University of North Carolina Athletics
Know Your Opponent: Robert Morris
November 15, 2014 | Men's Basketball
Know Your Opponent: Robert Morris (RMUColonials.com)
Location: Moon Township, Pa.
2013-14 Record: 22-14, 14-2 Northeast Conference
Carolina Series Record (Last meeting): 0-0 (first meeting)
Last March, Robert Morris fell victim to a trend that plagued some of the nation's top mid-major programs in 2014. Time and time again, from coast to coast and all points in between, talented and dangerous mid-majors that had dominated their leagues for months fell a game or two short in conference tournaments.
For teams like Belmont, Green Bay, Louisiana Tech and Robert Morris, one bad night rendered a season of success insufficient for reaching the ultimate goal of the NCAA tournament. The Colonials lost just two games in league play and finished five games clear of Mount St. Mary's in the regular season, but for one Tuesday night in March, it was the Mount that celebrated on Robert Morris' home floor following an 88-71 win the the NEC final.
Coach Andrew Toole returns three starters from last year's 22-14 squad but the loss of NEC Player of the Year Karvel Anderson is a big one. Anderson led the Colonials with 19.7 points per game, made 51 percent of his field goals and an eye-popping 46.3 percent of his 3s. KenPom.com had him as the No. 2 most efficient offensive player in the country who used at least 24% of his team's possessions, three spots ahead of Doug McDermott of Creighton and four spots ahead of preseason All-America Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin.
Senior forward Lucky Jones will lead this year's club, and he enters the season on the cusp of the RMU record for career rebounds. Jones was the only other Colonial to average double figures in 2013-14, and his 6.8 rebounds per contest were far and away the most on the team. Jones struggled mightily in RMU's opener, however, a 77-50 loss to Lafayette that was the Colonials' worst home loss in nearly two decades.
Robert Morris figures to be in the mix in the NEC again this season, and the Colonials were picked to finish third behind St. Francis (NY) and Central Connecticut State by the league's coaches. In addition to Carolina, Georgetown and Clemson highlight the RMU non-conference slate. But in the perennial one-bid NEC, it will be three days in March that determine the level of success for Toole's squad.
