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.