Game recap: Turnovers, transition defense, and inferior talent dooms RMU

RMU lost to Oklahoma State 92-66. Not a terrible game really. RMU started off very tentative and anxious and really a little unlucky with some good looks rimming out. On the defensive end, they weren’t getting a lot of stops. It didn’t help that Oklahoma State had guys making 30 foot three pointers and gathered a few long rebounds but such is life.

The Colonials didn't have enough in the tank
to knock off #6 Oklahoma State. (AP)

RMU eventually settled down thanks to some nice bench play. Stephan Hawkins nailed two jump shots (!!!!!) and Chuck Oliver did Chuck Oliver things to cut it to eight. It stayed like that for a while until a little OK State run brought it to 15 at half.

Then the second half happened. OK State got a ton of easy transition looks and got stops, aided by some Robert Morris turnovers. All of the sudden the lead was 30 and the game was over. Some observations:

-OK State is just really good. This wasn’t like Kentucky when RMU looked scared. Oklahoma State has maybe the best player in the country in Marcus Smart. Markel Brown and Le’Bryan Nash (18 and 9 points, respectively) can ball too. Phil Forte III made some ridiculously long three pointers. One late in the game went around the rim, off the top of the glass, and in. It was just that type of day. What was even more impressive was the ball movement. Everyone was so unselfish. It was incredible to watch.

-Turnovers and transition defense crushed RMU. They only had nine turnovers, but just about all of them led to points. You can’t give great teams free possessions. The only other true gripe you can have was the transition defense, which was awful in the second half. My eyes started bleeding it was that bad. RMU would score and give up a bucket in a matter of seconds.

-Bad shooting days from Lucky Jones (1-11) and Jeremiah Worthem (1-7). Oklahoma State has a few incredibly athletic wing guys who were on Lucky and Worthem like glue for most the game, but even still Lucky was missing some good looks. It happens. Personally, I thought this was Worthem’s worst game. His defensive positioning seemed less than stellar at times and he took a lot of long two’s, the worst shot in basketball.

-I liked the games from the point guards. Anthony Myers-Pate only went 1-5 from the field but stayed aggressive. Kavon Stewart showed no fear and even made a three.

-Aaron Tate saw a lot of PT and played his best stretch of basketball in the first half, grabbing some boards and had a nice tip in off a miss. Stephan Hawkins didn’t have a great second half (and found himself in foul trouble) but shot well in the first half and looked confident.

-Karvel Andrson: 7-14 and 2-7 from three. Started slow but finished strong. RMU as a team shot only 6-27 (22 percent) from three. Them shooting bad from three on the road is a legitimate thing.

-Impressive rebounding. Lost the battle 40-30 but it was closer then that for most of the game.

-One funny note: RMU was 25 point underdogs and lost by 26. Oklahoma State, for whatever reason, nailed a three with 49 seconds left that made it a 28 point game. David Appolon got a layup after that and then the game was over. I can’t help but laugh at envisioning someone out there who took RMU +25 and lost his mind at the end of the game.

Overall this was a much better effort compared to the Kentucky game. Oklahoma State is just really good. More to come tomorrow!

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella

Lee's Thoughts:

There were good things, there were bad things.

I'd love to replay this game with Mike McFadden and Jeremiah Worthem not getting three first half fouls a piece. With that said, it's very encouraging to see Aaron Tate and Hawk play pretty well off the bench.

I like this zone, a lot. Sure Ok State scored a ton of points, but let's not ignore that the Cowboys are the 6th ranked team in the country, and possess one of the best offenses in the country.

There were breakdowns, but you will have this when you're a team that plays man-to-man principles and just switched to zone a few weeks ago.

RMU forced the Cowboys into some long tough jumpers, and at times made life tough on Marcus Smart and company.

Fix some of the spacing issues, and continue to learn the zone principles, and the Colonials will be just fine.

The team picked a bad time to go ice cold from three (6-27, 1-10 in the first half) but let's be honest, they would have had a difficult time winning this one even if they made 50% of those attempts. Save the hot shooting for NEC play.

The bench continues to emerge. Loved how this unit played. Do that in NEC play and RMU wins 14 (or more) games. We know Karvel, Luck, Ant etc are going to play at a high level in conference play, but the team needs that punch off the pine.

Mike McFadden struggled, but I'm still not worried. Mike got in foul trouble and never really had a chance to make an impact on the game. I still think he plays well in the NEC.

Last thought: The spread was +25, the Colonials lost by 26. I still think Oklahoma State goes to the Final Four. They're really good. No shame in losing this one. Saw some good things, still need to fox some other things. I picked RMU to upset Alabama at the beginning of the season, and I still think they have a decent shot at doing so. It doesn't really matter, but it would be a nice boost heading into conference play next Thursday.

--Lee Kunkel
--@kunkel5

Robert Morris at Oklahoma State

Robert Morris (5-8) at Oklahoma State (11-1)
When: Monday, December 30 7pm
Where: Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater Oklahoma
KenPom: RMU 184, Oklahoma State 3
Storyline: The Colonials play their final game of 2013 at Oklahoma State. An upset may not be likely, but the team has the offensive fire power to do just that. It's the defense that is the worry. The Colonials will use these final two tough non-conference play to try to figure things out before they open NEC play at Sacred Heart on January 9th.
Link: The game is on ESPNU (tv) and WatchESPN (online)

Getting To Know The Cowboys:

This guy will not be east to stop. (Via CBS)

At the beginning on the season, I (Lee) picked Oklahoma State to advance to the National Title game (and play the Kentucky Wildcats, who RMU already played). I may not write for ESPN, but I am confident in my knowledge when it comes to college hoops. This OK State team is loaded.

Will the Cowboys make the Final Four? Who knows? But they certainly have the talent to do so (thats the point I'm trying to make here).

Marcus Smart might be the best player in college basketball. Much like Julius Randle, I have no idea how RMU is going to slow him down. His size, skill and athleticism make his a sure fire top 10 pick in the upcoming draft. He would have gone top-3 in the past NBA draft if he didn't elect to return to college.

Those are some impressive KenPom numbers.

The Cowboys as a whole are one of the most efficient teams in all of college basketball. They own a top 20 offense along with a top 20 defense per-100 possessions.

Individually, Smart isn't their only weapon. Markel Brown is a force. The 6-3 wing is an incredible athlete, and is averaging 16.3 points-per-game.

Le'Bryan Nash is averaging 13.9 points-per-game, and much like Brown, is an incredible athlete that will give the Colonials a lot of trouble.

The Cowboys are 11-1, and have beaten every team they have played (they split two games with the Memphis Tigers. One in Stillwater, one in Orlando).  They're ranked 7th in country in the AP poll I still think they're a Final Four contender, and RMU will have a huge task tonight.

Colonials Point of View:

It looked like the Colonials found something. They won two games in a row, and held both Campbell and Duquesne under 80 points.

Then Oakland happened.

RMU scored 94 points in regulation. They lost by six.

That's not good.

The offense is clicking, and will only get better. Karvel Anderson and Lucky Jones are really good. Ant Myers-Pate has been sensational the past few games. If he finds his jump shot, RMU will be near unstoppable.

