Colonials Corner

RMU guard Mezie Nwigwe is at the center of the Colonials' celebration following their win over Quinnipiac. AP Photo

Entering the season, Mike Rice talked about having six seniors and six freshmen. He was fudging the numbers a bit – Gary Wallace is only a junior – but his point was sound. He had a team that only looked experienced, that needed the seniors to teach the freshmen early and often about how to play Division I basketball. He expected his senior captains, Rob Robinson and Jimmy Langhurst, to shoulder the load.

Wednesday night, a trio of freshmen – with a little help from last year’s hero – handed Robert Morris their second straight Northeast Conference championship with a 52-50 win over Quinnipiac.

Tournament MVP Karon Abraham scored 16 points, Russell Johnson scored 9, and Velton Jones hit a leaner in the lane to give RMU the lead for good. Last year’s hero, Dallas Green, had nine points, blocked a James Feldeine three-pointer with eight seconds left, and hit two free throws down the stretch to give RMU the win. A last second heave by James Johnson fell short for Quinnipiac.

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It’s only happened three times.

The last time? 1993-1994, 16 years ago.

Perhaps its because of parity. Perhaps its because, in small college basketball, the best teams are the ones with top seniors and juniors. Perhaps its because the Northeast Conference is surprisingly vindictive when it comes to taking out the top teams.

Either way, Robert Morris enters Wednesday’s NEC championship game with the opportunity to become the first team since Rider 16 years ago to win back-to-back NEC titles and NCAA Tournament bids.

They also walk into the game with the chance to add to the recent success of the program. Prior to last year’s championship, the Colonials had won all five of their NEC titles in the first 11 years of the conference and had gone 0-for-16 since.

The keys to Wednesday’s game? The two subjects we’ve written about the past two days in the Beaver County Times. After all, since it’s a given that Robert Morris must play solid, intelligent defense against Quinnipiac, the true keys lie elsewhere.

The first is in a balanced offense, best displayed by Dallas Green stepping back for a three-pointer Sunday night. No, Green doesn’t have to become a sharpshooter. But he had space to try that shot in the final minutes because of the balance and flow in RMU’s offense up to that point. Quinnipiac will key on Rob Robinson and Karon Abraham, so early contributions from Velton Jones, Green, Josiah Whitehead, and Gary Wallace will be crucial. Abraham and Robinson will get their points; the key is that at least two others step up to approach double figures.

The second? Mike Rice’s “Ugly Three”. Limiting points off turnovers, second chance points, and free throws will be a huge step towards taking care of Quinnipiac. As the article details, the last two losses to conference opponents have included RMU trailing their opponents in those three categories. They reversed that trend Sunday versus the Mount and they’ll need to do it again Wednesday. After all, Quinnipiac has yet to lose a game at home this season.

Game on.

Records: No. 2 Robert Morris (22-11, 15-3 NEC); No. 1 Quinnipiac (23-8, 15-3 NEC)

Tip off: 7:00pm

Television/Radio: ESPN2 (Bob Wischusen & Tim Welsh) and WPIT 730 AM (Chris Shovlin & Jim Elias)

Web: rmucolonials.com, WPIT’s online media player, and follow the stats via your favorite college hoops site

Projected RMU starters: F Rob Robinson (6′8, 215, Sr.), F Dallas Green (6′8, 190, Sr), F Mezie Nwigwe (6′4, 195, Sr.) G Karon Abraham (5′9, 150, Fr.), G Velton Jones (6′0, 170, rFr)

RMU Leaders: Points – Karon Abraham 13.3/game, Rob Robinson 10.1/game; Rebounds – Rob Robinson 5.4/game, Russell Johnson 5.1/game; Assists – Velton Jones 2.8/game, Mezie Nwigwe 2.5/game; Steals – Jones 1.4/game, Nwigwe 1.3/game

Projected Quinnipiac starters: F Justin Rutty (6′7, 240, Jr.), F Jonathan Cruz (6′7, 210, Sr.), G James Feldeine (6′4, 190, Sr.), G Jeremy Baker (6′2, 210, Sr.), James Johnson (6′0, 183, So.)

