When: Tuesday March 11th, 7pm
Where: Charles L. Sewall Center
KenPom: RMU 163, MSM 207
RPI: RMU 123, MSM 218
TV: ESPN2/WatchESPN
Storyline: It all comes down to this (dramatic voice over guy voice). Robert Morris looks to finish off a magical season, but standing in their way? The one team that has ended their dream multiple times over the past few years, including a stunning upset in the NEC semifinals last season.
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| Whack has done it all for Mount the past two games. (Getty Images) |
It's been an interesting year for the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers. One year after shocking the NEC by winning road playoff games at Bryant and Robert Morris before falling in the championship to LIU, the Mountaineers came into 2013-2014 with some lofty expectations. How did they respond? With an 0-5 start, which included losses to dreadful programs like UMBC and Maryland Eastern Shore.
It certainly was an adjustment period for the Mount-- one of they're best players Shivaughn Wiggins transferred-- and this squad and they're style wasn't sneaking up on anybody.
Give credit to head coach Jamion Christian, who again has his team stepping up to play their best basketball in the NEC tournament. In the first round, the Mount looked down and out before storming back from 19 down with under nine to play and eight down with under a minute to play before Rashad Whack's game winning three pointer with two seconds left against St. Francis Brooklyn. Saturday, Mount went into Staten Island and defeated Wagner by five in a game they didn't trail in the second half.
There are a few things to be aware of when playing the Mount. They are a team that wants to run a "mayhem' style, meaning they're going to push the tempo on the offensive end and full-court press you on the defensive end. This type of style allows for a lot of players to play and can wear down an opponent.
RMU and Mount St. Mary's have met twice this season, both resulting in RMU victories (by an average margin of eight). RMU handled the press so well in these matchups that Mount St. Mary's was hardly applying pressure by the end of the game.
Right now, the Mount is lead by guard Rashad Whack, who is an outstanding defender and is putting up big offensive numbers, averaging 24.0 points per game in the NEC tournament. Whack, who in my opinion is the best perimeter defender in the NEC, has given Karvel Anderson struggles on the offensive end. It'll be a fun matchup to watch. Another aspect to keep in mind is Whack is going to spend so much energy guarding Karvel on the defensive end, what is he going to be able to give on the offensive end?
Other players to know: guard Julian Norfleet is top-500 in the country and true shooting and effective field goal percentages with 52/36/74 splits and was second team all-NEC. He's eighth in the country in assist rate and does a good job getting to the line. Senior guard Sam Prescott is more than capable of putting on a shooting display, the evidence being he has nine games with more than 15 points. Greg Graves and Taylor Danaher (who stands at 7'0") make up a frontcourt who will rebound on the offensive and defensive glass.
The last time these two teams squared off, coach Toole said postgame Mount has five "high alert" guys who RMU has to pay attention to from the three point line. Rashad Whack had 27 and I particularly remember him being open a lot on the corner. While Whack had a big game, RMU smothered Norfleet and Prescott, a trade-off they'll take all day.
Just Play Ball:
One of the toughest things when it comes to championships on your home court, is battling your own emotion. I think we've seen a bit of that already from RMU in the semifinals. Shots just were't falling because guys were playing out of their comfort zone.
It's difficult to put the emotion to the side and just play ball. RMU must find a way to do this. It's one thing when you're the underdog (see UK game) and don't have any pressure. You play loose. It's a lot harder as the favorite.
To guard against this, RMU could use a fast start. Karvel Anderson, Lucky Jones and Ant Myers-Pate need to attack the rim, and get to the free throw line. We saw Anderson attack the rim in the second half when he was struggling, get some easy freebies at the line, and it helped him calm down and get in the flow of the game.
Rivalry Renewed:
This won't be the first time these two teams square off in a huge NEC tournament team. In fact, they seem to find each other is their paths to the NCAA tournament a lot, including a semifinal game last year. Mount stunned the Colonials in that one 69-60.
That wasn't the only meeting.
Mount also knocked off the Colonials in the NEC semifinals in 07-08 at the Sewall Center. they went on to win the conference tournament. The following year, Dallas Green hit a game winning floater in the dying moments of the title game to send RMU to the NCAA tournament.
In 09-10, RMU beat the Mount in the semifinals of the NEC tournament, and went on to win the league again, making it back to the NCAA tournament.
Factor in all the regular season match-ups over the years, and you have what has become one of the best rivalries in the league over the past ten years.
Tempo, tempo, tempo:
Basketball is a funny sport. Ant Myers Pate has seen it all over the past four years. This will be his third title game appearance, he's played in big games, on the big stage, and he has seen every style of basketball possible.
I believe Tuesday night will be his biggest challenge yet in his final game at the Sewall Center.
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| Ant needs to play poised. (ESPN) |
You see, tempo is going to dictate this game. If it's a run-and-gun affair, start planning your trip to Dayton Mount St. Mary's. The Colonials cannot get sucked into a shootout, up-and-down game. That's what happened to Wagner, and it led to their worst defensive performance in NEC play, and a loss.
If it's a half court, execution style game the pendulum swings heavily in the Colonials favor. Mount has struggled to operate in the half court all year long, and they can't set up their patented press if they don't get buckets.
Myers Pate will dictate how this game goes. He needs to make smart decisions. Run the offense, break the press, and play poised basketball. This will be a difficult task, given all the emotion that will be running through his veins.
When emotion gets involved, it tends to lead to a frenetic style of basketball. This is one reason I think Mount St Mary's has played so well in the NEC tournament. They're 4-1 under Jamion Christian in tournament play, and that lone loss came to LIU in title. Tournament play is emotional, and often fast paced and frenetic.
Have a Blast:
This is what college basketball is all about.
Players, coaches, fans all hoping their school can make it into the best tournament in the world. Crazies, provide a great atmosphere, and give your squad an advantage. Players, go out an execute.
This is March Madness, and there ain't a thing like it. Enjoy.
#PackTheChuck #Crazy8 #RMCMB
--Lee Kunkel
--@Kunkel5
--Chris Cappella
--@C_Cappella
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