Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the American revolution." It enrolls nearly 5,000 students and offers 60 bachelor's degree programs and 35 master's and doctoral programs. Most students are from the Pittsburgh area, while 16 percent of freshmen in 2018 were from outside Pennsylvania.
Jerold Taylor "Jay" Wright Jr. is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach of Villanova University from 2001 until 2022. Wright led the Villanova Wildcats to six Big East Conference championships and 16 NCAA tournament appearances in 21 seasons as head coach. Under Wright, Villanova reached four Final Fours and won two national championships in 2016 and 2018. Wright is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in NCAA history.
UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, originally known as A.J. Palumbo Center, is a 3,500-seat multi-purpose arena in the Uptown area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania served by exits on both Interstate 376 and Interstate 579. The arena originally opened in 1988, and is part of Duquesne University. It is home to both the Duquesne Dukes basketball and volleyball programs.
Charles L. Sewall Center, commonly referred to as the Sewall Center, and nicknamed "The Chuck" was a 3,056-seat multi-purpose arena in the Pittsburgh suburb of Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It was home to the Robert Morris Colonials men's and women's basketball teams as well as the women's volleyball team from 1985 until 2017. The Northeast Conference men's basketball tournament was held there four times. The inaugural game was held on November 30, 1985, when Robert Morris lost to Duquesne 80-65. The building, named for the university's president from 1967 to 1989, replaced the John Jay Center in 1985.
The Villanova Wildcats men's basketball program represent Villanova University in men's college basketball and competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. Their first season was the 1920–21 season. Named the Wildcats, Villanova is a member of the Philadelphia Big Five, five Philadelphia college basketball teams who share a passionate rivalry.
The Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball program is the NCAA Division I intercollegiate men's basketball program of Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey. The team competes in the Big East Conference and plays their home games in the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The Robert Morris Colonials are the athletic teams for Robert Morris University, in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The Colonials compete in NCAA Division I. In 2020, the school joined the Horizon League as a full member after leaving the Northeast Conference. Several RMU sports that are not sponsored by the Horizon League play in other conferences. Football plays in the Big South Conference, and men's and women's lacrosse respectively compete in the ASUN Conference and Mid-American Conference. The school colors are RMU Blue, RMU Red, and RMU Gray/Silver.
Andrew Toole is an American basketball head coach from Staten Island, New York. He has served as the head coach at Robert Morris University since May 11, 2010 and is currently the 6th youngest head coach in Division I basketball. Toole had served as an assistant coach at Lafayette College and Robert Morris prior to accepting his first head coaching position. As a player, Toole played at Elon University before transferring to the University of Pennsylvania.
The 2014–15 Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team represented Robert Morris University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Colonials, led by fifth year head coach Andrew Toole, played their home games at the Charles L. Sewall Center and were members of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 20–15, 12–6 in NEC play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated Wagner, Bryant, and St. Francis Brooklyn to be champions of the NEC tournament. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated North Florida in the First Four before losing in the second round to Duke.
The 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 11, 2016. The first tournament was the 2K Sports Classic, and ended with the Final Four in Glendale, Arizona on April 3, 2017. Practices officially began on September 30, 2016.
The 2016–17 Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represented the University of Iowa in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by seventh-year head coach Fran McCaffery and played their home games at Carver–Hawkeye Arena as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 19–15, 10–8 in Big Ten play to finish in a four-way tie for fifth place. They lost in the second round of the Big Ten tournament to Indiana. They were one of the last four teams not selected for the NCAA tournament and thus received a No. 1 seed in the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated South Dakota in the first round before losing to TCU in the second round.
The 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 10, 2017. The first tournament was the 2K Sports Classic and the season ended with the Final Four in San Antonio on April 2, 2018. Practices officially began on September 29, 2017.
The 2017–18 Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team represented Robert Morris University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Colonials, led by eighth-year head coach Andrew Toole, played their home games at the PPG Paints Arena and four games at the Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as members of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 16–17, 9–9 in NEC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 7 seed in the NEC tournament, they upset No. 2 seed Mount St. Mary's in the quarterfinals before losing in the semifinals to No. 1 seed Wagner.
UPMC Events Center is an indoor arena located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Moon, Pennsylvania as a part of Robert Morris University, replacing the old Charles L. Sewall Center. The UPMC Events Center is the new home of the Robert Morris Colonials men's and women's (NCAA) Division I basketball and women's volleyball teams. The UPMC Events Center was originally scheduled to open in January 2019. However, it later opened in May 2019 after the men's basketball team announced all of their 2018-19 games would be played at the North Athletic Complex on campus.
The 2019–20 Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team represented Robert Morris University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Colonials, led by tenth-year head coach Andrew Toole, played their home games at the UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, Pennsylvania as members of the Northeast Conference. They finished the season 20–15, 13–5 in NEC play to finish in a tie for second place. They defeated St. Francis Brooklyn, LIU and Saint Francis (PA) to be champions of the NEC tournament. They earned the NEC's automatic bid before the tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2019–20 Duquesne Dukes men's basketball team represented Duquesne University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Dukes, led by third-year head coach Keith Dambrot, were members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Dukes finished the season 21–9, 11–7 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for fifth place. Their season ended when the A-10 tournament and all other postseason tournament were canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The 2021–22 Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team represented Robert Morris University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Colonials, led by 12th-year head coach Andrew Toole, played their home games at the UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, Pennsylvania as members of the Horizon League.
The 2023 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 68 teams to determine the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The 41st edition of the tournament began in March 2023, and concluded on April 2, 2023 with the championship game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
The 2022–23 Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team represented Robert Morris University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Colonials, led by 13th-year head coach Andrew Toole, played their home games at the UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, Pennsylvania as members of the Horizon League. They finished the season 15–16, 10–10 in Horizon League play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the Horizon League tournament, they defeated IUPUI in the first round to advance to the quarterfinal round, where they fell to Cleveland State in overtime.
The 2023–24 Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team represents Robert Morris University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Colonials, led by 14th-year head coach Andrew Toole, play their home games at the UPMC Events Center located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania as members of the Horizon League.
