CLEVELAND — When he found out his team was facing No. 2 Alabama in the NCAA tournament, Robert Morris coach Andy Toole immediately knew the task ahead.
“Across the board, they’re going to be bigger,” Toole said minutes after the Colonials were called on Selection Sunday. “They’re going to be faster. Potentially stronger. More talented.”
After a few days of film, Toole has the same opinion.
“It’s going to take an incredible effort tomorrow afternoon,” Toole said Thursday. “... It's going to take a monumentous defensive effort.”
Whatever you focus on — size, speed, strength, talent — Alabama is just plain good. Alabama is the No. 1 scoring offense in the country, scoring 91 points per 40-minute game. The Crimson Tide (25-8) play fast, using the highest tempo in the country, per KenPom. They’re led by Mark Sears, a fifth-year senior guard and a AP first team All-American. Five players score 10 or more points per game.
The Tide finished third in a loaded SEC, going 13-5 in conference play and advancing to the SEC semifinals. They were ranked No. 7 in the pre-NCAA tournament AP poll. If there is a confidence point for Robert Morris, it’s that Alabama has lost five of nine — but the losses all came against top-15 teams, with four of five against top-five teams, and one of the wins came against No. 1 Auburn.
Alabama’s not a young team, either. Four of five starters are graduate students. And the Tide have NCAA tournament experience, going to the Final Four last year.
It's a formidable opponent, to say the least. Here’s what you need to know before No. 2 Alabama and No. 15 Robert Morris play Friday at 12:40 p.m. at Cleveland’s Rocket Arena, with TruTV carrying the broadcast:
Top storyline
Last year, Horizon League champ Oakland upset No. 3 Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Can this year’s Horizon League champ slay a similar SEC opponent?
If you look further than last year, history isn’t in Robert Morris’ favor. The Colonials have never won a first round NCAA tournament game, with its two wins coming in the preliminary rounds. Prior to Oakland’s win, no Horizon League team had won a non-preliminary NCAA tournament game since Butler advanced to the national championship in 2011.
Of course, Robert Morris is hopeful it can do what Oakland did, knocking off a top SEC opponent and shocking the world.
“We’ve been counted out all year,” guard DJ Smith said Wednesday. “It’s a basketball game at the end of the day. We all lace up the same way. We’ve all been playing since [we were] young kids. It’s on the biggest stage, the biggest stakes, so it’s gonna be a dog fight.”
Players to watch
Amarion Dickerson: All eyes are on the Cleveland kid. The Ohio native is planning on bringing a large fan contingent to Rocket Arena, just as he did when the Colonials faced Cleveland State. Alabama coach Nate Oats called Dickerson “an elite athlete,” and the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year will need to be at his best to slow down the Tide.
Kam Woods: Woods also has a hometown tie, as the Alabama native will face off against the team he grew up supporting. Robert Morris won’t win a shootout against Alabama, so Woods will be tasked with getting Sears, his former AAU teammate, off his game. If Woods struggles on either end, Robert Morris has little chance of the upset.
Behind enemy lines
Head coach: Nate Oats, sixth year at Alabama (238-105 overall, 142-62 at Alabama)
NET ranking: 6
KenPom ranking: 6
Probable starting lineup (points-rebounds-assists):
Mark Sears, 6-foot-1 (18.7-3.0-4.9)
Grant Nelson, 6-foot-11 (11.8-7.6-1.6)
Labaron Philon, 6-foot-4 (10.9-3.3-3.6)
Chris Youngblood, 6-foot-4 (10.0-2.2-0.9)
Clifford Omoruyi, 6-foot-11 (7.6-6.6-0.8)
The scoop
Nelson was one of the most dangerous players throughout last year’s NCAA tournament, averaging 11.4 points and 7.2 rebounds to lead the Crimson Tide to the Final Four. He’s currently dealing with a knee injury and is considered a game-time decision for Friday. Oats has said that he’s hoping Nelson would be ready for a second-round game Sunday, giving the Colonials hope that Alabama might overlook them.
But the Tide are deep, even if Nelson can’t play. Sophomore Jarin Stevenson (6-11) started for the bulk of the season before moving to the bench in February, and he’d likely start if Nelson is sidelined. He averages 5.9 points but scored in double figures in the last two games. Guard Aden Holloway (6-1) comes off the bench and scores 11.4 points per game.
One of Robert Morris’s biggest strengths is its depth and balance, but Alabama is both deeper and more talented. There were more questions at Alabama’s first-round press conference about trying to return to the Final Four than about its first-round opponent, which shows how most of the world sees this game.
Few opponents are tougher than Alabama. Robert Morris is hoping to shock the world.
First Published: March 20, 2025, 6:12 p.m.
Updated: March 21, 2025, 2:00 p.m.