Mike McFadden is struggling a bit, but will do fine against the NEC bigs. Chris wrote about him here.

Jeremiah Worthem and Kavon Stewart have been very good. Remember, they're both just freshmen. The more experience they get, the better they will play. Both look like NEC All-Rookie Team candidates.

Oliver is coming on strong at the right time.
(Via RMU Sentry Media)

Chuck Oliver is finding himself. His been sensational off the bench the past few games.

It's all about finding some type of defense. If the team does that, the NEC is theirs.

Wagner, LIU, Bryant, CCSU, Mount and others are all struggling.

The Colonials need to use these final two non-conference games to find a little defense, and then it's go time.

Am I picking the Colonials to upset Ok State? No I'm not.

But I am sticking with them in the NEC, and it all starts by fine tuning the D against one of the best offensive teams in the country.

--Lee Kunkel
--@Kunkel5

Chris: Great job by Lee, I don’t have a lot more to add. OK State is an incredibly impressive team and RMU is likely not going to win tonight. With that being said, it’s great to get the exposure RMU is getting on national television.

When RMU went to Lexington a few months ago, they got whooped. They played soft. What I’m looking for tonight is some toughness and grit. The stage should not be too big for these guys… they’re playing with nothing to lose! If I see some toughness and competitiveness tonight, I think I’ll be satisfied.

Mike McFadden and Stehpan Hawkins are struggling

It’s been an up and down year for Robert Morris as inconsistencies in all aspects have been frustrating to

watch. One specific area has been the play of the big men, particularly Mike McFadden and Stephan Hawkins. A lot of responsibilities are on these two men-- they’re the tallest players on the team and RMU simply needs production from them.

It does not feel like RMU has been getting a lot from these two. Here are the averages from the last five games:

McFadden- 27.6 minutes, 9.0 points (19-38 FG), 4.2 rebounds, 1 turnover

Hawkins- 10.4 minutes, 1.2 points (3-6 FG), 0.8 rebounds

Photo via the AP

McFadden’s numbers aren’t all too bad. In fact, I was surprised to see his points per game total through the past five games is his average from last year. So why doesn’t it feel like it? To begin with, expectations. Watching McFadden dominate towards the end of last year was incredible. He was the best big man on the floor in the Kentucky game. When there’s someone with so much talent and it’s their last year, we expect their play to be elevated, not plateaued.

Also, numbers can be a bit deceiving. McFadden might be averaging his same point total, but his shooting percentage is down ten percent from last years total. This five game mark of shooting at 50 percent has actually helped his field goal percentage. The biggest difference in his game from last year to this year is his jump shot. Last year, it was barely used. This year it’s been almost his primary way of scoring. 48.4 percent of all of his shots have been jump shots, but he’s only hitting at a mark of 36.4 percent. That speaks for itself. If McFadden worked that ratio closer to a 70-30 mark (meaning 70 percent of his shots are at the rim), it’d almost guarantee dramatic increases in efficiency.

There’s really not a whole lot to say about Hawkins. We knew he wasn’t a very polished offensive player. The problem is when he’s in there he’s contributing nothing. It’s okay if you’re not a scorer, this team has plenty of guys who can do that, but do something else. Is he rebounding? Is he creating shots for his teammates through passing? Is he playing defense? Is he taking care of the ball? It’s hard to say Hawkins is really doing any of those things.

Defense is its own problem. The big men are fouling at a ridiculous rate. Of course not all of this is their entire fault, especially earlier in the year. When RMU played primarily man-to-man defense, guards were getting blown by and putting the big guys in awful situations. Improved perimeter defense is half the battle. Even still, McFadden and Hawkins have the two worst fouls committed per 40 numbers on the team.

RMU has a tough stretch of games coming up. I’m sure no one expects wins at Oklahoma State and (probably) Alabama, but once conference play starts it’s go time. The play of the big men has to get better.

--Chris Cappella

-@C_Cappella 

RMU-Oakland recap: giving up 100 points and winning usually don't go hand in hand

I was feelinjg good today. I don’t know if it was the Christmas spirit or if I was still drunk from last night, but I was feeling good.

Then 1 p.m. happened. Then a few hours later Robert Morris lost to Oakland 100-94.

This was a pretty awful game to watch. Oakland did WHATEVER it wanted on offense. You know how when you were younger and you didn’t want to lose in a video game, so you changed the settings to beginner and just started making everything? That’s what this entire game was like. You want an easy look at the rim? Go ahead. What about a wide open corner three? Sure. It was 40 minutes of that.

It’s not like RMU didn’t have their runs or good performances. Lucky Jones dropped a career high 27. Chuck Oliver did more Chuck Oliver things and went for a career high 18. Karvel Anderson has been battling a flu, per Andrew Chiappazzi, and it showed as he had an oh’fer from three (0-6).

We should give credit where credit is due: RMU was getting their asses completely kicked at the beginning of the game but fought back, just not enough. Every time they needed to go on an extended run it seemed they would turn the ball over and give up a three. 11 and 12 point deficits were back to 19 before the blink of an eye. RMU got some stops when they needed to late but couldn’t hit shots. Such is life.

Some interesting tidbits: Aaron Tate started for Jeremiah Worthem today. I don’t think starting a game is really to important, it’s way more important about who’s finishing games, but it was still weird. Tate is certainly playing better but not at the same level as Worthem. Toole could have felt it was a match-up thing or maybe Worthem got in trouble… I really have no idea.

-Good job from the bench today. Chuck Oliver, Jeremiah Worthem, and Kavon Stewart all played well.

-Not a lot from the big men today. Mike McFadden was awful defensively and even some of the possessions he did play well in Oakland hit shots. McFadden did have seven rebounds and went 4-10 shooting. Still too many jump shots from him in my opinion. Stephan Hawkins was pretty irrelevant. He didn’t grab a single rebound again today.

-The two main guys we talked about in yesterday’s game preview were Corey Petros and Travis Bader. They combined for 50 points. I LOVE Petros’ game. The big man has such a high basketball IQ. He can read double teams and passing lanes so well and knows when to go to work. He has 20 first half points (24 in the game) along with seven rebounds, three blocks, and two assist. As for Bader, the Oakland telecast noted how he was in a slump, then made ten three’s yesterday. He went 7-12 from three today. He also is going to break J.J. Reddick’s all-time three point record. So yeah he can shoot.

Overall this really sucked. Oakland is certainly much better then what their record reflects and anyone who follows college basketball knows this, but lets not get it twisted: this is also a team that lost to St. Francis Brooklyn. This was a winnable game that was lost due to deplorable defense. It doesn’t get easier with Oklahoma State, Alabama, and Bryant in three of the next four games.

That’s all for now!

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella 

RMU at Oakland preview

Robert Morris (5-7) at Oakland University (3-10)

When: Sunday, December 22^nd at 1 p.m.

Where: Athletics Center O’rena, Rochester, Michigan

KenPom: RMU 188, Oakland 147

Storyline: RMU kicks of a tough five game road trip at Oakland.

