The RMU Thread

[Rudi]

59 combined fouls :leake:

Great win by the Colonials tho, one moar to go!

 

[MvP]

Woy was spotted with a red shirt and red fitted cap on, screaming and jumping around after a huge 3-pointer by (i think) Coron Williams.

Good win by RMU. Annoying game to watch with all the fouls but they looked good.

 

[Woy]

Yeah I was told I was on TV a few times. We had a nice amount of people make the trip up and although for a while it seemed like we would get screwed by the refs (again), beating Wagner in their own house was oh so sweet.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yU0PfAigE0"]Jay Z Feat Lil Wayne "Hello Brooklyn" (Uncensored Version) - YouTube[/ame]

Leaving tomorrow morning to go to LIU. :dance:

 

[Woy]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRnqlYNlJec"]2012 Northeast Conference Semifinal Highlights - Robert Morris at Wagner - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Woy]

A little preview...

#3 Robert Morris Colonials (24-9, 13-5 NEC) @ #1 LIU-Brooklyn Blackbirds (24-8, 16-2 NEC)

Robert Morris Starting Five
G - Velton Jones, Jr. (16.6 PPG, 4.4 APG, .762 FT%) [1st team All-NEC]
G - Coron Williams, So. (10.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, .397 3PT%)
F - Russell Johnson, Jr. (8.5 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 0.9 BPG)
F - Lawrence Bridges, Sr. (3.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, .565 FG%)
F - Mike McFadden, So. (8.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, .518 FG%)

Robert Morris Key Bench Players
G - Anthony Myers, So. (6.4 PPG, 3.0 APG, .428 3PT%)
G - Brandon Herman, Fr. (1.8 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.7 APG)
F - Lucky Jones, Fr. (8.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, .794 FT%)
F - Lijah Thompson, Jr. (7.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.1 BPG)

LIU-Brooklyn Starting Five
G - Jason Brickman, So. (9.5 PPG, 7.2 APG, .808 FT%) [2nd team All-NEC]
G - Michael Culpo, Sr. (9.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, .774 FT%)
G - C.J. Garner, Jr. (12.3 PPG, 3.4 APG, 1.0 SPG)
F - Julian Boyd, Jr. (17.4 PPG, 9.5 RPG, .409 3PT%) [NEC Player of the Year, 1st team All-NEC]
F - Jamal Olasewere, Jr. (17.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 1.1 BPG) [1st team All-NEC]

LIU-Brooklyn Key Bench Players
G - Brandon Thompson, Jr. (4.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, .760 FT%)
F - Kenny Oynechi, Jr. (5.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, .494 FG%)
F - Arnold Mayorga, Sr. (2.8 PPG, 1.9 RPG, .759 FT%)

Best Wins
RMU - vs. LIU-Brooklyn (75-66), @ Ohio (70-67), vs. Wagner (71-64)
LIU - vs. Vermont (80-75), vs. Wagner (78-73), @ Wagner (73-66)

Previous Match-ups
January 26, 2012 - Robert Morris 75, LIU-Brooklyn 66

Breakdowns
Guards: Robert Morris
- Although Julian Boyd won the NEC POY award, Velton Jones might just be the MVP of the league. He's taken over as a leader ever since last season and single-handily won games for this team (@ James Madison, @ Monmouth as examples). Coron Williams is a dangerous shooter from outside and the two of them hold a slight advantage over LIU-Brooklyn's trio of Jason Brickman, Michael Culpo and C.J. Garner, even though all three of them can get hot quickly from behind the arc.
Forwards: LIU-Brooklyn
- No contest here really. Boyd and Jamal Olaswere make up one of the best frontcourts in America and each can beat you in many different ways. RMU gets some offensive production from Iona transfer Mike McFadden, but Lawrence Bridges is used for nothing more than just a scrapper. Russell Johnson has finally started to hit his stride and was excellent in this game last year (22 points, 8 rebounds, 4-9 3PT).
Bench: Robert Morris
- Because of numerous injuries throughout the year, RMU has a group of players who have started before and would start for most NEC teams. Lijah Thompson played great in this game last year but was hampered by a stress fracture in his foot part of the season. Lucky Jones was named to the NEC All-Rookie team and might just be the hardest worker on the team. Anthony Myers could be the NEC's best sixth man and altogether the Colonials can go a total of 10 deep if needed. LIU-Brooklyn gets some production from Brandon Thompson and Kenny Oynechi, but that's pretty much it.
Coaching: Push
- Jim Ferry has done a great job bringing back LIU-Brooklyn basketball and deserves a lot of credit. The two-time NEC Coach of the Year thrives on his team playing at a fast pace and put together a roster that succeeds at that. On the other side, the youngest coach in America has done a masterful job since taking over for Mike Rice. This year's success was an overlooked effort in a way, as he made the difficult decision of suspending the team's best player Karon Abraham before the start of the season. Despite the loss, the Colonials enjoyed their best record ever in non-conference play (9-4) and advanced to the NEC title game for the fourth straight year.

