Former Knicks guard leads LIU to NCAA Tournament thanks to quirky turn of events

By ADAM ZAGORIA

Former Knicks guard Rod Strickland will coach LIU in the NCAA Tournament.

And he didn’t even have to win his conference championship game to get there.

Top-seeded LIU beat No. 7 Wagner, 64-56, in the Northeast Conference semifinals on Saturday. They will earn the league’s automatic bid to the Big Dance because No. 3 Mercyhurst is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament because they are transitioning to Division 1. Mercyhurst beat No. 7 Stonehill in the first semifinal...