CORAOPOLIS, Pa. -- After capturing the Northeast Conference crown last season, the Robert Morris men's basketball team made the jump to the Horizon League in an effort to make a splash in a larger conference. In the Colonials' first season of action against new competition, the team has faced a constantly revolving door of challenges, both on and off the hardwood.
Though cancelations and postponements aren’t issues specific to Robert Morris this season, the Colonials have dealt with an exceptionally bad hand.
RMU’s opener against Point Park was canceled, as were games against Central Michigan and Florida Gulf Coast. Finally, on Dec 5, the Colonials began their season with a victory over Point Park in a rescheduled version of their original game.
Next on the team’s schedule was a tough test in Morgantown against nationally ranked West Virginia. Much like their first string of games, the contest was canceled. This meant that RMU’s non-conference slate would conclude after their next game against Bowling Green, a game they’d lose by 20.
Looking to put that loss behind them, the team eyed Cleveland State for its first Horizon League matchup. That series was then canceled, again, stopping the Colonials getting into any sort of flow.
The team returned to West Virginia for a newly added game against Marshall, injecting life back into their non-conference schedule and providing them with another chance to figure things out before their ever important Horizon League schedule began.
Although RMU trailed by 13 at the half, they played almost level basketball in the second half. Not only that, but they were led by program veterans like AJ Bramah, Jon Williams and Dante Treacy in doing so.
That trend continued when their Horizon League debut finally came to fruition. Every Colonial starter reached double-digits in terms of points as RMU defeated Purdue Fort Wayne 102-88.
Despite dropping the rematch on the following day, Robert Morris carried a little bit of swagger into their conference home opener against Milwaukee the following weekend.
That weekend started off with an emphatic win over the Panthers that included some last minute heroics that gave the Colonials the win. Not even twenty four hours later, the next game between the two sides was canceled. Both games of their IUPUI series, scheduled for the following weekend, was axed too.
Less than two weeks ago, RMU completed its first, as scheduled, weekend series against Horizon League competition with their set against UIC. Neither contest ended in an RMU victory due to shooting problems, but they at least kept things close and forced overtime in the second game.
Last weekend against Northern Kentucky, RMU held a close first half lead in their first game before allowing a strong second half from the Norse that saw them shoot 72% in the second half.
The same theme applied to the second game, as RMU had a spirited start to the game that featured a 24-7 lead at one point. That lead was soon closed in on and eventually evaporated by the Norse. RMU dug deep to force overtime, but fizzled out in the extra frame.
That paints the picture for where the team is now; sitting at 3-7 overall and at 2-5 in Horizon League play.
Constant pauses and schedule adjustments have definitely contributed to some of the team’s shortcomings thus far. It was very apparent against Northern Kentucky that the team slowed down as the game progressed.
One clear way to combat this is by utilizing the depth players on the team. Head coach Andy Toole does not shy away from using his bench, as 10 players played in both games last weekend.
The glaring concern, however, is that the team seems to have no apparent number two. While there is nothing wrong with having several players contribute, there hasn’t been anyone to step up when Bramah is swarmed by defenders or off the court completely.
The senior leads not only RMU, but the entire conference in points per game with his 21.5 mark. There is a steep drop off after Bramah, with nobody else on the team averaging double figures.
Treacy, a talented guard that was named MVP of the NEC Championship game last season, has not reached the ten point mark since Dec. 26. He is a known facilitator on the offensive side, but he could also serve as a clear number two in terms of scoring.
Treacy shot an abysmal 2 for 14 in RMU’s second game against UIC, but the junior guard only taking eight shots total the following weekend is puzzling. Sometimes, slumps can end if you just keep shooting. It is also a safe bet to say that Treacy won’t struggle for too long, especially if the team is practicing in a business as usual manner without COVID issues.
If not Treacy, then Williams could be the next logical option. The Akron native is second on the team in scoring and is coming off of back-to-back games with double figures. Williams should get more looks on the offensive end and continue to build his confidence in his shot.
There are others too. Kam Farris, a freshman, is also coming off of a good weekend and looks to be finding his footing as a member of RMU. Fellow freshmen Enoch Cheeks and Trayden Williams both add guard depth as well and could get some bench points if needed.
Bucknell transfer Kahliel Spear is a threatening forward at both ends of the court. His height of 6-foot-7 could help add a second scoring threat down low or on mid range shots.
There are a lot of options for Toole, and all of these players have flashed some sort of capability when it comes to helping out on the offensive end and giving the team a spark. A spark is exactly what they need when Bramah is in trouble.
Without Bramah on the court, the team seems a little off. Fans can tell that he isn’t out there, and the entire dynamic of the game feels different. The Horizon League has more bigs than the NEC, making Bramah’s challenge a little more significant. Although the team has some taller players coming in next season, that won’t do anything for them this year. Somebody needs to take a step to the next level and prove that they are the clear second option.
Putting the shooting problems aside, RMU is actually in the middle of the pack in most statistical categories. For a team joining a newer and more competitive conference, things could be much worse.
Looking a little deeper, RMU is fifth in total offense and eighth in total defense. To add to that, they are sixth in both offensive and defensive rebounds, and are third in turnovers. Things look fairly good for this team on paper, which is why their record might not accurately reflect just how good this team could be.
To steer the ship back on course, the big question is whether or not RMU can close out games and keep up a steady tempo? There have only been a handful of games where it felt like the Colonials were completely out of things.
After getting some consistency and avoiding any scheduling chances going forward, there is no telling whether or not a completely in rhythm RMU team could compete with the best the conference has to offer. UIC, the third place team in the conference, was taken to overtime in the second game of their weekend series, and the Colonials hadn’t played for two weeks prior to that meeting.
Eight games remain on the current adaptation of the RMU schedule, with their next matchup against Wright State serving as the toughest test. Loudon Love, the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, commands the paint for the Raiders and will likely give Bramah one of his toughest tests yet.
The pair of games also gives Robert Morris a chance to see how well they can stack up against one of the top tier teams in the Horizon League since they will not be playing conference leading Cleveland State this season.
After this weekend RMU hosts Youngstown State before taking on Oakland and Detroit Mercy to close out the season. YSU and Detroit Mercy are the two teams right above RMU in the conference standings and are matchups that could get RMU a more favorable matchup in the Horizon League Tournament.
A clear number two and more consistency could do wonder for Robert Morris as they enter the home stretch of the season. The talent is there, the coaching is there, the matchups aren’t all that uneven. The team just needs to find its footing and get a player or two to step up and help the team pull out wins in these closer games.
This weekend’s series with Wright State will be critical in finding out where RMU stands going forward. The potential is there for the season to begin turning in their favor, or for things to continue to get worse and end with the Colonials with a debut season in the Horizon League that they would rather forget