While Robert Morris has known its seeding in the Horizon League Tournament for over a week now, the No. 9 Colonials finally secured their assignment, and they don’t have to go very far.
After closing out the regular season with a loss to Purdue Fort Wayne, the Colonials will turn right back around and face the No. 8 Mastodons in a first-round matchup at Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind.
In the past two postseason outings for Robert Morris, the Colonials pushed past the first round with a win over IUPUI last season and an upset win on the road against Youngstown State in 2022. However, both quarterfinal trips ended in Cleveland against the Vikings.
Last Time Out
The Colonials and ‘Dons closed out their respective regular season schedules against each other on Saturday. An 11-0 run early in the first half provided the cushion that Purdue Fort Wayne needed as it closed out the contest with an 83-65 victory.
Despite controlling the boards, the Colonials once again let the turnovers get the best of them as they logged 15 compared to just six for the ‘Dons.
Purdue Fort Wayne shot 50.8 percent from the floor with four different players entering double figures as Anthony Roberts (18) and Rasheed Bello (14) led the way, while Quinton Morton-Robertson and Maximus Nelson registered 12 and 11 points respectively behind a combined seven triples.
Josh Corbin and Justice Williams paced the Colonials with 13 points apiece while burying a collective six 3-pointers.
First Meeting
While the Colonials came up on the wrong end against the Mastodons to close out the season, they walked away with a dramatic 91-88 overtime victory back on Jan. 12 at the UPMC Events Center.
It was a game in which the Colonials held a nine-point lead early in the second half before the Mastodons rallied behind a trio of triples to bring the game within reach.
Trailing by a 3-pointer with seven seconds left, Corbin stepped up and hit the critical game-tying bucket to push the game into overtime.
Then, in a tightly contested overtime frame, it came down to the final shot as Jackson Last sent an inbounds pass across the timeline that eventually found Hastings, who heaved in a prayer that went in for the RMU victory.
The Colonials yet again dominated the ‘Dons on the glass, out-rebounding them 43-28.
Corbin poured in 28 points with a career-high eight 3-pointers. Last, Hastings and Williams all added double figures. Meanwhile, Morten-Robertson led the ‘Dons with 24 points on six triples.
Robert Morris Breakdown
RMU’s season has had its positive moments, but its rather been a struggle. The Colonials hit a four-game losing spell in the beginning of December coupled by a three-game skid to close out the month.
After an 0-4 start to conference play, the Colonials resurrected their season by winning four of five, including two wins over IUPUI and a pair of dramatic overtime victories.
Since, the Colonials have stumbled, losing their last six games – five of which were by double digits. That brought the Colonials’ overall mark to 10-21 and 6-14 in conference play. It’s now the second time the Colonials have dropped to 20 or more loses since joining the Horizon League.
Hastings, a Western Michigan transfer, led the Colonials with 14.5 points and 7.8 rebound per night, while shooting an efficient 52.4 percent from the field – fourth-best in the Horizon league this season. He was the lone All-League representative from the Colonials.
Corbin provided 13.5 points per game during the regular season thanks in big part to 85 3-pointers. The shooting guard also led the team with 88 assists.
The Colonials had a total of four players average double digits with Stephaun Walker (12.5 ppg) and Williams (10.2 ppg) rounding out the group.
Scouting Purdue Fort Wayne
For the second time in three years, the ‘Dons reached the 20-win plateau, going 20-11 overall, while posting an 11-9 conference mark. Purdue Fort Wayne has played well at the Coliseum this season, winning 10 of 15 contests.
The ‘Dons raced out of the gates this season, amassing an impressive 13-2 record that even slotted them within the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major top 25 poll.
Purdue Fort Wayne boasts one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. Ranking at 55th, the ‘Dons drain 36.4 percent from beyond the arc. Morton-Robertson has led the charge with 91 made 3’s, which puts him 17th in the nation.
Jalen Jackson paces the ‘Dons with 16.2 points per game on 51.2 percent shooting from the field. Bello adds 15.1 and Roberts produces 13.3 points per game.
The Mastodons are looking to escape the first round after falling to Detroit Mercy last season, 81-68.
Keys to Victory for Robert Morris
Road games have not been too kind to RMU since joining the Horizon League with the Colonials going 2-8 away from home.
With that being said, the Colonials cannot fall too far behind to open the game, something that has hurt them over the past few weeks. That means, the Colonials need to find open looks and hit them as frequently as possible, while not turning it over and playing man-up defense.
While the Colonials have done a respectable job at controlling the boards with a plus-three rebounding margin, they are going to have to continue that trend against the ‘Dons.
Lastly, an area that the Colonials need to succeed in is their play within the paint. They have found ways to win off of the three ball, but they will live and die Tuesday night down low.
Walker, Hastings and Alvaro Folgueiras will carry a heavy load on their shoulders with the need to finish at the rim. At one point sitting near the bottom in the entire country at finishing at the rim, the Colonials now sit 196th by converting 58.4 percent of their chances, according to Hoop-Math.com
Odds
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Robert Morris comes in as a 10.5-point road underdog. The over/under is currently at 147.5.
How to Watch/Tip-Off
The matchup can be found streaming on ESPN+ with tip set for 7 p.m.