My prediction: Robert Morris 73, LIU-Brooklyn 70

 

[Rudi]

RMU was +1 earlier, now its a pick em. :leake:

 

[Woy]

This game is gonna be that good.

Tip at 7:00 on ESPN2...let's gooooo!

 

[calgaryballer]

Watched a bit via illegal stream. Saw Spike was taking time out from watching the Knicks to cheer on LIU. RMU had it close for a while, but LIU was just too much

 

[Rudi]

 

[Woy]

As you could see from TV, I was pretty devastated. Every problem that plagued us this season came together last night and led to that loss. We couldn't get into any rhythm with the constant injuries (Velton was seriously hurting all game), couldn't defend the three or stop penetration and couldn't hit threes, especially in the cases where we had to create our own shot. Again, Caron and Velton are great on their own right but they can't make something out of nothing like Karon can.

I wasn't as disappointed last year because LIU was clearly the better team. But after everything we overcame and how well we were clicking lately, I had all the confidence in the world we'd come out on top. There's a very outside shot for a NIT berth, but CBI/CIT is more likely if we decide to accept a post-season berth.

LIU's going to scare the shit out of whoever they play. I'm kind of tempted to root for them to win so their coach believes there's nothing left to accomplish at LIU and leaves for an open Big East job.

We'll get it next year.

 

[EmpireWF]

Not a clear screen grab but I was watching highlights of the game and they showed RMU hit a 3 and a crowd shot...could've sworn I saw woy.

?

 

[Woy]

Yeah I was on there a few times - once after Coron's 3 late in the first half and at the end with :30 left. My phone was blowing up about it all night.

Cool to have the face time, but I much rather have had the win obviously.

 

[Woy]

Better pic from last night.

 

[Woy]

http://robertmorris.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1219&CID=1340994

Now what?

The goal every year is to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Failing that, the NIT has become a valuable consolation prize.

Despite an RPI right around 100, 12 road wins, and a strong non-conference schedule, the NIT appears to be out of reach for Robert Morris. Blame this year's NCAA Tournament bubble, which appears overly bloated with middling power conference teams, which will push mid-majors like Drexel and Iona to the NIT. Blame additional regular season champions of one-bid leagues for failing to come up with a postseason title, taking up automatic bids to the NIT.

This much is known: Within the last few weeks, organizers of the NIT, College Basketball Invitational (CBI), and Collegeinsider.com Tournament (CIT) have spoken to Robert Morris representatives gauging their potential interest. There is little question that, if offered, Robert Morris would accept a spot in the NIT.

But barring a stunning turn of events, that appears unlikely. That leaves the CBI and CIT, and with those two options, a quandry develops for Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole. What is the value of playing in one of the two lesser tournaments?

On the surface, the immediate reaction is to say that more basketball means more practice time, more chances to educate and develop players for next season. But that's not the only factor at play. ColonialsCorner takes a look at the attraction to all three tournaments, as well as what could convince Robert Morris to decline an invitation.

NIT
Format: 32 teams seeded in four pods, 1-8. Played at home of higher seed until semifinal round. Semifinals and finals at Madison Square Garden.

Regional/National Exposure: Games are on the ESPN family of networks.

The Draw: The NIT is guaranteed to have high quality competition, as the teams that are in either won their conference during the regular season or had a high enough profile to make it in. Even for one game, it's another high profile event to help sell the school, the basketball program, and more. Media coverage is intense enough that a good showing can do wonders for a team's basketball reputation; there's little doubt that Robert Morris' strong performance in a first round loss to Syracuse in 2007-2008 helped the team the following year. Plus, since the tournament is run by the NCAA, the NIT provides funding and reimbursement for travel expenses. For small schools, that's a huge lift.

The Drawbacks: Small schools like Robert Morris won't host a game, and often will be set up to play a power conference team on the road.

CBI
Format: 16 teams, with teams bidding to host home games. Road teams are then slotted in to balance the bracket. Single-elimination until the final, which is a best-of-3. Tournament runs March 13-30.

Regional/National Exposure: Final is broadcast on HDNet, along with select other games.

The Draw: Along with getting a chance to play in a postseason tournament, there are more similar profile schools in the tournament. Last year's tournament included just four schools from large conferences. That opens it up for unique winners the past four years, ranging from Oregon last year to Saint Louis, UTEP, and Bradley in years prior.