Quinnipiac Leaders: Points – James Feldeine 17.1/game, Justin Rutty 15.2/game; Rebounds – Rutty 11/game, Feldeine 6/game; Assists – James Johnson 3.8/game, Feldeine 2.5/game; Steals – Feldeine 1.5/game, Johnson 1.4/game

They fumbled their first two chances at a postseason bid. Now Robert Morris will get a third.

The 80-62 win over Mount St. Mary’s sealed Robert Morris’ return trip to the Northeast Conference championship game, giving them the chance to give the NEC its first repeat champion since Rider in 1993-1994.

You can read more about the victory, including how Mike Rice loosened his team up, by reading the game story in the Beaver County Times.

A surprisingly explosive first half led to an RMU defensive lockdown in the second. Mount St. Mary’s shot 44% in the first half, but just 22% in the second as they made just five field goals. RMU also used a 13-0 run to break the game open.

Some other notes and quotes:

• The two teams combined for just three turnovers in the first half, part of the reason why it was so offensive oriented. They finished with 18 total turnovers, still remarkably low for the two teams.

• Robert Morris still had 25 fouls, but more of them came away from the basket on hand-checks and collisions around the perimeter.

• Four different Colonials scored in double figures, highlighted by Karon Abraham’s 19. Rob Robinson had 14, Dallas Green had 11, and Velton Jones had 10.

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The dual NEC basketball championships will not happen.

Angela Pace scored 30 points, but a 17-point halftime deficit was too big for the Robert Morris Lady Colonials to escape as St. Francis (Pa.) used the rare advantage of a home floor in a neutral site tournament to beat RMU 80-79.

Brittany Hodges hit a three-pointer with 10.7 seconds left to give St. Francis the victory. Robert Morris had three chances to answer, but each shot rimmed out and refused to fall.

St. Francis was 14 of 33 from beyond the three-point line.

The 23-8 Colonials were in line for a 14-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, they’re headed for the NIT.

Pace and Monica Jones, both starters, are the only seniors on the squad, so the NIT experience should be a good experience for the returning players.

As if this needed any extra fuel. As if this rivalry needed more spice, another twist and turn in the storyline.

Yet here we have another one. The only question is whether it makes a difference.

Almost half of the post-game press conference following Robert Morris’ victory over Central Connecticut State focused on the upcoming opponent, Mount St. Mary’s, rather than the game just completed minutes earlier. And in that press conference, Robert Morris players and head coach Mike Rice brought up a verbal exchange that took place following the season finale in Emmitsburg.

The topic came up as Rice discussed his team’s surprising lack of energy and focus on Thursday as they prepared for the game. While Rice was pleased his team fought through it, he admitted he had no idea what to expect focus and energy wise for Sunday’s match-up.

“I have no idea what’s going to happen on Sunday. They said some things to us in the hallway. They celebrated like it was a big game for them. And so you would think that it’s a big game – It’s Mount and Robert Morris,” Rice said. “You would think I’d have to settle (the RMU players) down but I’m not sure now.”

Rice refused to elaborate, even saying “next” when the topic persisted and questions to the players on the subject were shot down by RMU staff.

Whatever the comments were, they likely pale in comparison to the season finale loss they followed. And they exist simply as part of an ongoing battle between the two programs that will come to a head in the NEC Tournament for a fifth straight season.

In the last five games between these two teams, the largest margin of victory has been seven. Sunday likely will not be any different.

Records: #2 Robert Morris (21-11, 15-3 NEC), #3 Mount St. Mary’s (16-14, 12-6 NEC)

Tip off: 7:00pm

Television/Radio: northeastconference.tv (Free streaming video); WPIT 730 AM

Web: rmucolonials.com, WPIT’s online media player, and follow the stats via your favorite college hoops site

Projected RMU starters: F Rob Robinson (6′8, 215, Sr.), F Dallas Green (6′8, 190, Sr), G Mezie Nwgiwe (6′4, 195, Sr.), G Karon Abraham (5′9, 150, Fr.), G Velton Jones (6′0, 170, rFr)

RMU Leaders: Points – Karon Abraham 13.1/game, Rob Robinson 10/game; Rebounds – Rob Robinson 5.4/game, Russell Johnson 5.1/game; Assists – Velton Jones 2.9/game, Mezie Nwigwe 2.6/game; Steals – Jones 1.4/game, Nwigwe 1.3/game

Projected Mount starters: F Raven Barber (6′8, 220, Fr.), F Shawn Atupem (6′7, 220, Jr.),  F Kelly Beidler (6′5, 205, Sr.), G Jean Cajou (6′3, 180, Jr.), G Jeremy Goode (5′9, 170, Sr.)

