WALTHAM, Mass. -- No sport in the Northeast-10 Conference has more parity than men's basketball. That's why the winning streaks achieved by Bentley University from 2006-08 were so impressive and why this accomplishment has earned the 2006-08 teams a well-deserved spot in the NE10 Hall of Fame.  The conference announced this year's inductees on Monday with these teams being the first to be selected in the special achievement category.

During the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, Bentley was a perfect 54-0 in conference games and finished a combined 66-2, with both losses coming against three-time national finalist Winona State in the Elite Eight.

The 2006-07 team, which finished 32-1, swept through the Northeast-10 with 22 wins and captured both the NE10 tournament championship and the NCAA Regional to enter the Elite Eight at 32-0. The perfect season ended with a 64-51 loss to 36-0 Winona, who then lost on a buzzer-beater in the national championship game.

A year later, it was another 22-0 regular conference record and then Bentley again successfully defended its NE10 tournament and NCAA regional titles. In the regional, it was three wins over conference foes with the Falcons dispatching Merrimack, Bryant and Assumption by an average of 16 points to earn a return trip to Springfield and the Elite Eight.

The 2007-08 team improved to 34-0 with an Elite Eight quarterfinal win over North Alabama (102-92) and carried a 36-30 lead into halftime of the national semifinals before dropping an 86-75 decision to Winona, the eventual national champion.

Other accomplishments during those two special seasons included:

• Won 55 straight games vs conference opponents from Nov. 21, 2006-Nov. 19, 2008.
• Won 55 consecutive regular season games from Feb. 21, 2006-Nov. 7, 2008, breaking the Division II national record that had stood since the forties.
• Won 42 straight games at the Dana Center.
• Set the two longest winning streaks (32 and 34) in New England men's basketball history (all divisions), both surpassing the 29 consecutive wins achieved by a Bob Cousy-led Holy Cross team 57 years earlier.
• Twice had to defeat a conference opponent four straight times to win the NCAA Division II regional title (Bryant in 2007, Assumption in 2008)
• Ranked No. 2 in Division II for most of the 2006-07 season.
• Ranked No. 1 in Division II throughout the entire 2007-08 season.

Remarkably, Bentley posted the 32-1 record in 2006-07 without a first-team All-Northeast-10 honoree. Forwards Nate Fritsch (Durham, N,C.) and Jeff Holmes (Westbrook, Maine) were both voted to the second team, and point guard Yusuf Abdul-Ali (Springfield) was chosen for the third team.

In 2007-08, Fritsch was a first-team All-NE10 choice and an NABC All-American. Lew Finnegan (Lexington) and future NABC Division II National Player of the Year Jason Westrol (Brielle, N.J.) were both second-team All-NE10 and Abdul-Ali was again a third-team selection. Key contributors on the 2006-07 team were seniors Danny Lawson (Lexington). Andy Smith (West Sussex, England), Josh Correia (Bedford, N.H.) and Matt Bates (Oxford, Conn.).  These four along with Holmes, were collectively named Bentley's Outstanding Male Senior Athlete of the Year at the end of the school year.

The following year, senior Mike Sikonski (Holden, Mass.) and red-shirt freshman Mike Quinn (Oakdale. Conn.) moved into the starting lineup and first year players Tom Dowling (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) and Brian Tracey (Bow Mar, Colo.) emerged as key rotation players.  Joe Fremeau (Manchester (N.H.), John Brandt (Pawtucket, R.I.), James Oberg (Bridgton, Maine), Dan McKenna (Millis) and Frank Parelli (Greenwich, Conn.) were also key contributors on one or both teams.

These two amazing seasons were in the middle of a larger seven-year run (2005-11) that saw Bentley put up records of 193-39 overall and 173-20 in conference while the Falcons earned an NCAA berth annually and played in six regional championship games.  There was also a five-peat as NE10 regular season champs (before the conference went to two divisions), three Elite Eight appearances and two national semifinal games.

"Those two seasons were certainly very special achievements for our program," said Jay Lawson, who is in his 30th year as Bentley's head coach and his 36th season on the staff. "It's honestly still a bit hard to comprehend, but both teams had a terrific combination of talent, leadership, discipline, toughness and teamwork. This recognition by the NE-10 is well deserved."