Game 4: Robert Morris at Kentucky

The rematch!!!

Robert Morris (2-1) at Kentucky (2-1)

Where: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky

KenPom: RMU 152. Kentucky 6.

Storyline: Robert Morris takes on Kentucky in a rematch of last years NIT game which saw an improbable upset at the Charles L. Sewall Center.

Getting to know the Wildcats…

That is Julius Randle.

This isn’t last years Kentucky squad. This team features one of the most talented freshmen we’ve seen in
years in Julius Randle. Randle is taking over 25 percent of the teams shots and rightfully so, with an effective field goal percentage 63.6 percent. He’s also getting to the rim and drawing more fouls than nearly anyone else in the country. Did we mention he’s 6’9’? He’s one of the best rebounders in the country.

It’s more then just the Julius Randle show. This team is loaded with talent at every position. There are a few familiar names from last year’s game like Alex Poythress (who’s having a really good season so far) and Willie Cauley-Stein. Some unfamiliar names to keep an eye on are James Young and Aaron Harrison, two freshmen who are playing a major role on offense.

Kentucky is also really big. Here is a tweet from Kentucky’s rival’s guy Brett Dawson that made me laugh:

So, yeah, that could be a problem. That's bigger than most NBA teams. Also a problem: just about everyone on the team is a McDonald’s All-American. UK is just superior in talent. Through three games, their KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency rating is second and defense is 41. They’re one of the best offensive and defensive rebounding teams in the country. They can run through a team’s depth with how man fouls they draw a game.

With all that being said, they’re not unbeatable. They did lose to Michigan State 78-74 five days ago. How? Michigan State dominated in UK in transition and was extremely efficient scoring in the paint. I’m not exactly sure how likely it is RMU scores a ton from the paint, but the Colonials have shown how much they love to push the ball, especially after baskets. It’s something to keep an eye on.

More info to make you feel better about tonight: Kentucky is only shooting 66 percent from the free throw line as a team. That’s not other-worldly! Also, they don’t shoot the three ball extremely well. If RMU can knock a few down early they can absolutely hang around.

More reason for hope: In my opinion, the three best players in last year’s game were,

1)      Lucky Jones

2)      Mike McFadden

3)      Archie Goodwin

Lucky was 4-5 for 15 points before being ejected after a flagrant foul. Mike McFadden dominated Willie Cauley-Stein. Forget what the box score might say, re-watch the game and you’ll see it too. Having two of the best players from last years game back is an advantage.

Other than that, we’ll just have to see how things play out. It’s definitely worrisome how much RMU struggled grabbing rebounds against a bigger team like EMU a few days ago so some adjustments will have to be made. Just a few days ago Columbia, who is picked to finish dead last in the Ivy League and was ranked outside the top-200 in KenPom rankings, almost went on the road and beat Michigan State. Weird things can happen in college basketball.

Reminder: if things do start to get weird and we find ourselves winning late in the game, DO NOT MOVE A MUSCLE. This has to be a perfect game from not just the coaches and players, but us to. Don’t risk jinxing anything.

More to come after the game. You can catch it on ESPN2. Enjoy!

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella

Game planning for Kentucky

Happy Saturday everyone!

The much anticipated Kentucky match-up is tomorrow night and we're all excited for it. Kentucky is an incredibly talented team and RMU will have their hands full. We're sure the coaching staff is working non-stop to develop a formula to beat these monsters and we here at CTC appreciate that effort. We'd also like to help out and give coach Toole a few suggestions for gameplanning against one of the top teams in the country:

-Play with 7 guys on the court
-Steal Michigan State's powers, a la the evil guys in Space Jam
-Food poisoning
-Everyone on Kentucky shoots with their opposite hand
-Get Julius Randle to play rounds dizzy bat before the game throwing off his coordination for several hours
-Bring the game to the Charles L. Sewall Center
-Stephan Hawkins gets to sit on Mike McFadden's shoulders, creating an 11'4 center
-The mythical powers of S. Tolson Ford bless us.
-John Calipari gets replaced with Billy Gillespie
-Kentucky plays with actual wild cats rather than players

That's all we have. We'll have more real articles on the game tomorrow.

