One of the preeminent rivalries in Robert Morris history will be back in action with the Colonials traveling Loretto, Pa. to take on Saint Francis Wednesday night.
The Colonials and Red Flash are set for the 92nd meeting all-time as they look to provide another entertaining rendition of the matchup like the 2020 NEC Championship in which RMU punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament over the Red Flash at the brand new UPMC Events Center.
RMU’s OUTLOOK
Robert Morris has stumbled out of the gate this season, culminating just a 3-8 overall record with just one Division I victory on its resume.
The Colonials are coming off a needed confidence-boosting win against D-III opponent Saint Vincent, 95-46. While it was expected to go in that direction, the Colonials win also provided an opportunity to spread to wealth around.
In what was the best shooting performance of the season, as the Colonials shot 54.7 percent from the field, they saw five different players reach double figures.
Stephaun Walker and Alvaro Folgueiras registered a double-double, while Markeese Hastings and Josh Corbin were one rebound shy of reaching that mark. TJ Wainwright added an additional 14 points to that performance.
Standing at 6-foot-9, the growth of Folgueiras as a freshman has been an important project this season for Andy Toole and the Colonials. His 11 points and 15 rebounds against Saint Vincent were career-highs for the center as the Colonials look for him to provide more valuable minutes.
Even as the Colonials attacked the paint against the Bearcats, they did drop in 9 3-pointers, however, the Colonials continue to be one of the worst shooting teams beyond the arc this season. RMU shoots 30 percent from outside, which slots in at 295th in the country.
SCOUTING YSU
With the Colonials visiting DeGol Arena, Saint Francis will aim to snap a four-game losing streak against its former NEC foe.
The contest with Robert Morris marks the second consecutive game that Saint Francis will tangle with former NEC opponents as the Red Flash faced Mount St. Mary’s on Dec. 15.
The Mount would come away with a 72-65 victory in a game that the Red Flash shot just 38.2 percent from the floor.
Thus far, Saint Francis has put together a 4-7 record with its wins coming against Pitt at Greensburg, Franciscan, Lehigh and American. The Red Flash opened the season in California with a loss to UCLA and have also made the trip to State College, Pa, to face Penn State in an eventual 83-53 loss.
Saint Francis’s offense is one of the lower scoring groups in the country, averaging just 64.5 points per game, that’s best for 333rd in the country. The Red Flash score at a 40.9 percent clip from the floor and average just 5.6 triples per contest, which ranks at 314th in the country.
HEAD COACH
Rob Krimmel (12th season)
In his 12th season with the Red Flash, Krimmel is the second winningest coach in program history with 151 wins.
TOP PLAYERS
#0 Cam Gregory – 6’5” G
In his sophomore season, Gregory has taken a significant step as a leader for Saint Francis. Gregory has started every game so far after starting in 19 total contests as a freshman. His 13 points per game leads all scorers as Gregory has rattled off three-straight double-digit outings. Gregory has also done some damage from outside as his 15 3-pointers are the most on the team.
#2 Aaron “Ace” Talbert – 6’ G
Talbert is coming off a 16-point effort against Mount St. Mary’s, which is the second-most of his young career. The freshman from Wyandanch, N.Y. has made an immediate impact to the Red Flash lineup off the bench. His 8.8 points per game are second on the team and his 50 percent shooting from beyond the arc is tops for the Red Flash.
#5 Eli Wilborn – 6’8” F
Wilborn is another freshman that has been vital to this Saint Francis team this season as he averages 7.4 points per contest and leads the Red Flash with six rebounds a night. Wilborn has started eight games so far for the Res Flash and has become a force in the paint, blocking 18 total shots, which ties him for 71st in the country, and has tallied three blocks in each of his last three games.
METRICS
Robert Morris continues to hover at the 288 mark of the Kenpom.com rankings entering Wednesday’s matchup. Saint Francis sits near the bottom at 351.
GAME TIME
Wednesday’s tip in Loretto, Pa. is set for 7 p.m. at DeGol Arena.
SPREAD
Robert Morris is a road favorite tonight at -4.5 according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The over/under is sitting at 137.5.
STREAMING
The matchup between RMU and SFU will be streamed on NEC Front Row or can be heard on the RMU Gameday App.