The Drawbacks: It's a financial hit. Schools bid to host home games, and then there are travel costs. Though there is some form of a reimbursement policy, there isn't the regional guarantee of the other tournaments. They try, but it doesn't always work. Duquesne played in it last year and made it to the second round. But it came at a cost, as the Dukes traveled to Missoula, Montana and to Eugene, Oregon for their two games. Though the school might get some of that money back, that's a long way for potential fans, boosters, and auxiliary members to travel. Also, no NEC school has ever played in the CBI.

CIT
Format: 24 teams in a broken bracket, single-elimination tournament. All 24 play in the first round, then the four highest remaining seeds get the next round off before resuming play in the quarterfinals. Runs from March 13-28.

Regional/National Exposure: Select games, including the final, televised on Fox College Sports.

The Draw: Unlike the CBI, which has a few power conference ringers every year, this one is specifically geared toward mid-majors. Not one power conference school has participated since the tournament was founded three years ago. That allows teams to accurately gauge where they stand with similar profile teams, rather than hope for an upset or two against a program with more resources. The CIT also has established a relationship with the NEC, as Quinnipiac played in 2011 and Mount St. Mary's participated in 2009. Plus, with 24 schools, it's larger than the CBI, allowing for greater odds of participating.

The Drawback: Like the CBI, the CIT requires host teams to pay to host. However, the CIT is much better than the CBI at establishing regional games in the early rounds. That said, there's no guarantee of that, as Rider played at Northern Iowa last year. Also, as far as using the postseason experience as a launching bad, though they participated, neither Quinnipiac nor Mount St. Mary's used the experience to much success the following season.

THE X-FACTOR: Andy Toole has a difficult decision to make. It's doubtful Robert Morris forks over the cash to host a game in any of these tournaments, leaving them on the road.

Then there's the injury factor. Velton Jones, Mike McFadden, Lucky Jones, Lijah Thompson, and David Appolon are all hurt. Appolon's ankle prevented him from playing or practicing since before the NEC Tournament. Thompson's injured foot, which he's been playing on after breaking it twice, likely will require surgery. Lucky Jones and Mike McFadden were battered pretty hard Wednesday night and could use some time off. Then there's Velton Jones. How bad are his ribs? He was obviously effected Wednesday after taking the fall, and he was already being managed because he takes so much punishment.

If there's no NIT bid, with significantly less exposure, is it worth putting those guys through additional practices?

Some would argue that additional exposure for guys like Lucky, Brandon Herman, Keith Armstrong, and others would help. But the next step for them is to earn more playing time in practice, to get stronger and more mentally aware. To do that now would require Toole to change his approach, to back his horses off and adopt a teaching method rather than his ultra-competitive "earn your minutes in practice" method that he's adopted since taking over.

Toole's always teaching in practice, though it often comes at a high volume with colorful language. But sometimes the best way to learn something is to take a step back, to unplug for a stretch of time and come at it fresh. Doing that over the summer with a heartbreaking loss in their minds might be the best way for some of Toole's younger charges to learn what it takes at the Division I level.

That's the challenge in front of Toole. The next three days will consist of plenty of discussions with the Robert Morris coaching staff's office. It'll come down to weighing the risk of additional injuries or a hit to the financial coffers versus setting the team up for next year and additional exposure.

It's far from an easy decision.

 

[Mogriffjr]

yo Woy who was the big mf'er shooting 3's...think he was #22...

 

[Woy]

Lucky Jones. 6'5" freshman G/F who came from St. Anthony's (NJ).

Kid's got a very bright future here. He fits Toole's system perfectly.

 

[Woy]

Rumor is that RMU will travel to Indiana State for the first round of the CIT. With a lot of top seeds falling in their conference tournaments, the NIT is pretty farfetched and ever since its inception, the CIT has had NEC schools play in it constantly.

We deserve to play in some post-season tournament, so glad to hear this if it's true.

 

[Mogriffjr]

Lucky Jones. 6'5" freshman G/F who came from St. Anthony's (NJ).

Kid's got a very bright future here. He fits Toole's system perfectly.

WOW he's only 6'5" he looked like he was 6'7" lol, maybe it was the angle of the cameras...

 

[Woy]

RMU plays Indiana State tonight at 7:05 in the first round of the CIT.

Stream can be found here: http://collegeinsider.com/stream/

 

[Woy]

Robert Morris 67, Indiana State 60

Down by 12 at one point, Robert Morris went on a 11-0 run late in the second half to take a 53-51 lead and never looked back, defeating a good Indiana State squad on their home floor.

Very balanced scoring for the Colonials, led by Velton Jones' 11 points. Coron Williams also had double-digits with 10, then Russell Johnson and Lucky Jones each had 9 and Anthony Myers had 8 for the victors. Johnson led the team with 11 rebounds as well.

RMU advances to the CIT SWEET 16 shifty and will play either Friday or Saturday more than likely. Their opponent is still to be determined.