Chasing a remarkable fourth NCAA trip with Fairleigh Dickinson, Tom Green didn’t begrudge Wagner its Cinderella togs. He was just hoping glass slippers weren’t suitable hardcourt footwear.

“I’d rather be in their shoes than ours,” the 22-season FDU coach admitted before last night’s showdown in Hackensack for the Northeast Conference title and automatic NCAA Tournament slot.

Green’s 19-12 Knights had lost only once in five before last night, but that came Feb. 28, at the hands of Wagner, at the same Rothman Center. That Wagner victory was part of the Seahawks’ 11-1 sprint to the brink of an NCAA berth that followed an abominable 1-12 start, the basis of the Cinderella story.

In the rags portion of the to-riches tale, FDU beat Wagner on Staten Island in that early slate.

“They really turned the corner halfway through the season,” Green said. “Most teams shot 40-45 percent against them in the first half of the season, but now it’s down to 30-35 percent.

“They’re a much, much better team than they were in December. They shot our lights out, better than 70 percent, from the field [Feb. 28].”

Still, sixth-seeded Wagner (13-16) had to overcome the experience Green brought into last night’s NEC title game. Green was trying to guide second-seed FDU into the NCAAs for the third decade, having made it in 1985, 1988 and 1998.

“It’s a fun time to still be playing basketball,” Green said. “You do have to try to keep things in perspective, but it’s exciting.

“We’ve talked about the experience of the NCAAs and what it’s meant in the past. I told them about 1998 after we won the championship. We had 52 radio and TV interviews to do the next day. There were TV stations at practice every day, waiting to talk to them. I told them they have no idea what’s waiting for them.”

Green called Wagner “the best rebounding team in our league,” and said his Knights had to confound them on the boards to advance. He said FDU needed each of his Big Three – Tamien Trent Gordon Klaiber and Chad Timberlake – to each have big games.

“If Wagner slows down one or two of them, it’s going to be a long night,” Green said.

Either way, midnight was about to sound for someone.