Robert Morris Colonials
Northeast Conference (19-14, 12-6)
For the last two seasons, Robert Morris has pulled off NIT upsets. This time around they hope to do the same in the NCAA Tournament. Last year the Colonials knocked off St. John’s in the first round of the NIT and the year before that they won a very memorable contest against Kentucky. After back-to-back NEC titles, RMU did not win the conference regular season crown this year, but they won when it mattered most.
Big Wins: 11/27 vs Louisiana-Monroe (71-54), 1/24 at St. Francis Brooklyn (67-65), 2/21 at Bryant (76-70)
Bad Losses: 12/2 Youngstown State (81-89), 2/12 LIU Brooklyn (62-63), 2/19 at Sacred Heart (76-80)
Coach: Andrew Toole
Why They Can Surprise:
Robert Morris does not lack talent on the wings. Rodney Pryor, Marcquise Reed and Lucky Jones score nearly 65 percent of the team’s points. Pryor is the Colonials top scorer at 15.2 points per game and knocks down 42.7 percent of three-point attempts. Reed, a 6-3 freshman, has been more aggressive attacking the basket, but is more than capable of stepping out and knocking down a long ball. Jones is the senior leader on this young team. Not only does he average 14.3 points per game, but he also leads the team with 6.0 rebounds. He has spent some time coming in off of the bench, but starting or not, he will be on the floor as much as possible. In the conference tournament final, he played 36 minutes off of the bench. At 6-6, he can play the four spot and there will be times where Reed slides over to run the point. In the end, Coach Andrew Toole will find a way to have Pryor, Reed and Jones on the floor as much as possible.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The concern is filling in around those three. Sophomore point guard Kavon Stewart has done a superb job dishing out 4.5 assists per game, but Robert Morris’ turnover numbers are high. That is not all Stewart’s fault by any means and his best basketball is yet to come, yet it will be up to Stewart to keep this team under control and avoid turnovers as much as possible. The Colonials cannot afford to lose possessions in the NCAA Tournament, especially since they are not a great rebounding team. It is nice to have a player like Jones playing on the wing, yet he will play at the four spot too. He is a strong rebounder. However, there is not much he can do on the glass against an opposing 6-9 or 6-10 power forward. Aaron Tate and Elijah Minnie need to have big games, both on the glass and in the scoring department so the shooters can get better looks.
Probable Starters:
Kavon Stewart, Sophomore, Guard, 6.3 ppg, 4.5 apg
Marcquise Reed, Freshman, Guard, 14.8 ppg, 2.1 apg
Rodney Pryor, Junior, Guard, 15.2 ppg, 1.8 apg, 4.7 rpg
Aaron Tate, Junior, Forward, 4.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg
Elijah Minnie, Freshman, Forward, 6.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.2 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Andre Frederick, Freshman, Forward, 1.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Lionel Gomis, Junior, Forward, 1.1 ppg, 1.6 rpg
Lucky Jones, Senior, Forward, 14.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 69.1 (134th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.9 (219, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.6 (107, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.5 (158, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.3 (175, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.7 (58, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 71.7 (79, 2)
Rebound Margin: -1.8 (261, 7)
Assists Per Game: 12.3 (193, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.8 (283, 9)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2014 NIT First Round win over St. John's
2014 NIT Second Round loss to Belmont
2013 NIT First Round win over Kentucky
2013 NIT Second Round loss to Providence
2012 CIT First Round win over Indiana State
2012 CIT Second Round win over Toledo
2012 CIT Quarterfinal loss to Fairfield
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Villanova
2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Michigan State
2008 NIT First Round loss to Syracuse
1992 NCAA Round of 64 loss to UCLA
1990 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Kansas
*all team stats through 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
