When Tom Moore headed into the locker room after his team clinched Quinnipiac’s first-ever regular-season Northeast Conference title on Feb. 27, he decided it was time to let his team in on a little secret.

The best week of their lives lingered in the near future. Though the regular-season NEC title guaranteed the Bobcats a bid to the National Invitational Tournament, Moore had bigger plans. He wanted to shift focus toward another first – an NCAA Tournament bid.

‘I had really conflicting emotions afterward,’ Moore said. ‘I was proud of the accomplishment, but I had to counter all that excitement with what we still had to do. I mentioned the (NCAA) Tournament a few more times because I wanted to get them excited about what could be in a couple weeks.’

Even though this was unfamiliar territory for his players, Moore knows a thing or two about postseason play. He spent 13 seasons under Jim Calhoun at Connecticut, serving as associate head coach for his last two seasons in Storrs, Conn. At UConn, Moore enjoyed eight Big East regular-season titles, five Big East tournament crowns and 12 straight NCAA Tournament bids.

Speaking from experience, he explained to his players what the future potentially held.

‘We want to make the Big Dance,’ said senior guard James Feldeine, who leads the Bobcats in scoring at 17.1 per contest. ‘Coach is always telling us that the week after Selection Sunday is the best week of your life.’

To get there, the Bobcats must defeat Robert Morris in the NEC championship on Wednesday. In Moore’s third season at the helm the Bobcats went 21-8 in the regular season. They have enjoyed home-court advantage throughout the conference tournament thanks to the regular-season crown, as the tournament is played on the Bobcats’ home floor in the TD Bank Sports Center. But in the past, fans haven’t always shown up. Now, thanks to this season’s success, that has changed.

It’s a newly acquired advantage since Moore’s arrival.

‘When I first got here I was like, ‘Where is everyone?” said junior forward Justin Rutty, who averages a double-double with 15.2 points and 11 rebounds per game. ‘But now everyone is supporting us. Over the years it has increased a lot, and people are now asking, ‘How can I get tickets?”

Fan support was just one thing that Moore vowed to change when he arrived on campus. He came in and immediately implemented a more disciplined structure on and off the court. He made sure his players went to class. But most importantly, Moore showed his players that he cared about them.

‘He didn’t recruit me, so I thought I was going to have to transfer,’ said Feldeine, who was entering his sophomore season when Moore arrived. ‘In our first meeting, Coach told me he talked to my high school coach, AAU coach and everything. He showed me he really cared, and right then I decided I was going to stay.’

After playing just 34 minutes his freshman season, Feldeine has flourished under Moore. The 6-foot-4 guard expanded his game and was named the NEC’s most improved player last season. Feldeine has also learned the importance of attending class and not being late, something he said was virtually ignored his freshman year.

Now tardiness or a skipped class results in extra running. And though the players describe Moore as ‘tough and intense,’ he has the credibility to back it up. Now, he also has the results.

But success for the Bobcats did not come right away. In Moore’s first season, the team lost 15 games. Last year it was 16 games. But Moore said those teams ‘overachieved’ due to injuries. This year, the team is showing its true colors.

Moore finally brought the results he envisioned three years ago when he took the Quinnipiac job over offers from bigger Atlantic 10 schools. And while the NEC is not exactly the Big East, connections Moore made while recruiting for the Huskies have generated a new talent pool at Quinnipiac.

‘I can turn on an NBA game and see eight guys in one game that I talked to over the phone and watched and had up for visits,’ Moore said. ‘All of a sudden, when I took this job I had seven scholarships to fill and I had to start looking at a totally different level of play.’

The powerhouse programs that Moore recruited from at UConn are still on his speed dial. Instead of asking coaches for players like Rudy Gay, Hilton Armstrong, A.J. Price and Jeff Adrien, Moore asks for lower-caliber players from the same schools.

His current point guard, James Johnson, attended Bishop Loughlin, where the head coach was Charlie Villanueva’s AAU coach. Evann Baker, Jeremy Baker and Deontay Twyman all played AAU for the same coach as Jerome Dyson.

And while Moore traded in national prominence, guidance from a Hall of Fame coach and ‘a pretty good pay check,’ in his eyes he couldn’t ask for a better job.

‘The only good job is a job you can win at and win league championships and get bids consistently,’ Moore said. ‘Your ego tells you to take a job at a higher league, but what it is really all about is winning, and here I know we can do that.’

Providence vs. Seton Hall, Tuesday, 7 p.m., ESPNU

After Notre Dame and Louisville highly improved their cases for NCAA Tournament bids, it is Seton Hall who will have to make a deep run at Madison Square Garden to even dream of being called on Selection Sunday.

Seton Hall 78, Providence 73

St. John’s vs. Connecticut, Tuesday, 2 p.m., ESPN2

The Huskies have been dismal the last three games. After beating Villanova and West Virginia, the Huskies appeared to be headed to the Tournament, but they lost three straight to Louisville, Notre Dame and South Florida. A run in the Big East tournament is vital to reaching the Big Dance.

Connecticut 74, St. John’s 63

Saint Joseph’s at Rhode Island, Tuesday, 7 p.m.

After a crushing loss to UMass, the Rams are desperate for a win. Their dream season may fall short of a Tournament birth if they do not win the A-10 tournament.

Rhode Island 76, Saint Joseph’s 64

Stanford vs. Arizona State, Thursday, 11:30 p.m., Fox Sports Net

Yes, the Pac-10 was weak this season. It is likely that only California will make the NCAA Tournament. But if the Sun Devils win the conference tournament or rack up several wins, they could join the Golden Bears.

Arizona State 80, Stanford 68

Illinois vs. No. 13 Wisconsin, Friday, 2:25 p.m., ESPN

The Fighting Illini are fighting for their tournament lives. After getting blown out by Wisconsin on Sunday, they face the Badgers again in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Illinois has quality wins, but it needs this one to better its chances at a Tournament bid.

Wisconsin 70, Illinois 64

restern@syr.edu