Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball

Robert Morris Colonials
2024–25 Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team
University	Robert Morris University
Head coach	Andrew Toole (15th season)
Conference	Horizon League
Location	Moon Township, Pennsylvania
Arena	UPMC Events Center (capacity: 4,000)
Nickname	Colonials
Colors	Blue, white, and red [1]
Uniforms
Home Away
NCAA tournament appearances
1982, 1983, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2009, 2010, 2015
Conference tournament champions
1982, 1983, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2020
Conference regular season champions
1982, 1983, 1984, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014

The Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team is the basketball team that represents Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League. The Colonials current head coach is Andrew Toole who is in his fourteenth season at RMU. ^[2] Toole was hired when, after three years in charge and 73 wins, head coach Mike Rice Jr. left the program in 2010 to take the head coaching job at Rutgers. ^[3]

The team's most recent appearance in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was in 2015, where the Colonials beat North Florida in the First Four, ^{[4] [5]} but then suffered a loss to No. 1-seeded Duke (the eventual national champion) in the First Round. ^[6] Five years earlier, in the 2010 NCAA tournament, the 15th-seed Colonials nearly upset No. 9-ranked Villanova in the First Round before losing in overtime. ^{[7] [8]} The team is also known for its upset over No. 1-seeded (and 2012 national champion) Kentucky at the buzzer in the opening round of the 2013 National Invitation Tournament ^{[9] [10]} and another upset over traditional Big East powerhouse St. John's in the opening round of the 2014 NIT. ^{[11] [12]} However, in both cases, the Colonials lost in the second round.

Postseason results

NCAA tournament results

The Colonials have appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times. They have also qualified for the 2020 NCAA tournament, which was cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Year	Seed	Round	Opponent	Result
1982	#12	First Round	#5 Indiana	L 62–94
1983	#12	Preliminary Round First Round	#12 Georgia Southern #5 Purdue	W 64–54 L 53–55
1989	#16	First Round	#1 Arizona	L 60–94
1990	#15	First Round	#2 Kansas	L 71–79
1992	#16	First Round	#1 UCLA	L 53–73
2009	#15	First Round	#2 Michigan State	L 62–77
2010	#15	First Round	#2 Villanova	L 70–73 OT
2015	#16	First Four First Round	#16 North Florida #1 Duke	W 81–77 L 56–85

NIT results

The Colonials have appeared in three National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Their record is 2–3. ^[13]

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2008	First Round	Syracuse	L 81–87
2013	First Round Second Round	Kentucky Providence	W 59–57 L 68–77
2014	First Round Second Round	St. John's Belmont	W 89–78 L 71–82

CIT results

The Colonials have appeared in two CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Their record is 3–2. ^[14]

Year	Round	Opponent	Result
2012	First Round Second Round Quarterfinals	Indiana State Toledo Fairfield	W 67–60 W 69–51 L 61–67
2019	First Round Second Round	Cornell Presbyterian	W 98–89OT L 70–77

Home court

On January 30, 2017, Robert Morris announced plans to build a new basketball and volleyball facility named the UPMC Events Center on the school's campus. ^[15] The basketball team's former home, the Charles L. Sewall Center was to be demolished to make room for the new arena. ^[16] The 2017–18 Colonials played their home games at the PPG Paints Arena ^[15] and at the Palumbo Center on the campus of Duquesne University. ^[17] The 2018–19 Colonials played their home games at the North Athletic Complex on campus. The UPMC Events Center opened in May 2019.

References

1. "RMU Brand Style Guide" (PDF). March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
2. "With new arena on way, Robert Morris coach Andy Toole gets contract extension". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
3. "Robert Morris hires 29-year-old Andrew Toole as new coach - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
4. "Robert Morris defeats North Florida in First Four, draws Duke". SI.com. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
5. "Robert Morris holds off North Florida, earns date with Duke". Sporting News. 2015-03-18. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
6. "NCAA tournament: No. 1 seed Duke beats Robert Morris, 85-56, in NCAA opener". latimes.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
7. "Robert Morris vs. Villanova - Game Recap - March 18, 2010 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2017. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
8. "NCAA tournament: Robert Morris almost upsets Villanova". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
9. "Robert Morris stuns Kentucky in NIT, 59-57". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
10. "Robert Morris vs. Kentucky - Game Recap - March 19, 2013 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
11. "St. John's suffers first-round NIT exit against Robert Morris". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
12. "Red Storm loses in first round of NIT to Robert Morris". TimesLedger. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
13. "Robert Morris Colonials Index | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
14. "2011-12 Robert Morris Colonials Schedule and Results | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2017-12-12.
15. "Robert Morris to build new basketball, volleyball arena". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
16. "RMU partners with UPMC on new Events Center for basketball and volleyball". NEXTpittsburgh. 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
17. "RMU To Play Four Home Games at A.J. Palumbo Center - Robert Morris University". Robert Morris University. Retrieved 2017-12-12.

External links

• Official website