Link: The HorizonLeague Website

Getting to know the Golden Grizzlies

Don’t be fooled by Oakland’s poor record, the Golden Grizzlies have played one of the tougher schedules in the country. Oakland has losses to #5 Michigan State, #12 North Carolina, #15 Gonzaga, #24 UCLA, Indiana, and California among others. It’s tough to string together wins against a schedule like that.

There are a lot of things to like about Oakland. They are a very smart (and good) offensive team. They don’t turn the ball over and force a lot of turnovers on the defensive end that leads to easy points. They also shoot the three ball well and often. This will be another good test for RMU’s 2-3 zone.

Oakland has a pretty short rotation with only seven guys seeing significant minutes. Senior Travis Bader leads the team in scoring at exactly 20 points per game. Bader’s stat line is pretty awesome. His three point and field goal percentage are both at 36 percent. Bader also has 131 shots from three, which is literally more attempts than everyone on the team combined. He also is 56-59 from the charity stripe. Simply put: Bader plays a lot of minutes and takes a lot of shots.

Another guy to keep an eye on is junior big man Corey Petros. Petros is exactly what every mid-major basketball program wants in a center; he rebounds extremely well, is efficient from the floor, and keeps himself out of foul trouble.

Getting better on defense?

Since switching to a base 2-3 zone defense, RMU is giving up an average of 68 points per game. In the previous nine games, teams were averaging just over 80 points per game. Are there a lot of factors that go into that? Sure, but it’s also obvious the zone defense is just better. Rotations have been good and RMU is forcing some bad shots. Oakland will be another good test. You know Bader is going to want to shoot the Colonials out of the zone.

Another roadtrip

RMU will be on the road the next five games, with contests at Oakland, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Sacred Heart, and Bryant. RMU has already played eight games on the road this year, compiling a record of 2-6. RMU went 0-4 on their previous roadtrip.

Expectations

This is going to be a tough one for RMU. Like we stated above, don’t be fooled by the Golden Bears record, they’ve played an extremely tough schedule. Oakland is also coming off a tough overtime loss to Eastern Michigan Saturday, so it’ll be interesting to see how fresh the legs are on day two of back-to-backs. RMU is going to have to be extremely disciplined in the zone again and pay extra attention to Bader. RMU will also have to rebound better too, but outside of Petro’s that shouldn’t be a problem. We’ll see.

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella 

Recap: RMU gets by Campbell

So I was driving tonight and got a call from my ole buddy Chris. I was asked to be a  special guest tonight on CTC as Chris or Lee couldn’t attend the game due to other reasons, but lets get to the point….

Tonight the Colonials played the Campbell “Fighting Camels” with dreadful crowd at the Sewell Center. You might be asking yourself where is Campbell University? Campbell University, with a population of 6,200, is located in North Carolina coming out of the Big South conference with some respectable names within their conference like UNC-Asheville, Winthrop, and Liberty just to name a few.

The Colonial’s starting line up was pretty solid tonight with Jones (F), Worthem (F), McFadden (C), Anderson (G), Myers-Pate (G) in what turn out to be a group who clicked from the start. The first media time out came around 17:45 in the first with the Colonials converting 5 of their first 8 shots. Coach Toole was pushing the guys all night to get a fast pace tempo going but that failed with the Colonials not having a large double-digit lead in the first half. The Camels bench outscored their starting five 10-7 at the 7:22 mark in the first with RMU leading the Camels 27-17. I loved seeing the hustle of RMU in the first half diving after lose balls and winning a majority of those possessions.  The Sewell Center woke up mid way first half with a nasty 2 handed flushed by Mike McFadden to give the colonials a comfortable lead before their offensive breakdown toward the end of the first half. The Camels had many opportunities to score in the first half but failed with the tough 2-3-zone defense the colonials were throwing out at the Camels. I am happy that the colonials were shooting 14-28 (50%) from the Field and 6-12 from the 3-point range at the end of the first half.

The second half started off just like the first with the colonials taking a early lead against the Camels. The 12-5 run gave the Colonials the seal in the second half with Jones having a game high 18 points along with the man himself Karvel Anderson with 16. Karvel Anderson impresses everyone, as his touch is so natural shooting 4-7 from beyond the arc tonight. The Camels came back tonight against the colonials as they started breaking down the 2-3 zone around the 10minute mark in the second half. As we started to see the defense break down it surprises me that Coach Toole didn’t go into a man-to-man press to frustrate an already shaken Campbell team.  As we hear in the basketball world free throws wins games and tonight the Colonials came out shooting 73% from the free throw line tonight and shooting 46% from the field compared to Campbell 41%. Finally as we can see Myers-Pete is emerging as the true point guard with 25 assist and only 5 turn over in the past 5 games with 12 points to add tonight as well.

Robert Morris came out with passion tonight and even though they were not playing any mid major team we saw a team find some idenity and start a 2 game win streak. The prediction made earlier this week was pretty close of a final score RMU 72-Campbell 61. Coach Toole said in his conference, "We wanted to take away the three. They average 9 a game but hit 7. That's six points that could've made a huge difference." Coach Toole was right those 6 points could have made a difference tonight but at the end of HUMP DAY the Camels went back down south on a losing note. 

--Tyson Kulukan

First off, thanks to Tyson who knocked one out of the park as our pinch hitter last night. I didn’t get to watch a lot of the game, but a few things I noticed was Toole played Kavon Stewart, Stephan Hawkins, Aaron Tate, and Chuck Oliver all in the last seven minutes. I think he’s starting to trust his bench a little more. Even Juanie Newton played three minutes!

-Nice game again from Lucky and Karvel. We just expect it at this point.

-I was a little surprised RMU went with the 2-3 zone all day again. I think the general feeling is Toole believes he can win with his gritty style of man-to-man defense and believes that’s how they’ll have to win come NEC time. This would have been a good game to try and go with some more man defense; Campbell is capable of shooting the three ball well but doesn’t really like to get to the rim.

-I personally like the zone and it seemed to be effective yet again so no complaints from me, but another thing to keep an eye out on is the rebounding. RMU has never been a strong rebounding team and a zone does not help that, but they were getting dominated on the boards for most of this game. The centers really have to rebound better.

-25 assists and five turnovers the past five games from Anthony Myers-Pate. He’s shooting the ball better as well. This is good.

Overall it’s nice to get a win streak going. It doesn’t sound like RMU played extremely well by any means, but a win is a win and you have to beat the lesser opponents. A five game road stand starting at Oakland is up next.

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella

Robert Morris vs. Campbell preview

Robert Morris (4-7) vs. Campbell (4-6)

When: Wednesday, December 18^th at 7:00 p.m.

Where: The Charles L. Sewall Center

KenPom: RMU 184, Campbell 303

Storyline: RMU looks to finish non-conference play strong and put together a win streak.