--Chris Cappella
--@C_Cappella

Who are you, S. Tolson-Ford?

Losing isn’t funny. Last nights loss to EMU sucked. RMU looked to be in control early, faltered in the middle of the game, and couldn’t stem a comeback at the end. To lighten the mood, CTC is launching a full investigation into one of the most unintentionally funny things that’s happened in RMU basketball history. Take a look at last night’s box…

Pretty normal right? Except who the hell is that at the bottom?

S. Tolson Ford played four minutes in last nights game. S. Tolson Ford does not have a number. He is not on any roster. I have never heard of this person before. If this isn’t bizarre enough, he now has his OWN PROFILE ON ESPN!

S. Tolson Ford not only doesn’t have a number or position but he weighs nothing. His weight is zero pounds. S. Tolson Ford is a ghost of some sorts, I guess.

I did some digging around. One thing I have noticed is we have a second walk-on who dresses for games who is not on rosters. His name is Shaire, but I don’t know his last name (and haven’t talked to anyone who does). So could the “S” in “S. Tolson Ford” stand for Shaire? Hypothetically, yes. A google search of S. Tolson Ford brings up a Shaire Tolson-Ford who played at Constitution high school and averaged 4.6 points in 10 games as junior in ’11-12.

So could S. Tolson Ford be former manager turned walk-on Shaire? I guess. But there’s also no way Toole randomly put in a walk-on in any point in a close game. He never has and never will.

Shania Tolson Ford is also another person that comes up in the search, but that doesn’t seem likely because Shania is a girl who plays for the Philly Freedom Stars class of 2017. Her highlight video is greatness.

So who is S. Tolson Ford? What mythical powers does he hold? Can he help us beat Kentucky? These are all questions to monitor. 

--Chris Cappella

--Tips accepted to: @C_Cappella

Update: Last night’s box score indicates Robert Morris played 201 minutes compared to EMU’s 200. That had to be pretty comical to watch for the away crowd. Also, we still lost? Jeez guys. We had an extra minute playing against no one.

Update II: RMU sophomore Chris Mueller has informed us S. Tolson Ford is indeed Shaire Ford, manager turned walk-on. This still answers very little, like why isn’t he on any roster, or given a number/position/legitimate weight. Situation will continue developing.

Robert Morris suffers first loss to Eastern Michigan

11:15 --> More observations were updated on Friday 11/15; I left this little note on here because Chris is terrible at rapping and I wanted everyone to know it.

"11:14 There will be a lot more observations on this one tomorrow. I'm in no mood to write a lot after a pretty bad game from the Colonials (plus I'm dead tired after a nine hour work day), and Chris was rapping all night (and not well). Look for more content tomorrow."

Here is a game report by our man Andrew Chiappazzi over at Colonials Corner. RMU falls to EMU

Eastern Michigan's size crushed the Colonials, they couldn't get a rebound. EMu won the battle on the glass, but not even the 45-35 advantage tells the whole story. When the Colonials grabbed a board, it took every ounce of energy the team had to get it. EMU would get the boards with ease, and got easy buckets of of that.

EMU used that physical advantage to win the game. They scored almost all their points from point blank range, or at the free throw line.EMU got to the line 42 times, and made 28. That's staggering. They only made one three the whole game, but it was a big one at the end of the first half to give them their first lead of the game.

Ray Lee dominated the Colonials. He scored a game high 21 points and got to the rim with ease. The 6-3 freshman has a wide frame, and was able to get in the paint whenever he wanted. RMU couldn't help much because of the size advantage at the rim.

RMU also couldn't figure out the Eagles long 2-3 zone. Stephen Gertz does a nice job of breaking down their struggles here. All night long they had to settle for contested shots late in the shot clock. They lacked the creativity and shot making ability to get EMU out of the zone. As good as the offense looked the first two games, it was equally as bad tonight.

