Last Minute Preview of Robert Morris’ First Round Matchup Against Alabama

CLEVELAND — It’s been 10 long years since Robert Morris played in a NCAA Tournament game but that skid comes to an end today as the 15-seeded Colonials take on Alabama at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland. The Horizon League champions come into the day as massive underdogs to 2-seeded Crimson Tide.

Let’s take one last look at the matchup before the teams tipoff at 12:40 p.m.:

The Crimson Tide are a different beast compared to any team that the Colonials have taken on this season. Hailing from the SEC, which is one of the best college basketball conferences in the nation, the Crimson Tide boast the highest-tempo offense in the nation which led them to scoring 91.1 points per game, the highest of any Division-I basketball team this season.

In addition to their quick pace and high-scoring offense, the Tide excel on the boards as they haul in 43.1 rebounds per game which is second in all of Division-I basketball.

In comparison, the Colonials bring in the nation’s 103rd ranked offense as they score 76.9 points per game. The benefit is that they employ a strict defense as they allow just 70.4 points per game. Additionally, the Tide do not specialize in defense as they allow their opponents to score 81.4 points per game.

Another benefit for the Colonials is the injury concerns surrounding two of the Crimson Tide’s best players. All-SEC guard Mark Sears and forward Grant Nelson both got banged up during Alabama’s run in the SEC Tournament last week.

While both appear to be active for today’s game against Robert Morris, if they are not at 100%, it can play into the Colonials favor.

Sears, the team’s lead guard, is one of the best guards in the nation. Sears is a 6-foot-1, 190-pound lefty guard who averaged 18.7 points per game this season for the Tide to lead the team.

Nelson, a former North Dakota State transfer, has been a star in Tuscaloosa for two years now. Nelson is a versatile forward for the Tide and is a matchup problem due to his skill at such a tall height.

The Colonials will counter with Kam Woods and the duo of Alvaro Folgueiras and Amarion Dickerson. Woods was a second-team All-Horizon guard who led the Colonials with 15.1 points per game and 5.1 assists per game. Woods actually played AAU basketball with Sears back in high school.

Folgueiras won the Horizon League Player of the Year award while Dickerson claimed the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award this season. Folgueiras is a solid two-way forward who can shoot and bang down low as he was second on the team with an average of 14.1 points while leading the Colonials with 9.1 rebounds per game.

Dickerson, the defensive specialist, broke the school’s single-game block record twice and then broke the school’s single-season block record all within his first year at the Division-I level. The Cleveland native posted 12.9 points per game while averaging a staggering 2.4 blocks per contest.

If Robert Morris pulls off the opening-round upset, they will stay in Cleveland to play the winner of Vanderbilt and Saint Mary’s on Sunday afternoon.