Robert Morris Will Be ‘Ready to Swing’ When It Takes on Alabama in NCAA Tournament

MOON TWP, Pa. — As Selection Sunday came and went, the opponent, date and location of Robert Morris’ opening round matchup in the NCAA Tournament was revealed. The Colonials were given a 15-seed and are scheduled to travel to Cleveland for a Friday afternoon showdown with Alabama.

The Crimson Tide are like no other team that the Colonials have played this season. Hailing from the SEC, which most people and metrics consider the best conference in all of college basketball, Alabama’s style of play is not comparable to any Horizon League team.

The Crimson Tide are the nation’s highest scoring team and best rebounding team as they average 91.1 points per game and 43.1 rebounds per game.

An underdog such as Robert Morris would usually tuck tail and shy away from that type of team but not the Colonials who are energized and excited for the opportunity to go up against one of the premier teams in all of college hoops.

“You certainly get everyone’s attention when Alabama comes across the line there,” Robert Morris head coach Andy Toole said following the Selection Sunday event. “It doesn’t get much to get these guys’ attention and obviously Alabama had one of the best seasons in college basketball, Final Four team last year, just a dynamic team. … But, I know these guys will come out with great energy and ready to swing.”

“Just think of it as a regular game. The feelings are going to be the same,” Kam Woods said after learning that they play against Alabama. “More people are going to be watching but at the same time, you have to shoot the ball from the same length, the goal is is still 10-feet, you are playing with the same size ball and they are waking up the same way as you so just do you, don’t try to do anything different or be a hero. That’s where most people mess up at around this time especially coming from a small school and playing on a big stage. If we just play our basketball, I think we will be great.”

While it might take a miracle to take down the Crimson Tide, if the Colonials showed anything this season, it was their ability to fight as a collective unit. That was not the case for the team all season but from mid-January on, something clicked within the team according to Toole.

“Our guys, they decided somewhere in there that winning was the most important thing,” Toole said. “Guys accepted roles, guys excelled in their roles, guys stepped when called upon and they truly became a team. They’ve held each other accountable all year, they have a great sense of pride, a great sense of competitiveness and that started to show in the way that we practiced, the way that we executed and the way that we were able to handle whatever challenge arose during the last half of the season.”

The Colonials could have ended up anywhere in regard to the site of the Round of 64 game but the committee placed them at the closest site possible to Moon Township which was Cleveland. Not only will this allow the fans of Bobby Mo to travel to the game, it is a homecoming of sorts for the Horizon League’s Defensive Player of the Year, Amarion Dickerson.

Dickerson, who grew up in the Cleveland area, is expected to have a big crowd behind him in his hometown but it would not be the first time this season that it happened. When the Colonials took on Cleveland St. during the regular season, Dickerson had a whole crew come to support him. In that game, maybe with a little extra motivation, Dickerson posted 21 points, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

“Growing up as a kid, your dream as a basketball player is to be able to get to this stage so being able to get to this stage and I am playing in front of a hometown crowd is a blessing,” Dickerson said about playing in Cleveland. “I never thought that I would be where I am at right now especially just being at Robert Morris so I count all of my blessings.”

While it will be a homecoming for the Cleveland kid, the rest of the Colonials are hoping that it feels like a home game for them since it the closest tournament site to campus. After seeing the amount of people that showed up to Sunday’s event at the UPMC Events Center, many players are optimistic that the Colonial faithful will travel well.

“Personally, I did not know what was Selection Sunday so I didn’t know it was that important to these people around here,” Spanish forward Alvaro Folgueiras said. “It feels great to feel something new and to have Alabama in Cleveland. It will feel like home since it is really close to campus so we’re gonna have a big crowd coming.”

The matchup between Robert Morris and Alabama is scheduled to tipoff at 12:40 p.m. on Friday and will be aired live on TruTV.