Link: NECFrontRow.com

The Skinny

Karvel Anderson and the Colonials look to
beat the Camels for a second year in a row
(Photo: Campbell Athletics)

There’s not a whole lot to say about Campbell University. The coverage of the team isn’t outstanding mostly because Campbell isn’t outstanding. Their names are the Fighting Camels. That’s right, the Campbell Fighting Camels. Some other things to know about Campbell:

-KenPom has them as a below average offensive and defensive team. As a team, they shoot 41 percent from the field and 38 percent from three. They’re going to shoot a tonnnnnnnn of three’s. 43 percent of their total points come from beyond the arc.

-Campbell turns the ball over a ton. I haven’t watched them play this year, but their hilariously bad offensive steal percentage of 14.5 (!!!!) will surely lead to some good laughs.

-Darius Leonard is the teams leading scorer. Lenoard’s a great rebounder at 6-9 with a nice inside-out game.

-Other players to know: guard Andrew Ryan leads the team in minutes and three point attempts. He hits at an accurate mark of 45.3 percent. Quinton Ray is the teams point guard, averaging four assists per game. Senior wing player Leek Leek doesn’t do anything outstanding but look at that name!

-Campbell has lost three straight games, including one to a Division Two team named Chowan. Two of their four wins have also come against a D2 team. That's not good.

-The Camels are starting a pipeline to Philly, but it won't take effect for a few years. Their coaching staff has a heavy influence within the city, and they have a few commits coming in next year that should help them a lot. I mention this because RMU has a big connection to Philly, so there will be a lot of recruits that could decide between these two teams in the near future. A two game win streak against them in consecutive years would be good recruiting tool for coach Toole and the program moving forward.

-Last year, Campbell wasn't all that good, but RMU barely survived winning on the road 61-58. Karvel Anderson hit two HUGEE threes --the second with 4.5 seconds left-- to seal the deal, including a game winning three on a beautiful pass from Velton Jones. It was Karvel's first "big-time" late game shot. He's had quite a few more since then. The point is, Karvel is really good, and RMU needs to play well because Campbell still has some good D1 players that will cause the Colonials some problems. 

An Interesting Match-up

If RMU is really going to go with a 2-3 zone for the rest of the year (I’m starting to suspect they will), this is going to be a huge test. Campbell might not make all of their three’s but that won’t deter them from shooting it. The whole game. Even if RMU gets up double digits in this one, the zone will have to be crisp for 40 minutes or else Campbell will take advantage.

Earning Opportunity

Last game, Chuck Oliver and Aaron Tate played very well of the bench. Toole has talked numerous times about being able to trust his “second team” guys. I’m sure Oliver’s and Tate’s minutes will go up a little. Is anyone else going to take advantage? David Appolon has had some open looks that he’s just missed. I think he is due for a big game. Also, I’m interested to see if Juanie Newton gets ANY playing time.

Prediction 

I think the win over Duquesne is a season changer. The Colonials just needed a jolt, and they had to figure out how to play some type of decent D. Against Duquesne they did both of those things. The offense has been great so far this season, and I expect that to continue Wednesday night. RMU's D continues to come on. Colonials 77-Camels 64

Recap: RMU takes the Steel City Showdown

Winner winner chicken dinner! The streak is over! (p/c: Justin Berl)

RMU defeated rival Duquesne by a score of 67-63. Goodbye five game losing streak! The game shaped up like any other; RMU jumps out to a hot start, cools off as the half goes along, and gives their opponents some easy baskets. In the blink of an eye, RMU’s 14 point lead is two at half.

After a back-and-forth start to the second half, something magical happened: bench contribution!!! Chuck Oliver just went out-of-his-mind-stupid-unconsciousness, hitting 26 foot three’s with hands in his face among other cool things. He had ten straight from the 11:13 to 8:18 mark in the second half.

This paragraph was originally about how Karvel Anderson made some tough three’s and ended it but then RMU started missing ALL of the free throws late and Duquesne hit some three’s and just like that RMU is only up three with 30 seconds left. They still finished it out (thanks to a beautiful Karvel dish at the end of the shot clock) but c’mon guys Y.G.T.M.Y.F.T. Other thoughts:

-Positive: Jeremiah Worthem finished with 15 points. Negative: He had seven before the first media timeout, so he fell short of his projected 46. But seriously, Worthem was a monster who paced RMU early. He got to the rim but kept the Dukes off balance by hitting his outside shot. The kid just continues to impress.

-RMU went 2-3 zone all afternoon again. It looked good. Rotations were pretty crisp and, for the most part, Duquesne earned everything.

-Great game from Aaron Tate. The best he’s played all season, in my opinion. The stats won’t show it, but he was extremely active in zone defense. His rebounding was just an extra bonus today.

-Anthony Myers-Pate hit TWO three’s today. Then we started getting a snowstorm. Coincidence? Not a chance.

-11 rebounds from Lucky Jones. Not a great shooting day, but he ALWAYS contributes in some aspect.

-You know how we wrote about making your own opportunity earlier in the week? Chuck Oliver and Aaron Tate did. Stephan Hawkins continues to play atrociously bad basketball. David Appolon didn’t se a lot of PT in the second half either. No minutes for Juanie Newton.

-We saw some unique lineups today, but one thing that would have me overjoyed is the two point guard set with anyone but David Appolon at three guard. Also, we saw Duquesne go with a 2-3 zone for the majority of the game. I say when that happens, just say screw it and go with Ant-Karvel-Chuck-Lucky-Worthem and shoot them out of it.

That’s about it. It’s always nice to beat up on your clearly inferior cross-town little brother.

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella

Lee's Thought's:

Karvel's favorite player is Kobe Bryant. He closes games out just like #24. A couple huge shots, and a beautiful drive and drop-off to Ant for a huge bucket to close the game out. I'm happy 15 in blue is a Colonial.

Andy Toole said in his postgame press conference last week that the guys on the bench would have a shot --with a whole week of practice before this game-- to earn minutes and gain his trust. Charles Oliver took advantage. The transfer dropped 10 straight points and played some great D in the second half.

Toole said on his post game radio show, "Chuck was solid defensively. He was active & alert, and it gives me confidence to keep him in the game. He hit some big shots."

Not only is the losing streak over, but so is the ugly 80+ points given up streak. About time. This zone isn't alway pretty but it's been effective. I don't know if Toole sticks with it long term, but in the meantime, it will help this team get some much needed wins.

RMU plays Campbell at home Wednesday, and at Oakland next Sunday. Both games are winnable. I think the Colonials pull out both.

More over the next few days, in the meantime enjoy the four game win streak over our rivals and now, dare I say, little brothers , the Duquesne Dukes.

--Lee Kunkel
--@Kunkel5

Rivalry Game: Robert Morris at Duquesne

Robert Morris (3-7) at Duquesne (3-4)
When: Saturday December 14th 2:00 pm
Where: A.J. Palumbo Center, Pittsburgh PA
Ken Pom: RMU 199, Duquesne 212
Story line: The Colonials look top snap a five game losing steak against their local rival Duquesne. The Colonials are riding their longest winning streak in the series, currently at three games.
Link: RMU at Duquesne

Getting to Know the Dukes: 

(This section was a Q&A with Steve DiMiceli, who covers Duquesne for wewearthering.com)

1) Duquesne, much like RMU, is struggling on defense. Is this is a surprise? Have their been any adjustments made and more you could see coming on that end?

