Big Lead Sports Bar

3/11/2009

TIME TO GIVE ROBERT MORRIS SOME LOVE

ROBERT MORRIS VS. MOUNT ST. MARY'S
NEC CHAMPIONSHIP
8:30 PM TONIGHT
SEWALL CENTER, MOON

TV: ESPN 2
RADIO: WPIT-AM 730 & ESPN 1250
INTERNET: ESPN 360

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement of Super Bowls, streaking hockey teams and possible Final Four squads (not to mention Rinku and Dinesh), but it's about time I remind everyone of another great story happening in Pittsburgh sports: the 23-10 Robert Morris Colonials, who will be on ESPN2 tonight trying to secure an NCAA bid against 19-12 Mount St. Mary's.

Robert Morris really is an interesting team. Their coach, Mike Rice, a former Jamie Dixon assistant at Pitt, is a likable fellow who's made the rounds on the local talk scene this week. And he's a Pittsburgh native, which automatically adds bonus points. His father, Mike Rice Sr., served as head coach at both Duquesne (1979-82) and Youngstown State (1982-87) and currently serves as the television color commentator for the Portland Trailblazers. And his mother, Kathy, played college ball at Duquesne as well. Basically, basketball is intertwined in his DNA.


As for the players, 6-3 senior guard Jeremy Chappell, who hails from Cincinnati, is clearly the star of the show, sporting 16.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest. He leads the team in all three categories. So for Bobby Mo to have a shot tonight, odds are that Chappell is going to be a major part of the victory.



Unfortunately, there is an unpleasant subplot to the feel-good story, that being the recent altercation involving Chappell, Mezie Nwigwe, Rob Robinson and Velton Jones outside a convenience store early on Saturday morning. So with the conference title and the presence of the four-letter network bearing down on the program, Rice has to deal with this. For a team that hasn't reached the Big Dance since 1992 (when they lost 73-53 to UCLA), there's a lot on the line tonight. Hopefully Rice and his players can block out the distractions and play up to their capabilities, because the Colonials don't get the spotlight shining on them this brightly too often.

Robert Morris Links:
Colonials Corner Blog
Jeremy Chappell at Draft Express
RMU Basketball: Run-in with law stymies Colonials [Colin Dunlap/PG]

Send your news, tips, and links to Mondesishouse@gmail.com.

3 comments:

The Duke from Dukes Court said...

It's nice to see that college basketball is back in Pittsburgh. Pitt obviously has a top tier program, Robert Morris is on the doorstep of the tournament and Duquesne just finished an 18 win season with the youngest roster in the NCAA.

Might I also add that Duquesne beat Robert Morris at Robert Morris 88-62 earlier this year...

HotDog_Zanzabar said...

Good points Duke, although I'm sure Adam will be here in minutes to point out A)Pitt's shortcomings and B)how PSU should be mentioned as a contender for the National Title

BurressWithButterflywings said...

As much as I would love to job Adam here, this is Robert Morris's moment. It was great to see them winnning that game and getting to celebrate on National TV even though the start was delayed for the WBC.

Congratulations RMU.