Mount Leaders: Points – Jeremy Goode 13.8/game, Kelly Beidler 10.7/game; Rebounds – Kelly Beidler 7.1/game, Will Holland 5.1/game; Assists – Goode 4.3/game, Jean Cajou 1.8/game; Steals – Goode 2.6/game, Beidler 1.7/game

On a night where Rob Robinson had just 3 points, two other big men stepped up for the Robert Morris Colonials. Josiah Whitehead and Dallas Green had 10 points each to augment Karon Abraham’s 18 as Robert Morris defeated CCSU 71-63.

Next up? Mount St. Mary’s.

You can read more about Abraham’s two huge three pointers and Green’s monstrous dunk that capped the night off in our article for the Beaver County Times.

Some items that didn’t make the article:

• Robby Ptacek had a remarkable night for Central Connecticut. He hit about a half dozen tough shots, always had a response for a Robert Morris run. All this after a season that’s been pretty rough for him, missing games and dealing with injuries. He just didn’t have enough help tonight.

• Mike Rice was not happy at all with his team’s energy and focus. “We had two great practices this week and then maybe the worst practice of the year yesterday,” he said. Rice said his normally loose team – which he likes, because they bring energy and enthusiasm on their own by being loose – was quiet prior to the game.

• Rice also single-handedly tried to influence the momentum of the game in the second half, exhorting the crowd – especially the lacrosse team who dominated the crowd across from the RMU bench – to make some noise and yelling, “Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” while his team was on defense. It reached a crescendo when RMU had a defensive stop and Velton Jones buried a 3 to make it 45-37 and force a CCSU timeout. Rice high fived the student section after the game.

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Hank Fraley is no longer a Cleveland Brown.

The Browns released the veteran offensive lineman and Robert Morris graduate Wednesday, leaving them without a backup center and leaving Fraley in search of a new employer.

”You never know where you’re going to be the next year. The team normally turns around 20, 25 percent,” Fraley told the Akron-Beacon Journal back on January 4th.

”I hope I’m not hanging it up yet. I feel good, my body has held up great. I definitely want to be back here next year as a Brown. If it doesn’t work out, hopefully there’s 31 other teams watching that film [who] know what I can bring to the table. I’m not ready to give up or get into coaching.”

Fraley lost his starting center job to rookie Alex Mack last year, and after starting a couple games at guard, ended up spending most of his time as a third tight end in running formations for the beleaguered Browns offense. Fraley joined the Browns four years ago after six seasons in Philadelphia.

Let the madness begin.

And it truly could be madness. After all, the defending champion is the #2 seed, which has lost to has lost once to each of the top other four seeds; the hottest team in the league is the #3 seed, and while it owns victories over #1 and #2, it has already lost once this year to the #6 seed; and the #1 seed has already lost once this season to the #8 seed, as well as to seeds #2 and #3.

That insanity, and the history of the Northeast Conference tournament, means that it is quite simply ludicrous to try and pick a winner out of these eight teams. After all, only 3 NEC Tournaments have gone entirely according to seeding in the entire history of the conference.

Which leads us to Thursday night. This is a redemption game for Robert Morris and a vindication game for Central Connecticut. Robert Morris had two chances to claim the top seed in the conference, only to fall short both times. The immediate goal will be to reassert themselves as a dominant power in the conference with a quality win in the quarterfinal game. But overlooking any opponent in the hopes of getting revenge in the semifinal is a dangerous recipe: There are no second takes in post-season play.