Not at all surprising. The Dukes have a pair of talented but undersized guards in Tra'vaughn White and Derrick Colter and a ton of new faces to incorporate. I expected the team to take some time to gel at both ends of the floor. Guarding the perimeter's been tough, but they've also had lots of break downs where players miss an assignment. If anything about the defense surprises me, it revolves around the lack of front court depth. Two freshmen I expected to play a big role, Isaiah Watkins and Jordan Robinson, have missed time because of injury and eligibility issues respectively. Watkins made his debut against Penn St on Wednesday, but Robinson still awaits clearance from the NCAA.

I don't know if what ails Duquesne gets cured with an adjustment but rather better effort, experience, consistency and chemistry. According to Jim Ferry, the staff has focused almost exclusively on defending since the West Virginia game and they've had three decent to good outings and one terrible showing against UMBC since.

2) It's year two of Jim Ferry. What are the overall thoughts on him?

I like him so far. I like his players and his staff. I think they evaluate talent well and they have created a close knit culture around the program. I enjoy the way he speaks his mind and doesn't cut any corners when addressing concerns with the media. I feel like his public and private face match though I'd imagine his word choice changes behind closed doors.  Tactically, I don't know if we've begun to see the real depth that I expected from his half court offense and at the moment, they only run a handful of sets. Like Everhart, I feel like he gets a bonus for how many timeouts he pockets at the end of games.

However, I do think the program is in good hands long term and I expect good things from Ferry. I just understand that they won't happen overnight.

3) Who are some Duquesne guys RMU fans should know going into this game?

Any Robert Morris fan familiar with Pittsburgh Basketball Club's summer pro -am already knows the name Ovie Soko. He can pretty much do it all on offense even though he stands 6'8''. I mentioned Colter and White above. Colter runs the point while White serves as an undersized two. Both can fill it up but both have struggle at times too. Dominique McKoy won't get a ton of touches but good things generally happen when he has the ball around the hoop. The unrelated Jeremiah and Jerry Jones are good for confusing the hell out of ESPN box scores and bloggers alike. Watch out for typos.

4) What type of style of play should we expect from DU?

Similar to what he did at LIU, Ferry runs an uptempo offense that wants to score in transition first before setting up the half court. They rely on getting stops and defensive rebounds to start the break rather than turnovers. Expect the Dukes to try to win the fouling battle. Ferry has his team running a pretty clean game while attacking the opposition and generating contact.

The Dukes preferred defense is man, but they'll also play a 3-2.

5) What is your predictions on the game?

I'm still snake bitten after the Dukes last three losses in the series and I think Robert Morris wins again. While the Colonials current losing streak might have some Duquesne fans licking their chops, I feel like it's gotta get broken sooner or later and I just feel like sooner comes on Saturday. In general, I think the Dukes have a more talented team at least at the top, but Robert Morris has a little more depth and experience playing within their system. The games a coin flip with the Dukes a slight favorite but I just have a bad feeling in my gut.

However, I expect Duquesne to begin asserting its weight in the series starting next season. Duquesne's still a work in progress and they should be a little more cohesive this time next year.

Tide turning?

The Colonials laid the smack-down on the Dukes last
year in Moon. (Photo: Post Gazette; Bob's Blog)

The Colonials lost a heartbreaker last Saturday to a really good Toledo team, and while they are currently on a five game losing streak, I think they are about to turn things around. It can't be overstated how good the Rockets are. They're 8-0, ranked 84th in the KenPom Rankings, and have wins over teams like Boston College and Stony Brook. It also needs to said, RMU probably wins the game if the Stephan Hawkins technical foul sequence doesn't happen.

The team played their most complete game of the year.

Now the real question, can they build on it?

The defense was much better, as RMU used a zone for the entire game for the first time in the Andy Toole era. If they didn't have some silly mental lapses, they hold the Rockets high powered offense to around 70 points.  Chris breaks that down here: Breaking down the zone.

The offense has been great all season, especially Karvel Anderson and Lucky Jones. They're --in my opinion-- the second best duo in the NEC behind Dyami Starks and Alex Francis of Bryant.

Now to this game. RMU --coming off that solid performance-- had a week off to prepare for the Dukes. This week off couldn't have come at a better time, as the Colonials look to get healthy, and find some depth. Outside of Kavon Stewart, the bench is giving almost no positive contributions.

Juanie Newton. Chuck Oliver. Aaron Tate. David Appolon. Hawk. They all had a whole week to figure things out, get out there at practice, and show why they deserve more playing time. This is a big game for this group. If they can't give Toole anything after a week of preparation, will they ever be able to this season?

Duquesne is also very vulnerable. They're still in transition as former LIU Brooklyn head coach Jim Ferry lays his foundation. They don't have a lot of depth though but big man Ovie Soko is averaging a double-double. He could be a handful, but there isn't a lot behind him and the Colonials would benefit if they got him in foul trouble.

The Dukes are still finding out who they are, much like the Colonials.

Their defense is one of the worst in all of college basketball, rated 308 in adjusted defensive efficiency, meaning in more basic terms, they give up 110.2 points-per-100 possessions. That's not good (RMU hasn't been much better at 109.4). I think the RMU offense can take advantage of that poor D and put up enough points to give themselves a chance to win.

One other big key? Free throws. Per the Post-Gazette's Craig Meyer, through 10 games last year, RMU had 210 FT attempts to 206 for its opponents. At same point this season, it has 230 and opponents have 318.

Yikes.

Just give the team 20 points to start the game and start down 20-0. That's kinda-sorta what RMU is doing.

The good news though? The Dukes struggle from the line. As a team they're shooting 65 percent from the line, 290th in the NCAA.

Rivalry Game?

What goes into a rivalry game? If you're 20 some miles from the opposition, does that make you rivals? I don't know, but I can tell you, I think this is a rivalry, especially with little old Robert Morris taking all of the steam from the Dukes the past few years.

Meyer wrote a bit about the rivalry here: The meaning of Robert Morris-Duquesne

RMU has won three straight, the longest winning streak for the Colonials in the series history. They crushed the Dukes in Moon Township last year 91-69. It was a BEATDOWN.

My second best memory of college was beating Duquense by 20+ last year. Ooooh that felt too good lol
— Velton Jones (@VeltonJones2) November 18, 2013

RMU has the biggest win for either team over the past five years, beating UK in the NIT. The Colonials have made the NCAA tournament two times in the past six years, Duquesne hasn't even been close. RMU has numerous 20+ win seasons, Duquesne has one (08) in recent memory.

The Colonials have done all this with nowhere near the budget that Duquesne has, and nowhere near the facilities. They also play in the NEC, a conference with not near the A-10 in terms of prestige.

So yea, RMU has took control of this rivalry, and made it a legitimate debate as to who is second fiddle to the Pitt Panthers.

Prediction Time: This five game losing streak stinks. It stinks for the players, it stinks for Toole, it stinks for the fans.

The Colonials have three straight winnable games against the Dukes, Campbell, and Oakland before they play Alabama and Oklahoma State to end the non-conference schedule.

