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Robert Morris completes remarkable turnaround to punch NCAA Tournament ticket
The Robert Morris Colonials may have been the No. 1 seed in the Horizon League Tournament, but that does not tell the full story for a program that was far from relevant a season ago.
With an 89-78 win over Youngstown State (21-13, 13-7 HL) on Tuesday night, Robert Morris (26-8, 15-5 HL) punched its first ticket to the "Big Dance" since 2015 and claimed its first Horizon League championship since joining the conference in 2020.
WELCOME BACK TO THE DANCE, ROBERT MORRIS
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 12, 2025
The Colonials win the Horizon League to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/28tLndlS27
The Colonials shared the ball efficiently with 23 assists on 29 made shots. This play exemplified that about seven minutes into the second half as sophomore Alvaro Folgueiras made the extra pass to junior DJ Smith for a triple to put Robert Morris up 53-46.
We'll say it again, @Deangilo_Smith is clutch! We're up 53-49 at the U12. #GRIT #MarchStartsHere #HLMBB @RMU pic.twitter.com/zVYKW1HQr1
— RMU Basketball (@RMUMBasketball) March 12, 2025
Folgueiras hit this triple after an assist from senior Kam Woods to put the Colonials up 73-62 with 4:58 to play.
.@AlvaroFolgue drills it!!! We're at the U4 leading 78-65! It's almost here!!!!#GRIT #MarchStartsHere #HLMBB @RMU pic.twitter.com/HGtdNYtKHp
— RMU Basketball (@RMUMBasketball) March 12, 2025
Robert Morris shot 46.8% overall and hit 11 of its 22 three-point attempts. Junior Josh Omojafo led the way with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Woods was next with 17 points as all five starters scored in double figures.
Head coach Andy Toole was at the helm when Robert Morris last went to the NCAA Tournament in 2015. The program earned the right to go in 2020 before the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
Since then, the Colonials have not won 16 games in a season since joining the Horizon League. As CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein noted, the Colonials have won 26 games a year removed from only winning 10, which speaks to the incredible coaching job by Toole.
12 months after winning just 10 games, Robert Morris has tallied 26 victories and punched its ticket to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 12, 2025
A masterful coaching job by Andy Toole, who has now led this program to titles in both the Horizon League and the NEC.
After losing its first two games at the beginning of conference play, Robert Morris won 20 of its next 23 games en route to the Horizon League title. The Colonials entered Tuesday with a NET ranking of 143 and No. 141 in KenPom.
According to Joe Lunardi's latest bracketology for ESPN, Robert Morris is projected to be a 15-seed with a potential matchup with No. 2-seed Tennessee as of Tuesday. That is obviously a tough first-round game and one Robert Morris would not be expected to have much of a chance in.
Still, this team is experienced and just completed a 16-win turnaround from last season. Regardless of its NCAA Tournament result, Robert Morris has a lot to be proud of and has at least one more game to leave it all on the court once more.
More must-reads:
- First three men's NCAA Tournament auto-bids make school history
- Losing-record NEC program punches improbable NCAA Tournament bid
- The 'Active NBA players from the 2018 NCAA Sweet Sixteen teams' quiz
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