CCSU was expected to be one of the top contenders prior to the season, only to lose all-league star Ken Horton to injury. They’ve struggled since, but they sneaked into the postseason by topping St. Francis (N.Y.) on Saturday. Shemik Thompson has been a man on a mission in recent weeks, and Joe Seymore was part of the CCSU team that captured the championship in 2007.

Buckle up. The wild ride is about to begin.

Records: Robert Morris (20-11, 15-3 NEC); Central Connecticut State (12-17, 9-9 NEC)

Tip off: 7:00pm

Television/Radio: WPIT 730 AM

Web: rmucolonials.com, WPIT’s online media player, and follow the stats via your favorite college hoops site

Last time out: Robert Morris beat Central Connecticut 69-60 in New Britain.

Projected RMU starters: F Rob Robinson (6′8, 215, Sr.), F Dallas Green (6′8, 190, Sr) G Mezie Nwigwe (6′4, 195, Sr.), G Karon Abraham (5′9, 150, Fr.), G Velton Jones (6′0, 170, rFr)

RMU Leaders: Points – Karon Abraham 12.9/game, Rob Robinson 10.2/game; Rebounds – Rob Robinson 5.3/game, Russell Johnson 5.1/game; Assists – Velton Jones 2.9/game, Mezie Nwigwe 2.6/game; Steals – Jones 1.4/game, Nwigwe 1.3/game

Projected Central Connecticut starters: F Markeys Deans (6′5, 220, Jr.), F Joseph Efese (6′6, 210, Jr.), G Shemik Thompson (6′0, 185, Jr.), G Devan Bailey (6′2, 180, Fr.), G Joe Seymore (6′2, 195, Sr.)

Central Connecticut Leaders: Points – Shemik Thompson 13.2/game, Robby Ptacek 11.4/game; Rebounds – David Simmons 6.4/game, Markeys Deans 4.9/game; Assists – Thompson 3.3/game, Devan Bailey 2.5/game; Steals – Thompson 2.0/game, Simmons 1.1/game

Robert Morris announced their 2010 football recruiting class this afternoon, and a quick glance at the 22 newcomers to Moon Township provides two immediate reactions: The idea of recruiting for depth is not being taken lightly; and what in the world are they feeding these kids in high school?

You can look over the entire recruiting class here, but we’ve pulled out some of the juicy tidbits off a few players.

• The two transfer wide receivers (Jordan Batts from Northeastern, Brad Hilovsky from Hofstra) will play right away. Expect Batts to start alongside T.J. Green and Hilovsky to team with Anthony Coleman in the second pairing. Batts will be here for 3 years, Hilovsky for 2.

• The offensive line likely will stay together for the entire year, as all five starters return, but I cannot wait to see freshman Bryant Ausperk in pads. At 6′8, 310, he’s instantly the biggest player on the team. Give him a year to learn left tackle, and if he’s any good, he could keep Jeff Sinclair’s backside clean until he graduates.

• Size at receiver will help too. You either have to be extremely fast (Tyjuan Massey, Mario Hines) or have some size (Sherrod Evers) to be good at this level, and Bart Lindsey certainly has the height. The 6′4, 180 Georgian might get some looks early because of his size. That, and some very open competition behind the veterans, should provide for an interesting camp at wide receiver.

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For the last two years, the majority of Northeast Conference hardware had been swept by the Robert Morris Colonials.

Not this year.

While Robert Morris walks away with a handful of trophies, the major awards went to league leading Quinnipiac. Justin Rutty was named the NEC Player of the Year, Tom Moore the Jim Phelan Coach of the Year, and Rutty was joined on the All-NEC team by teammate James Feldeine.

Robert Morris, meanwhile, took home the NEC Rookie of the Year award, awarded unanimously to Karon Abraham. Mezie Nwigwe was awarded the NEC Defensive Player of the Year, and Rob Robinson was named to the All-NC 2nd team.

None of these are real surprises, although Robert Morris’ performance down the stretch suggested that Nwigwe might lose out on the award to Jeremy Goode of Mount St. Mary’s or James Johnson of Quinnipiac. But Nwigwe’s performance against some of the top players in the league – and in the nation – must have stuck in the minds of the league’s head coaches.

The rest of the awards can be found on the official NEC site.