I don't know if they win all three, but I do think they win the next two. The week off, plus improved defense will lead to a 83-76 #RMCMB win.

--Lee Kunkel
--@Kunkel5

Breaking down the zone

With it being finals week RMU gets the week off, which means no game previews and scouting an opponent for a little.

For those who watched Saturday’s game (and judging by the attendance, it wasn’t many), you noticed RMU implemented a 2-3 zone on defense against a potent Toledo offense. While no one really knows if this is going to become a more prominent part of the defense going forward, it was interesting to see RMU switch things up. There was some good, bad, and ugly, and I’m going to show you some of it. Sorry for some blurry images but this is the best I can do. I’d like to think you’ll just appreciate the effort.

EXAMPLE 1

Great job at the beginning of the game! You can see this is the standard two guards (Myers-Pate and Karvel) at the top and three bigger men down low (Lucky, Mike McFadden, and Jeremiah Worthem). Image one shows good on ball pressure at the wing by Karvel with some help from Worthem. Not crazy how he left his guy in the corner there, but there’s enough ball pressure that it wouldn’t have made a difference. Also notice: there’s no Rocket set up in the high post.

Image two shows Toledo swinging it over to the far left side (ball handler circled). There’s good pursue by Lucky.

Image three is the golden part. The Toledo guard drives to the paint but RMU’s rotations are beautiful. McFadden slides off his man who temporarily went to the high post and plants himself just outside the paint with his hands straight up, forcing a contested jumper. Karvel slids to take Mike’s man… also good

EXAMPLE 2

You can see Toledo working a big man in the high post. Kavon Stewart and Lucky Jones approach the ball handler but also notice McFadden in the pain pointing to the corner… because there’s a man there.

The ball is in the high post now and that man in the corner is cutting to the basket. With McFadden defending the ball handler no one is there to pick the corner cutter up. That should be Lucky but he took a poor angle and was too beat to take the cutter. This results in, predictably, an easy layup.

EXAMPLE 3

RMU got toasted on ball screens in the second half. Toledo ran the same play the first three possessions of the second half and got five points, with the only miss coming off an open look from three. Take a look at picture one: Anthony Myers-Pate goes above a ball screen here. It results in an easy mid-range J.

Picture two: Same ball handler and concept. High ball screen that Myers-Pate goes under, which results in a wide open three. Look at the space!

Toole said postgame he gave his guards the option to go over or under the screens “and we guessed wrong every time.” He wasn’t lying. I know RMU doesn’t have a lot of experience in the zone, but look at the two images again and where the screener is positioned. In image two, the big man is completely inside the three point line and Ant chose to go under. Big mistake. I expect someone as experienced as Ant to know better. 

EXAMPLE FOUR

Inbounds plays killed RMU. They gave up a few corner three’s and layups at the rim.

Picture one: This is a good example of defending the inbounds play. Earlier in the game, we had the far corner guy guarding the inbound by himself and often found himself so occupied guarding the ass he forgot about the corner. Nice adjustment by the coaching staff to have the big man defend the inbound giving the corner guy a chance to actually defend. Here, Toledo was looking for another corner three from underneath the basket but Jeremiah Worthem is in really good position AND got help from Anthony Myers-Pate. Rotations were solid everywhere.

Picture two: This is bad. Again from underneath the basket but this time Toledo sets up a play to get to the basket. Mike McFadden is being occupied by a big man underneath while another man cuts to the basket. As you can see, the clearly outsized Karvel Anderson has to take a cutter to the basket. What has to happen at this point is Jeremiah Worthem, who is guarding no one but very intensely pointing, should slide in and help Karvel front the bigger offensive player. 

There are obviously different forms and exceptions to everything but these were the basics. I hope you weren’t too insulted by looking at the circles and lines, they were only there for your help.

I think the zone went better than I thought it would. I reviewed every single defensive possession (74) and very rarely found myself disgusted, which I’m sure would be different compared to some other games this year. At the very least, the zone usually slowed Toledo down and worked the shot clock. It also helped keep Mike McFadden out of trouble. RMU got in the most trouble giving up second chance opportunities and off of transition opportunities. There were bad stretches (like the second’s half first seven possessions) but overall they did, in my opinion, a good job against one of the best offensive teams in basketball. 

--Chris Cappella
--@C_Cappella

What's going on with the bench?

Last year, Karvel Anderson ca,me off the bench for big 

minutes. Who does that this year? (p/c: Justin Berl)

Anyone who has watched RMU throughout this losing streak has probably noticed a very disturbing trend: poor bench play. I noted some of the numbers in Saturday’s postgame write up but wanted to go a little more in-depth on it today.

The biggest question right now is who do you trust? I personally like Juanie Newton’s game but he seems to be in Toole’s dog house for some defensive lapses. Stephan Hawkins has played some of his worst basketball the past three games (he hasn’t grabbed a rebound in a single game). Even a good shooter like Charles Oliver isn’t seeing a lot of time not so much because of his shooting slump but because of his turnovers and defense.

“Guys have to come in and be trusted. Like everyone says they don’t get enough of an opportunity… We practice two hours a day, hour and a half to two hours a day; seems like enough of an opportunity to me. Then when you get an opportunity to go in a game you have to provide something positive,” Toole said.

Toole went on to mention the first substitution of the game, where RMU led 17-10 and then suddenly trailed 19-17.

“We’re up 17-10, we go to the bench, we’re down 19-17 like that. Like the game just started. You can’t be tired. You just got in the game, you should be excited, you should be urgent you should be ready to play. Okay, maybe it’s not 27-10 when we go back to the first group but maybe it’s like, maybe instead of being up seven we’re up five or four. Like was that so hard?,” he said. “Like they don’t score every single possession they have the ball and then we don’t score every possession we have the ball. And then we take guys out and they’re like ‘I don’t get enough opportunity’. It’s frustrating.”

Toole also added it’s at the point where what should be simple decisions aren’t.

“It’s crazy when you have to ask yourself is a tired Lucky better than a fresh player X. Is a tired Jeremiah Worthem better than player Y. Those are the decisions you have to make and it’s difficult as a coach to look into your crystal ball as warmups are going on and figure out who’s going to contribute,” he said.

There’s no bigger example of this than when Toole subbed his starting five in with 5:00 remaining in the game and didn’t make a single substitution after. Not one. Even late in a close game, it’s rare to not have one substitution. You think Toole would have liked to subbed Chuck Oliver in for the final possession in a three point game? I bet he would have loved to, but the trust isn’t there.

You make your own opportunity is what it comes down to. Right now, Kavon Stewart is making his own opportunity. He makes his mistakes, but he also is playing with energy, intelligence, and making plays. That’s why he’s playing 15+ minutes a game.

The big picture is this could divide a team. I read a really great article on the 2011 New York Jets and their locker room. The Jets had a great defense who always kept them in games. The offense was a laughateam. Some comments I’ve gotten from the team suggests the same thing.

ble joke that couldn’t move the ball in CFL games. After a while, there was some real resentment between the two units. I fear the same thing could begin to happen here if some of the second unit guys don’t start to pick it up…the real absence of a

Bench play is definitely something to keep an eye on. RMU is off until Saturday, so there’s a lot of “opportunity” to be had in practice this week. Let’s see if anyone steps up.