Lucky was really good. He played his best game of the season. This is one of the lone positives. he scored 18 points on only six shots. That's insanely efficient. I would Luck to see Luck take a few more shots and be a bit more aggressive, but he didn't force anything, and that's a good sign.

Karvel Anderson couldn't buy a bucket, and forced a few shots. He once again got hot at the end of the game but it wasn't enough this time. RMU needs him to start scoring the ball earlier in the game. I'm not going to complain too much here, because let's face it, we know Karvel is really good. He had an off game, and I'm willing to bet he fills it up against Kentucky and Texas Arlington.

The bench gave RMU nothing tonight. App looked like a wing playing point and that's no knock on him, that's what he is, a wing. The team really missed Kavon Stewart tonight. Chuck Oliver, Desjuan Newton and Jeremiah Worthem looked like new guys playing their first back leg of a road swing (two games in three day). Again, we're only three games into the season, and not a bad thing that these guys struggled a bit. They were expected to. That's why you play these games now.

HC @AndyToole: "Lucky and Mike we're really good, but tonight we didn't the spark off the bench like we did in the first two games."
— RMU Men's Basketball (@RMUMBasketball) November 15, 2013

Ant looked a lot better, but he has to find his shot. He can't make anything right now and that's worrisome. he had 8 assists (that's eight more than the Lafayette game) but he is 1-11 from the field, 0-6 from three-point-range, and just 3-11 from the foul line. He missed a key front-end of a 1 and 1 last night that really hurt the team late in Thursday's game. A point guard shooting 9.1% is not a good thing. Again though, it's only three games, and one or two good performances change those numbers drastically. Time for Ant to pick it up.

Kentucky --coming off a loss to Michigan State-- is up next. Look we all know what happened last year, but both these teams have changed so much since that famous RMU win. I still haven't figured out how RMU will stop, or even remotely slow down Julius Randle, so the Colonials could have their hands full.

Let's not act like RMU is going up against the Miami Heat though. The UK guards struggled mightily against Michigan State Tuesday. Julius Randle carried them, but let's face it, this guy could be the number one pick in what could go down as the best draft class of all time. If RMU can somehow get him in foul trouble, or he picks up an injury, RMU can certainly play with the Cats. Are they SUPER TALENTED? Yes. Are they young and still learning how to play together? Yes. Coach Cal had some nice words for the RMU program yesterday via twitter. One thing is for sure, UK won't be overlooking the Colonials.

I hope everyone knows we didn't schedule Robert Morris for revenge. I wanted them on the schedule because I know how hard they play.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) November 14, 2013

They execute as well anyone and are going to give us a dogfight, which is what our team needs.
— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) November 14, 2013

This is a tough loss. Coming home with a 3-1 record would have been really nice, but it will be an uphill battle with the most talented team in the country hungry for a win waiting in Lexington. That said, not one game has even been decided on paper, so let's just let it play out on the hardwood.

 Who knows, maybe something shocking will happen on ESPN2 Sunday night.

--Lee Kunkel
--@Kunkel5

#MACtion at a Glance: Robert Morris at Eastern Michigan

Robert Morris (2-0) at Eastern Michigan (2-0)
When: Tuesday, November 14, 7:30 pm EST
Where: Convocation Center, Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Ken Pom: RMU 125. EMU 237
Story-line: The Colonials hit the road and look to get to 3-0 with a win over the 2-0 Eastern Michigan Eagles.

Getting to know the Eastern Michigan University Eagles...

We don't know a whole lot about the Eagles, and truth be told, nobody really does. Why? In their first two games they have played two division two teams,beating Albion 77-45 and Concordia 95-50. So maybe we know they aren't really bad, because a loss to either of those two teams would not have been a good sign. This game will be the first Keightley Classic contest for both teams, which will feature other games against Cleveland State, Texas Arlington, and of course, Kentucky.

