Scouting the Pirates - Seton Hall enters Sunday's game with an overall record of 1-0 after defeating Northeast Conference opponent Monmouth, 89-81, in its 2007-08 season opener Sunday, Nov. 11. In that game sophomore guard Eugene Harvey erupted for 27 points, hitting eight of his 12 shots from the floor and converting 11 of his 14 attempts from the free-throw line. Harvey also added five rebounds, four assists and four steals against the Hawks. The top returning scorer and rebounder for Seton Hall is senior forward Brian Laing, who averaged 16.5 points and 6.7 rebounds in 2006-07. He scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Monmouth.

Seton Hall Head Coach - In his second season as head coach of the Pirates is Bobby Gonzalez (Buffalo State '86), who owns an overall record of 143-93 (.606), including a mark of 14-16 (.470) with Seton Hall. Prior to becoming the head coach of the Pirates, Gonzalez spent seven seasons as head coach at Manhattan, posting four 20-win seasons with the Jaspers, including a record of 25-6 in 2003-04.

RMU's Last Game - Robert Morris improved to 2-0 for the second straight season with a 93-77 victory @ Navy, Nov. 14. The Mids jumped out to a 7-3 lead at the 18:27 mark of the first half, but the Colonials used a 12-2 spurt to take a 15-9 advantage with 15:02 left before the break. RMU received balanced scoring during the run and were led by A.J. Jackson, who scored five points. Jimmy Langhurst also added a three-pointer, while Tony Lee and Jeremy Chappell each hit layups. Dallas Green gave Robert Morris an 18-11 lead after converting a layup and free throw thanks to a foul by Greg Sprink, but Navy used a 7-0 spurt to tie the game at 18-18 after a layup from Clif Colbert. RMU weathered the storm by scoring the next five points, which started the Colonials on a 22-11 run to give the club a 40-29 lead with 3:33 to go before halftime. RMU never trailed again. Chappell got the run started with a three-pointer and scored nine points during the spurt, while Jackson and Gary Wallace each added three-pointers. Robert Morris eventually went into the half with a five-point lead, 42-37, when Derek Young hit a pair of free throws with just 0.8 seconds remaining in the first stanza thanks to a foul by Wallace. Ben Biles pulled the Midshipmen within three, 42-39, out of the second-half gates with a layup, but Robert Morris scored seven straight points to get its lead back to double digits, 49-39. Jackson hit a layup while Langhurst scored five points, including a three-pointer. Navy closed its deficit to six, 55-49, after a jumper from Sprink, but the Colonials stretched their lead to 67-49 thanks to 12 unanswered points. RMU did most of its damage at the free-throw line, as Jackson was 4-for-4 during the stretch while Langhurst and Mezie Nwigwe each hit a pair. The lead swelled to 72-51 in favor of Robert Morris after a pair of free throws from Ifeanyi Ehirim, and the closest the Mids were able to whittle their deficit the rest of the game was 14. Jackson led RMU by taking home game-high honors in both points (22) and rebounds (10), recording his first double-double of the season and 22nd of his career.

Leading Scorers: Jackson (22), Chappell (20), Lee (12), Langhurst (12)
Leading Rebounders: Jackson (10), Chappell (9), Lee (8), Langhurst (4), Ehirim (4)
Assists: Lee (8), Langhurst (2), Chappell (2), Ehirim (2)

Navy Game Notes - Robert Morris notched its first win in the all-time series against Navy, improving to 1-2 against the Mids ... The victory improved RMU to 2-0 for the ninth time in school history ... The Colonials shot 44.9 percent (31-for-69) from the field and converted 88.5 percent (23-for-26) of their free throws ... The Midshipmen shot 39.7 percent (23-for-58) and were held to just 25.9 percent (7-for-29) from long range ... Navy's bench outscored the Colonial reserves, 33-24 ... Robert Morris posted 16 assists on its 31 field goals ... The Colonials held a commanding 50-28 edge on the glass, including a 17-6 edge in offensive rebounds ... RMU's largest lead was 21 with 8:19 to play, while Navy's largest advantage was four with 18:27 to go in the first half ... Five different Colonials hit a three-pointer in the win ... Mike Rice joined Jarrett Durham (1984-96) as the only Colonial head coaches in school history to start their career with a perfect 2-0 record.

Wax Ecstatic - Senior forward A.J. Jackson joined an elite group at Robert Morris in RMU's 93-77 victory @ Navy (11/14/07), becoming the 18th Colonial to join RMU's 1,000-point club and the 14th player in school history of the 500-rebound club. Thanks to 22 points and 10 rebounds against the Midshipmen, Jackson enters Sunday's game @ Seton Hall with career totals of 1,011 points and 508 rebounds. He also is just the 10th player in school history, and second on the active roster, with career totals of at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Jackson joins senior guard Tony Lee, who owns 1,045 career points and 545 career caroms, and also became the first player in school history to eclipse 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in the same game.

Earl The Pearl - Sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst, who has started each of RMU's first two games at point guard, found his shot in a 93-77 victory @ Navy (11/14/07), contributing 12 points while also adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals. It marked just the second double-digit scoring effort from Langhurst, and he hit on two of his five three-point field goals in the win.

Natural Leader - Despite averaging just 9.5 points in RMU's first two games of the 2007-08 campaign, senior guard Tony Lee has proven that he brings a complete game to the table. Lee has averaged 9.5 rebounds in wins over Iona (11/10/07) and @ Navy (11/14/07) and also has posted 15 assists, an average of 7.5 per game that leads the Northeast Conference in the early going of the 2007-08 campaign. Lee is just 15 dimes shy of becoming the only player in Robert Morris history to own career totals of 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists.