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella

Game 10 recap: shooting 63 percent from the field and still losing sucks

Robert Morris dropped their fifth straight to Toledo by a score of 80-77. This will probably be the best game RMU has offensively, which makes the loss that much more frustrating. RMU shot 63.3 percent from the field and 71.4 percent from three. Sadly enough, RMU went 5-12 from the free throw line, including a big miss from Anthony Myers-Pate on the front end of a 1-and-1 late in the second half and a miss from Karvel Anderson on another front end with one second left down three.

This was a generally fun game to watch. Toledo is one of the best offensive teams in the country and has a deep bench. RMU had a 41-37 lead at half and held the Rockets to well below their season averages in shooting percentages. The second half went back and forth with no lead extending past six points. RMU had the ball down three with 12 seconds left but was unable to tie it up. Some quick thoughts:

-Karvel Anderson and Lucky Jones were simply amazing, missing only four shots and scoring 48 points combined. Both had their moments; Karvel nailed back-to-back contested three’s late in the second half and Lucky had some realllllllly tough drives to the bucket with nice finishes. Not much more to add on that, end… It’s just knda the expectation with those two guys now.

-RMU played a 2-3 zone the entire game. Toole actually said postgame the plan was to play a 3/4 press but the guys “must have forgot” to do so seven of the first nine possessions. I thought the zone went pretty well or at the very least slowed down the game which is always good against Toledo.

RMU is struggling so much on D that it was nice to just see anything that moderately worked. It’ll be interesting to see if this is something that sticks.

-Toole’s post game press conference was equal parts fascinating/truthful/insightful/angry. He talked a lot about his bench play, eventually summing it up to this: there’s no one to trust outside of Kavon Stewart. Another great point he made: Stephan Hawkins, Aaron Tate, Charles Oliver, Desjuan Newton, and David Appolon totaled for zero points, assists, blocks, and steals and had one assist and two turnovers. I mean… it speaks for itself how bad it is.

-RMU once again was awful from the free throw line, a discrepancy that’s losing them games. In the first half, Toledo wasn’t in the bonus until under a minute but in the second half they were in it at around the 7:00 mark. Toledo only shot 22 free throws but made 19. RMU might as well have everyone shoot free throws left handed at this point, as they went 5-12.

There’s probably more to add but this is all I have for now. Feel free to leave some thoughts of your own.

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella

Game day: RMU vs. Toledo

Robert Morris (3-6) vs. Toledo (7-0)

When: Saturday, December 7, 2013 at 4 p.m.

Where: The Charles L. Sewall Center

KenPom: RMU 195, Toledo 81

Link: NECFrontRow.com or RMUradio.com

Storyline: RMU returns home hoping to avoid a five game losing streak against a tough Toledo squad

Getting to know the Rockets: This should be a great matchup. A battle of one incredible offense (Toledo) and an even better defense in RMU…. wait… what?... RMU is giving up 80 points per game? Oh. This should be interesting.

As stated about Toledo can really, really score. All five starters average double digits in scoring with Rian Pearson being the star at 17.7 points per game. Point guard Julius Brown is having an outstanding season, averaging 15 points and seven assists. As a team, Toledo shoots 52 percent from the floor, 39.8 percent from three, and 72.7 percent from the line. AS A TEAM.

Toledo’s averaging 92 points per game, good for third best in the country. They’ve dropped 100 in two games and have only been held under 80 once. The funny thing is, this a good matchup for RMU; there’s no real size advantage for either team.

Keys to the game: LOVED this quote by coach Toole, via Andrew Chiappazzi’s game preview: 

“We’re the No. 1 offensive rebounding team in the Northeast Conference. We’re the 10th defensive rebounding team in the Northeast Conference. That just goes to show you where the effort is and where guys’ focus is.”

It’s very true. This team either has A) no concept of how to play defense (entirely possible) or B) has no interest in playing defense. This is going to be a huge challenge for the Colonials. Just about every open shot Toledo gets they’re going to nail. RMU has to work their asses off on the defensive end to have any chance. This is one of those games where I think we see Toole consistently play eleven guys the whole game.

Toledo isn’t all too great defensively. If RMU can move the ball they should get open looks, especially from three. This is one aspect I think RMU will have an advantage in. Everyone is more comfortable at home and hopefully some of these open looks will fall. Prediction: Chuck Oliver has a big game today.

So that’s about that. It’d be nice to beat a really good Toledo squad but it can’t happen without defense. This is a friendly reminder to students to wear red, be loud, and get there early to get your free wrist band courtesy of the RMU crazies board. Teams really struggle when the Chuck is packed.

See you at 4!

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella  

RMU by the numbers

A pretty obvious statement that might not actually seem so obvious to the general public: RMU has been super good on offense. Offense is not the problem for this team. Defense is. With that being said, it’s nearly impossible to statistically analyze defense (although we’ll give it a shot later). So we’re going to take a deeper look at RMU by the numbers.

There are some interesting offensive numbers to look at. I commented last night on how it feels like RMU just isn’t the same team from beyond the arc and the numbers will back that up. Last season, nearly 37 percent of the total points came from three. So far this year? That figure is at 31 percent. Even with Coron Williams and Russell Johnson, gone, RMU’s three point percentage as a team is 36.7 percent. That’s a pretty awesome percentage considering the amount of road games the team has played. Keep letting it fly from three!

The biggest flaw the team has is its two-point shooting. Its overall mark of 43.4 percent is outside of the top 300 in basketball. It’s not like the team doesn’t have shooters, because they do, but the shot selection can be brutal sometimes.

Ideally, with a team like RMU, you’re either shooting a three or getting to the rim. This team has plenty of guys who can do both. Problem is, they aren’t. RMU’s percentage of shots at the rim (33.1 percent) sucks, as does their field goal percentage (51.7). This means we’re seeing lotsssssss of jumpers. Yuck.

RMU hasn't been getting to the rim and finsihing like this a

whole lot (P/C: Kyle Gorcey)

I think there’s a pretty clear solution to that. When the big men are on the floor and not setting screens, they should be locked in on the low post, especially Mike McFadden. I think Mike is having a fine year but there’s so much more he could be doing. His usage rate is the highest on the team… good. Bad: our center is taking most of his shots away from the rim. Mike’s strength is posting up and using his long stride and spin moves to get to the basket and draw fouls. When 45 percent of your shots are jumpers but you’re only hitting 29 percent of them, it creates some bad offensive possessions. Teams are just going to let him take jumpers.

Mike is just a small image in a bigger picture. Why can’t RMU do anything at the rim? The average college basketball team is hitting 60 percent of their shots at the rim. RMU is at 51. Is there some curse on the Colonials this year? Is someone playing with a voodoo doll? Did the players come together and decide to not hit anything at the rim to lose games for Toole? These are all questions I have.

