Following a successful season that saw them stun the college basketball world by knocking off defending national champion Kentucky in the first round of the NIT, the Robert Morris Colonials will look to carry that momentum forward as they look to turn last season’s huge win into a tournament bid. The Colonials, who have not won an NCAA tourney game since 1983, were last season’s Northeast Conference regular season champs, but they were unable to clinch the automatic bid, falling in the conference tournament.
Who’s Back
RMU returns three starters from last year’s squad, including leading scorer Karvel Anderson (12.5 ppg), Lucky Jones (11.6 ppg, 6 rpg), and Mike McFadden (8.5 ppg). Jones is the team’s most versatile player, and he may also be the most important. With McFadden as the team’s one true, experienced big, the ability of Jones to crash the boards will be crucial to the team’s success.
Who’s Gone
The team lost its point guard and a versatile wing from last year’s squad. Between them, Russell Johnson (10.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Velton Jones (10.6 ppg, 5.1 apg) combined to average over 20 points per game. With three freshmen and three juco tranfers, coach Andy Toole needs to get that scoring back from somewhere.
Strengths
RMU will be deep this year, as it will be Toole’s first year with 13 scholarship players. How he uses that depth will determine just how much of a strength this is.
Weaknesses
The Colonials finished 275th in rebounding last season, but at the same time they could never seem to defend the perimeter at an effective level. If this team can shore up these two glaring weaknesses, they will be well on their way to a second consecutive regular season title.
Bottom Line
RMU had a memorable season last year that was capped by a thrilling win over Kentucky in the NIT. However, this year’s squad faces questions of who will step up to replace production lost. The team’s three returning starters must set the tone for the rest of the team if they are going to make a serious run at the NCAA tourney. The NEC is winnable, but with teams like LIU-Brooklyn and Wagner chomping at their heels, the Colonials will have their work cut out for them.