Spread the Jam - While senior guard Tony Lee has been clutch for Robert Morris in finding the open man during RMU's 2-0 start with a team-high 15 assists, other Colonials have gotten in on the act. Sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst and junior guard Jeremy Chappell each own five assists so far this season, while freshman guard Gary Wallace has contributed four. The unselfishness on offense by Robert Morris in the early going of the 2007-08 campaign has allowed the Colonials to post 35 assists on their 59 field goals (59.3 percent). RMU currently ranks second in the Northeast Conference in assists per game (17.50).

Green River - One Colonial to keep an eye on in 2007-08 is Dallas Green. The sophomore forward from Indianapolis, Indiana, played a total of 35 minutes as a freshman in 2006-07 but has been a key player off the bench for RMU in the early going. In RMU's season-opening victory over Iona (11/10/07), Green contributed 10 points, six rebounds and a career-high four blocks. In a 93-77 win @ Navy (11/14/07), Green finished with nine points but posted a career-high three steals.

Mirror Image - Junior guard Jeremy Chappell couldn't have been any more consistent a player for Robert Morris than in his first two games. In wins over Iona (11/10/07) and @ Navy (11/14/07), Chappell scored 20 points in each game, posting mirror image shooting nights of 8-for-15 from the field, including 3-for-8 from beyond the arc. Chappell also added nine rebounds and five steals in RMU's win over the Midshipmen, tying a career-high in steals that he originally set @ Long Island Feb. 16, 2006.

Imagine That - Head Coach Mike Rice has preached since being named the seventh head coach in school history in April that defense is going to be key for Robert Morris in 2007-08. In the early going of the season, it seems his mantra has sunk in. The Colonials own a record of 2-0 in large part due to the fact the club has allowed its first two opponents to shoot just 40.2 percent (47-for-117) from the floor. That mark is tops in the Northeast Conference. In the 26-year history of the NEC, the Colonials have paced the league in field goal percent defense just four times. The last time it occurred came during the 1993-94 campaign, when RMU held its opponents to a shooting percentage of 41.7 percent.

Freebies - An area of strength for Robert Morris over the last 10 years has been the club's ability to convert at the free-throw line. Robert Morris has finished in the top five in the Northeast Conference in free-throw percentage in eight of the last nine years, including league-best marks of 76.1 percent (452-for-594) in 1998-99, 75.4 percent (384-for-576) in 2003-04 and 75.6 percent (353-for-467) in 2006-07. Robert Morris has paced the NEC in free-throw shooting a total of six times in the 26-year history of the league. So far this season, the Colonials have shot 76.7 percent (33-for-43) from the free-throw line, which ranks third in the NEC.

Making It Count - Robert Morris has been even better in pressure situations at the free-throw line, as so far this season the Colonials are 8-for-9 (88.9 percent) from the charity stripe in the last five minutes of games. Senior forward A.J. Jackson is a perfect 4-fof-4 in those situations this year, while senior guard Tony Lee has hit four of his five free throws in crunch time. On his career Jackson owns a shooting percentage 79.5 percent (66-for-83) in the last five minutes of games.

The 700 Club - A.J. Jackson and Tony Lee have an opportunity to stamp their names amongst the all-time greats in Robert Morris history with solid senior seasons in 2007-08, and the pair have a shot at doing something no player in school history has done before in the 32-year history of the program. With each having already eclipsed 1,000 points and 500 rebounds on their respective careers, Jackson and Lee have a shot at becoming the first pair of Colonials to not only score 1,000 career points but snare at least 700 career caroms. Jackson, based on his career average of 7.8 rebounds per game, is on pace to finish the 2007-08 regular season with 735 rebounds. Lee, based on his career average of 6.3 boards a contest, is on pace to finish the year with 727 rebounds. The only Colonial in school history to compile at least 700 career rebounds is Anthony Dickens, who 751 boards from 1985-90.

Start Me Up - In the first two games of head coach Mike Rice's career at Robert Morris, he's proven that he will put a starting five on the floor that best matches up with the opponent the Colonials are squaring off against that night. In RMU's last game, a 93-77 win @ Navy (11/14/07), Rice went with four guards (Tony Lee, Jeremy Chappell, Bateko Francisco and Jimmy Langhurst) and a forward (A.J. Jackson), which was different from his starting lineup in a 72-66 win over Iona (11/10/07). Against the Gaels senior center Freddie Harris started at center while Chappell came off the bench. It's a stark contrast from 2006-07, when former head coach Mark Schmidt used the same starting lineup for all 28 games.

Stats & Streaks - Senior forward A.J. Jackson has scored in double figures in 11 straight games dating back to the 2006-07 campaign and also has turned the trick in 17 of his last 18 contests ... Junior guard Jeremy Chappell has scored in double figures in 16 of his last 19 games dating back to last season ... In his last six games dating back to 2006-07, Chappell has scored at least 20 points in four of them ... Senior guard Tony Lee has scored in double figures in 11 of his last 14 games dating back to last year ... Jackson and Lee have started 58 straight games dating back to the start of the 2005-06 campaign ... Jackson and Lee each missed the 2005-06 opener @ St. Bonaventure (11/18/05) but have started every game since ... Sophomore guard Jimmy Langhurst, who played a total of 39 minutes as a freshman in 2006-07, has already logged 56 minutes of playing time this season ... Sophomore forward Dallas Green has played 30 minutes this season after logging 35 total last year.