More than 100 Robert Morris University men’s basketball fans gathered on campus Friday afternoon to watch the Colonials take on Alabama in the first round of the NCAA March Madness tournament.
The No. 2-seeded Crimson Tide team was the heavy favorite against the No 15. Colonials. Despite the odds, those who gathered at the UPMC Events Center on the Moon campus were buzzing with excitement and optimism.
That optimism was gone by the end of the Robert Morris’ 90-81 loss, but the Colonials gave their fans plenty to cheer for throughout the game.
At tipoff, the entire room broke into applause, beginning what would be an emotional few hours for fans watching the game on four large projector screens.
Each missed shot by the Colonials brought audible groans from the crowd, and with each loose ball, the fans draped in RMU red and blue reacted with shouts.
Fans weren’t surprised RMU’s team kept the score close in the first half.
“I think Alabama definitely underestimated Robert Morris,” said Bobby Joe Belus, 43, a 2003 RMU graduate. “Robert Morris is no stranger to being in the spotlight or facing adversity.”
Ms. Belus remained confident ahead of the second half.
“They’re getting rebounds, but they're not getting the second shots on offense, so if they can clean that up, I think we’ll have ourselves a ballgame.”
A ballgame is what they had, as the score was close throughout most of the second half.
Some watching at the UPMC center began nervously dabbling in superstition.
Lisa Hernandez, the vice president of People and Culture at RMU, had initially been standing on the back wall of the viewing room. She moved to a chair, but once Alabama began extending its lead at the start of the second half, she returned to the wall.
“They were doing better when I was back here,” she said.
Some fans sat with clenched hands, as if in prayer, and the cheers swelled to screams as RMU began to cut the deficit midway through the second half.
As the clock ticked down, anxious fans hunched forward in anticipation of each possession. When RMU pulled within two points of Alabama with just under eight minutes left to go, some leapt up and exchanged high-fives.
“Right now, the fact that we’re in striking distance in the second half is a great thing,” said John Locke, the university’s chief experience officer. “Basketball is a funny thing. Anything can happen, and I believe in RMU and I believe in our students.”
When RMU guard Amarion Dickerson sent the ball into the stands with an emphatic block, fans erupted in howls.
“I’m on the edge of my seat,” Kate Edwards, 44, said with just over six minutes to go in the game. “My palms are sweaty and I’m so proud of them. … Of course I still think they could do it.”
Ms. Edwards said her 14-year-old daughter, who was in school at the time, didn’t think the Colonials had a chance.
“I’ve been texting her,” Ms. Edwards said. “I can’t wait to see her after school and tell her how competitive it was.”
While Alabama began to pull away in the final minutes, fans still cheered for every point the Colonials scored. When Mr. Dickerson fouled out with about a minute left, many gave him a standing ovation.
When the clock struck zero and the Colonials were ultimately beaten, the room deflated momentarily. But fans said the disappointment was fleeting and wouldn’t ruin the high of making it to the NCAA tournament.
The game marked the Colonials’ ninth appearance since 1982.
“But they had a great season and they have nothing to feel bad about,” said Bob Racca, 60.
First Published: March 21, 2025, 10:51 p.m.
Updated: March 21, 2025, 11:32 p.m.