While most of the roster will be realtivley unknown to the Colonials, one name will stick out. The Eagles are led by point guard Mike Talley, who transferred in from Duquesne. He's played RMU a few times.

EMU is big, and has a high level front-line. That could give the Colonials a lot of problems. Da'Shonte Riley is a Syracuse transfer, and at 7-0 could wreck havoc on the block. He's not alone on the block. Glenn Bryant, an Arkansas transfer will also man the paint for the Eagles. Fellow forward Karrington Ward leads the team in scoring with 17.0 points per game. At 6-7, he gives the Eagles yet another big option to use on the block. RMU could have some problems on the glass.

EMU is expected to contend for the MAC West Division title, and were picked 3rd by the coaches.

Keys to the Game: The size EMU brings is a little worrisome. It’ll be interesting to see if Toole goes with a lineup that consists on Mike McFadden and Stephan Hawkins on the court at the same time to combat Riley and Bryant. Big teams have given RMU trouble in the past, especially with rebounding (see: Quinnipiac) and that’s the big worry in this one.

EMU has also been very good defensively in their two matchups, coming in with a KenPom defensive rating of 99.7 (national average is 101.7). Riley and Bryant protecting the rim is certainly part of that, so let’s see if RMU can stretch the floor enough to get to the rim and shoot the three ball as well as they have.

RMU’s biggest strength is versatility. This team can play ten guys in all sorts of different positions. If EMU gives RMU fits with one style, Toole can counter it with one of his funky lineups. This is one RMU should probably grab but cannot overlook. Solid point guard play with two talented bigs is tough to beat.

KenPom prediction: RMU defeats Eastern Michigan 63-61

CTC prediction: RMU defeats Eastern Kentucky 74-64

Buzz: Kavon Stewart out through Cleveland State?

Last night, talented freshman point guard Kavon Stewart was not available to play. In fact, he did not even travel with the team. This is what Toole said about it after the game:

"He's serving a suspension for violation of team rules and he's doing everything that we're asking him so he can be back as soon as possible."

When asked to further comment on the timetable, Toole gave a very Bellichick-like answer with "as soon as possible."

Just through talking with people who further understand the situation, I've been told Stewart will miss the next five games and be back for a contest at Buffalo in 13 days. If this is true, it's disappointing that a young guy with tons of talent is going to miss some key, big-time matchups. Look for David Appolon to continue to see time as the back-up point guard. He was outstanding against Lafayette.

 --Chris Cappella
--@C_Cappella

RMU-Lafayette reactions

Ca$h money Karvel Anderson came up huge last night. 2-0!!! (photo credit: Justin Berl)

Last night, your Robert Morris Colonials improved to 2-0 with a 90-81 win over Lafayette College. I can’t even begin to describe how pumped I am. I’m not sure if it’s too much coffee or pure adrenaline, but this was a huge win.

Our guy Lee Kunkel was at the game covering for City of Basketball Love. I had night class and missed the first half and parts of the second, but here are some of the takeaways we had.

-Vets stepping up: Karvel Anderson had 21 points, 16 of which came in the second half. He was awesome in every aspect of his game, going 7-13 from the field, 2-4 from three, and 5-5 (!!!!!) from the free throw line. He took the game over. His aggressiveness, especially at the game, was that of a closer. He smelled the blood in the water and took advantage. Lucky Jones added 14, including a huge three late in the game.

Lee: Karvel Anderson is a closer. The senior scored 16 of his 21 points in the game's final 6:15, and hit a few TOUGH shots. Last year, we got to know Karvel as a dead eye 3-point shooter --and he still is-- but he has added to his game. He can really score in the paint and hit tough pull-ups all over the court. His wrist is finally healthy, and I think that's really helping his aggressiveness on the offensive end. 

-Running point: I didn’t notice anything too wrong with Anthony Myers-Pate’s game but then again I only saw a little over a quarter of this contest. It didn’t sound like it went well. I’ve said this a thousand times before, but it’s all confidence with him. When he starts knocking down some shots, his game is going to flourish in a spectacular way. Trust me.

