Robert Morris Vs. North Florida First Four GameDay, Odds, TV/Radio, And Preview
By Larry Snyder
The question coming into Wednesday night’s First Four match-up is who will keep their winning streak rolling along?
The Robert Morris University men’s basketball team brings a six-game winning streak to the First Four match-up Wednesday, March 18 while the University of North Florida has put together eight consecutive victories. The contest will tip off at 6:40 p.m. at the University of Dayton Arena, and it will be broadcast on TruTV.
More from Robert Morris University
- Big Week for Robert Morris University Colonials Athletics
- Three Rivers Classic: Hometown team RMU prevails, wins championship
- Three Rivers Classic: Robert Morris vs Penn State recap
- Three Rivers Classic preview: Robert Morris vs Penn State showdown
- Rodney Pryor, RMU guard, named Northeast Conference Player of the Week
In the Northeast Conference Tournament, RMU (19-14) grounded the Wagner College Seahawks 91-68, defeated the Bryant University Bulldogs 66-53, and completed its championship run with a 66-63 victory over the No. 1 seed St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers.
The Colonials brought home their eighth NEC Tournament championship. Rodney Pryor claimed the 2015 NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player award after averaging 14.7 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals over the trio of contests. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound junior guard led the attack during the regular season by averaging 15.2 points per game.
Over the course of 33 games, freshman guard Marcquise Reed contributed 14.8 points per contest and led the squad in steals with 62. Senior forward Lucky Jones was third with 14.3 points per match-up and averaged a team-high six rebounds per game.
Keep an eye on sophomore guard Kavon Stewart, who was the assists leader during the regular season with 144 while freshman Dlijah Minnie took care of business with a team-high 35 blocked shots. The 6-foot-8, 210-pound forward had a career-high four blocks in the NEC tournament championship against St. Francis Brooklyn.
The Colonials are making their third appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the last seven years. It is the program’s eighth overall trip to the Big Dance. The Blue and White’s last appearance in the NCAA Tournament was in 2010. As the 15 seed, RMU lost to the two seed Villanova University Wildcats 73-70 in overtime at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island.
When: Wednesday, March 18
Tip Off: 6:40 p.m., ET
Site: University of Dayton Arena (OH)
National Television: TruTV
Announcers: Ian Eagle and Doug Gottleib
National Radio: Westwood One
Announcers: Brandon Gaudin and Alaa Abdelnaby
Pittsburgh Radio Coverage: 970 ESPN AM
Announcers: Chris Shovlin and Jim Elias
Live Video Steam: NCAA March Madness Live
Social Media – Twitter and Instagram: @RMUMBasketball
Odds: Robert Morris +3 According to Bovada Online Sportsbook with the Over/Under reported from Caesars Sportsbook at 138.5.
For the Ospreys (23-11) of the University of North Florida in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, they beat the Stetson University Hatters 81-67, downed the Lipscomb University Bisons 71-57, and captured their first ASC title with a 63-57 win over the University of South Carolina Upstate Spartans.
Live Feed
Busting Brackets
Coming off his 22 point performance against the Spartans for the championship, Demarcus Daniels was named the ASun Tournament Most Valuable Player. During the regular season, the 6-foot-7, 195-pound junior forward was the team leader in blocked shots with 53.
The UNF offense is led by sophomore guard Dallas Moore, who averaged 15.9 points per game and contributed 123 assists during the regular season. Sophomore forward Chris Davenport hauled down 215 rebounds while senior guard Jalen Nesbitt was first on the squad in steals with 57.
Up Next: The winner of Wednesday’s contest will head south to Charlotte, N.C. to play the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils (29-4) Friday, March 20 at Time Warner Cable Arena.
From The Clipboard: Coming into tonight’s meeting North Florida has an RPI rating of 162 and Robert Morris is 171… The Colonials in five seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, own a record of 40-20 in contests decided by five points or less…RMU is 72-15 under Toole when out rebounding its opponent…The Ospreys put up more than nine three-pointers per game and made a school record 308 this season…Seven different UNF players have scored 20-plus points in a contest this season.