coach Patrick Sellers, play their home games at the William H. Detrick Gymnasium in New Britain, Connecticut as members of the Northeast Conference.

Previous season

The Blue Devils finished the 2024–25 season 25–7, 14–2 in NEC play, to finish as NEC regular-season champions.[1] They defeated Le Moyne,[2] and Fairleigh Dickinson,[3] before being upset by #3 seed Saint Francis in the NEC tournament championship game.[4]

Preseason

On October 27, 2025, the NEC released their preseason coaches poll. Central Connecticut was picked to finish second in the conference.[5]

Preseason rankings

NEC Preseason Poll
Place Team
1 LIU*
2 Central Connecticut
3 Stonehill
4 Mercyhurst
5 Fairleigh Dickinson
6 Chicago State
7 Saint Francis
8 Wagner
9 Le Moyne
10 New Haven
(*) Unanimous selection

Source:[5]

Preseason All-NEC Team

Preseason All-NEC Team
Player Position Class
Darin Smith Jr. Forward Sophomore

Source:[6]

Roster

2025–26 Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Elijah Parker 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr St. Thomas More School Waterbury, Connecticut
G 1 Jay Rodgers 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Cochise College Pickerington, Ohio
F 2 Nico Ashley 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Lees–McRae College Elizabethton, Tennessee
G 3 Roddy Jones 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Fr Cheshire Academy North Babylon, New York
F 5 Darin Smith Jr. 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Vermont Academy Springfield, Massachusetts
G 6 Melo Sanchez 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Arkansas San Diego, California
G 10 Ja'Kobe Williams 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) GS Edward Waters Jacksonville, Florida
F 11 Jayden Mott 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) So Northern Illinois Midwest City, Oklahoma
G 12 Gabe Spinelli 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Chicago State Watertown, Massachusetts
G 13 Ashton Reynolds 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Williston Northampton School Brooklyn, New York
G/F 15 Adam Fox 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Fr Brewster Academy Silver Spring, Maryland
G 20 Corsley Edwards Jr. 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Fr Milford Mill Academy Baltimore, Maryland
F 22 Daniel James 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Portland Community College Bologna, Italy
F 23 Rashawn Tibby 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr South Kent School East Hartford, Connecticut
G 24 James Jones 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Worcester Academy New Britain, Connecticut
F 34 Max Frazier 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Siena Pittsboro, North Carolina
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 16, 2025

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:00 pm, NECFR
Vermont State–Johnson W 117–55  1–0
William H. Detrick Gymnasium (1,007)
New Britain, CT
November 6, 2025*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Quinnipiac L 49–71  1–1
M&T Bank Arena (2,581)
Hamden, CT
November 11, 2025*
7:00 pm, ACCNX
at Boston College W 60–59  2–1
Conte Forum (3,774)
Chestnut Hill, MA
November 16, 2025*
2:00 pm, ESPN+
at UMass L 77–84  2–2
Mullins Center (2,743)
Amherst, MA
November 21, 2025*
6:30 pm, B1G+
at Rutgers W 67–54  3–2
Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000)
Piscataway, NJ
November 24, 2025*
7:00 pm, NECFR
Sacred Heart W 108–106 OT 4–2
William H. Detrick Gymnasium (2,067)
New Britain, CT
November 30, 2025*
1:00 pm, NECFR
Johnson & Wales (RI) W 122–57  5–2
William H. Detrick Gymnasium (511)
New Britain, CT
December 3, 2025*
7:00 pm, ESPN+
at Seton Hall L 61–77  5–3
Walsh Gymnasium (1,219)
South Orange, NJ
December 7, 2025*
1:00 pm, FloCollege
at Northeastern L 56–73  5–4
Cabot Center (653)
Boston, MA
December 13, 2025*
4:00 pm, ESPN+
at Binghamton W 84–67  6–4
Dr. Bai Lee Court (1,624)
Vestal, NY
December 18, 2025*
7:00 pm, NECFR
Fairfield William H. Detrick Gymnasium 
New Britain, CT
NEC regular season
January 2, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR
at LIU Steinberg Wellness Center 
Brooklyn, NY
January 4, 2026
1:00 pm, NECFR
New Haven William H. Detrick Gymnasium 
New Britain, CT
January 8, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR
Stonehill William H. Detrick Gymnasium 
New Britain, CT
January 10, 2026
1:00 pm, NECFR
at Le Moyne Ted Grant Court 
DeWitt, NY
January 17, 2026
2:00 pm, NECFR
at Saint Francis DeGol Arena 
Loretto, PA
January 19, 2026
2:00 pm, NECFR
at Mercyhurst Owen McCormick Court 
Erie, PA
January 23, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR
Fairleigh Dickinson William H. Detrick Gymnasium 
New Britain, CT
January 25, 2026
2:00 pm, NECFR
at Stonehill Merkert Gymnasium 
Easton, MA
January 29, 2026
7:30 pm, NECFR
at Wagner Spiro Sports Center 
Staten Island, NY
January 31, 2026
1:00 pm, NECFR
LIU William H. Detrick Gymnasium 
New Britain, CT
February 5, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR
Chicago State William H. Detrick Gymnasium 
New Britain, CT
February 7, 2026
1:00 pm, NECFR
Wagner William H. Detrick Gymnasium 
New Britain, CT
February 12, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR
at New Haven Hazell Center 
West Haven, CT
February 14, 2026
2:00 pm, NECFR
at Fairleigh Dickinson Bogota Savings Bank Center 
Hackensack, NJ
February 19, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR
Le Moyne William H. Detrick Gymnasium 
New Britain, CT
February 21, 2026
2:00 pm, NECFR
at Chicago State Jones Convocation Center 
Chicago, IL
February 26, 2026
7:00 pm, NECFR
Mercyhurst William H. Detrick Gymnasium 
New Britain, CT
February 28, 2026
1:00 pm, NECFR
Saint Francis William H. Detrick Gymnasium 
New Britain, CT
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

Sources:[7][8]

References

  1. ^ "2025 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Field Set". NEC. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  2. ^ "Central Connecticut State extends nation's longest winning streak, advances in NEC tournament". Hartford Courant. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  3. ^ "Central Connecticut tops Fairleigh Dickinson 76-72 in OT, will play St. Francis for NEC title". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  4. ^ "St. Francis beats Central Connecticut State to win NEC tournament". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Shark Hunt Begins: LIU Unanimously Named 2025-26 NEC Preseason Men's Basketball Favorite". NEC. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  6. ^ "LIU All-Star Duo Highlights 2025-26 Preseason All-NEC Men's Basketball Team". NEC. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  7. ^ "2025-26 CCSU Men's Basketball Schedule". Central Connecticut State University Athletics. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  8. ^ "Central Connecticut Blue Devils 2025-26 Regular Season NCAAM Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 16, 2025.