Lee: I love Ant, but he has to pick it up, and knows that. 3-10 from the free throw stripe, 0-4 from three. It's all confidence. He went 0-3 from the floor, 0-2 from the line, had zero assists and two turnovers last night. One game erases all of that, and I expect that one game Thursday. RMU needs the senior to pick it up, and he will. 

-Running point part II: Kavon Stewart has been suspended. More on that later. In the mean time, it looks like David Appolon is going to play more and more as the back-up point guard. He had maybe his best game in a colonial uniform last night, going 4-5 from the field and 2-2 from deep (10 points). Besides that, he did usual David Appolon things; played great D, grabbed five boards, and even had a key block late. This could be a nice role for Dave. His perimeter defense is clearly a huge advantage and in a point guard role he can try and see the floor more and drive to the basket rather than shoot. His jump shot was good last night, but is still not really a strength of his.

Lee: David Appolon came up big. I wont waste space here, so check out my piece on colonials corner. Appolon steps up.

-DEPTH: This is where all the good vibes are coming from. The starters struggled early in the game so Toole went to an Appolon-Oliver-Newton-Worthem-Hawkins lineup that paced RMU in the first half. Ten guys played 15+ minutes and five reached double digits in scoring. Juanie Newton had a key steal and jam late that helped close the game. He also led the team in rebounding. Chuck Oliver went 2-5 from three (I’ll take that every game) and, from what I can gather, Hawk played like an absolute beast.

This team is better than you and I thought. It’s better than Toole thought. You can just tell.

Lee: Juanie Newton and Charles Oliver are really good. This was the first time I got to see the duo in action, and I was impressed. Newton has some stupid bounce, and can shoot it well from three. He hit some big shots, had a key steal and breakaway layup, and continues to impress me. Oliver is a pure scorer. He can really shoot it, and can get to the basket with ease. I love these two guys, they're going to be a force.

-Three point shooting: Again, very impressive. Lafayette did a really good job shutting down Villanova from three (held them to 16 percent) and hitting the three ball themselves. Last night? The script was flipped, as some may like to say. RMU shot 24 three’s, making 11, good for 45 percent from deep. That’s very good. Lafayette went 9-30 from downtown, good for 30 percent. I like those numbers.

Lee: Offense, offense, OFFENSE!! Through two games, RMU is averaging 88 points per game. 88!!!! Guys that's a lot of points, against two good defensive teams. Nice start O.

-School spirit: This had no effect on the game but I’d like to share anyway. I was at IM basketball last night and we had the game on. We were supposed to start the next round of IM games at 8:45 but the Colonials were in a close one, so we delayed the start of our games and about 20 of us huddled around a laptop to catch the end of the win. It was pretty cool.

-Other odds and end (by Lee): Aaron Tate is a good fit for this team. He's not going to wow you by putting up 20 points in a game, but he guards multiple positions, can finish inside, set screens, does all the little things. For a team with so many offensive weapons, they need a guy like this. His hustle may have saved the game last night. In a tie game, Lafayette had a breakaway layup to take the lead. Tate motored down the court, contested what seemed like an easy layup, and forced a miss. RMU got the ball, and quickly got it down to Mike McFadden for a go ahead dunk. Love the hustle Aaron.

Toole becomes a better coach every day. Sure, Andy rallied his troops down 11 to a very good team on the road and got them to win by nine. That's impressive. He also did it with out his backup PG, and the starter played one of the worst games of his career. But I'm not talking about any of that. Toole once again made the best move for his program, rather than his team by suspending Kavon Stewart for a violation of team rules. I don't know the particulars, but I can bet Kavon will learn from this and better off for it. Hope he is back soon, and kudo's to Toole for making what he believes was the right call for the young man, rather than making the best decision for his team. 

Eastern Michigan is up next, more on that matchup coming up the next two days. Feel free to leave comments below.

Happy hump day!

--Chris Cappella

-@C_Cappella

Lee Kunkel (@Kunkel5) --