One more thing I’d like to point out: Anthony Myers-Pate is really struggling. For someone who plays a lot of minutes and does almost all of the ball handling, he has the fifth worse offensive rating on the team, and that’s a figure that has recently gone up. His assist rate is good but that’s a figure that I think will go down if he doesn’t shoot the ball better (34.6 percent from the floor). Eventually, teams are going to play way off and take away passing lanes and dare him to shoot.

Some other cool odds and ends: Karvel Anderson is ranked in the top 250 nationally in effective and true shooting percentage and is 27 in turnover rate. If Karvel gets a shot at the next level, it will probably be at point guard, and that’s a number he can certainly point to to help his case… Lucky Jones is super good at getting to the rim and drawing fouls, ranking in the top 300 in fouls drawn per 40 and fee throw rate. His jump shot probably isn’t where he wants it to be yet, but a good player still manges to get buckets, and that’s what he does. Jeremiah Worthem also ranks in the top 300 in turnover rate. This might seem like a moot point but remember that when teams press RMU Worthem is usually the relief guy, meaning the primary ball handler is looking for him when the double comes in the back court. Charles Oliver is really good at finishing at the rim (83.3 field goal percentage)… Stephan Hawkins is not (27.3 percent).

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella

Time to panic? Not quite yet.

Well that four game road trip didn't go well. The Colonials lost the opener at Cleveland State, got bounced by Buffalo, fell short against Delaware, and then lost the final game at Youngstown State.

The weird thing? Each game followed the same script. The Colonials came out in each game, grabbed a lead, but fell apart defensively and got beat in the second half. Is it concerning? Sure, especially the defense, which has been terrible. 

After the loss to the Penguins, Toole said "It's more of the same. I don't know what it's going to take for us to understand how important defending is."

The numbers are ugly. Very ugly.

Lucky Jones and the Colonials are 3-6. Time to panic?
(Photo: Pitt Sport Report)

I'll spare you that crappy KenPom numbers (if you're brave, check them out) but this is RMU's first four game losing streak since 04-05.

They have given up 80 or more points in seven of their nine games, they only gave up 80+ twice all season last year. 

They miss last year's seniors (Velton, Russ) and the transfers certainly haven't helped (Coron, Lijah). But guess what, they aren't coming back. This team can either find some defensive toughness, or continue to struggle.

Ok, now the good news....

This is EXACTLY what the non-conference schedule is for (at least for one bid teams/conferences like RMU/NEC)!!

Find out your weaknesses and strengths, and then adjust so you are playing your best ball come January when NEC play starts to position yourself for home court in the NEC tournament. 

Sure, coach Toole would love to be 7-2 right now, but he would rather get his team prepared for NEC play, and WIN an NEC tournament championship if this is what it takes. It's NCAA tournament on bust for Toole and the Colonials this year. 

He's won 20 plus games before, he's won regular season championships, and beaten UK. He hasn't made the NCAA tournament as a head coach.

RMU has also played a very challenging schedule up to this point. Kentucky was number one in the country, Youngstown State is 7-3 and ranked 21st in the mid-major top 25. Cleveland State had Kentucky on the ropes and will contend in the Horizon, Eastern Michigan (26th in the mid-major poll) and Buffalo will contend for the MAC crown, and Delaware is a CAA contender (and a terrible match-up for RMU).

This stretch has been tough, and will only get tougher. Saturday RMU plays Toledo at the Chuck. The Rockets are flying high (get it...)  at 7-0 and just dropped 90 points on Detroit last night (more on that game later). Then RMU plays at Duquesne who is looking to snap a three game losing streak to the Colonials. 

The Colonials still play at Alabama, and at #9 Oklahoma State. The way RMU is currently playing, there is a solid shot RMU will be 4-11 heading into NEC play. Is that what they want? No. But they need this challenge to grow as a team. 

Will it take time? Yes, after all he's [Toole] working in two freshmen (one starts, and one plays point guard) and three transfers. The team has also played seven of their nine games on the road. It's clear he is still trying to find out what he has, and who plays well together.

Sure, RMU won't use that as an excuse, especially when the same problems seem to happen every game. But the Colonials have taken care of business at home (2-0 at the Chuck) and each and every problem is something head coach Andy Toole can fix.

The defense will come along. It has to. RMU has the athleticism and skill to be a very good defensive team, and the formula has worked every year of the Rice/Toole era. Time, and adjustments are needed, but the Colonials have that. The first NEC game isn't until January ninth, at Sacred Heart.

Do we have currently have problems? Yes. Are they fixable? Yes. Could things be worse? Yes (Fellow NEC contenders Mount St. Mary's are down to just seven scholarship players, and they play the HAVOC style, so yea we got it easy right now). 

Beat the offensive juggernaut, and #8 (mid-major) ranked Toledo Rockets Saturday, and a lot of those problems start to fade away. The Colonial Crazies will have a "red-out" for the game, and it will be needed (If the Chuck isn't packed, it will be veryyyy disappointing). This Toledo team is the best squad to come to the Chuck in the Toole era (They already beat Boston College of the ACC on the road).... Better than the DJ Cooper lead Ohio Bobcats, and yes, better than the 12-13 Kentucky Wildcats.

Win or lose though, it's all about what happens come January, and more important, March.

-- Lee Kunkel

-- @Kunkel5

Game 9 recap: A defense that's indefensible

Four in a row

RMU fell to Youngstown State 84-76.

I can’t wait until RMU comes back home so their games will be archived on NECFrontRow.com. There is so much I would love to demonstrate using screen grabs that I just can’t do but will try to anyway.

Pick and roll defense is beyond clueless. Sometimes the big guys hedge and sometimes not. Sometimes there’s a double team. Sometimes there’s a switch. Almost all the time the other team scores. The biggest problem I’m seeing: off ball defender hedges screen but can’t get back in time, forcing another defender to rotate which leads to another man rotating to the rotators man, which most of the time comes really late giving lots of good looks near the rim. And wow did Youngstown State have a lot of open looks at the rim.

RMU went to the 2-3 zone every once in a while too, which usually consisted of getting caught in weakside back screens leading to wide open three’s. Another bad thing: YSU shot over 50 percent from the floor.

My point: Getting caught up in so many screens and giving up so many open looks at the rim is really concerning considering we’re almost a third of the way through the season. Toole is trying his best to mix things up but at some point the players have to play.

RMU was strong on offense again. There’s definitely some nitpicking I could do, like Mike McFadden settling for too many jump shots again. Mike is at his best working with his back to the basket with the OCCASIONAL jump shot. He shot 4-9 from the floor today, which isn’t bad, but took a few jump shots I didn’t really like (like his step back long jumper midway in the first half). Also, I’d like to see some more attacking of the rim.

Still, RMU shot 50 percent from the field and went 16-20 from the line. Even though they only went 6-17 from three (still not terrible), those figures are usually good enough to win. Great games from Lucky Jones (24 and 5), Karvel Anderson (18 and 7) and Jeremiah Worthem (12 and 8). Right now, those three are the best players on the team.

Something to keep an eye on is Toole shortened his bench significantly again in the second half. He did the same thing at Delaware. Clearly, the list of the players he trusts in crunch time is shortening.

That’s all for now. Feedback is appreciated!

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella