LIU Sharks

The LIU Sharks bring Brooklyn grit to the Northeast Conference, playing home games at the Steinberg Wellness Center. Formed by the 2019 merger of the old LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds and LIU Post Pioneers programs, the Sharks unified two athletic traditions under one banner and new blue-and-gold colors. The program has quickly reasserted itself as an NEC contender, capping a strong 2025-26 season with a trip back to the NCAA Tournament. It's a program built on a merger but playing with the scrappy energy of its Brooklyn roots.

Long Island University was founded in 1926, and its basketball program was a national power in the 1930s and 1940s under the LIU Brooklyn banner, including an NIT championship in that era. In 2019 the university merged its Brooklyn and Post campus athletic programs into the single LIU Sharks. Since then, LIU has claimed Northeast Conference titles, including the 2026 NEC regular-season and tournament crown, extending the program's NCAA Tournament appearances into the Sharks era.