Wagner (10-6 / 3-3) vs. Robert Morris (11-7 / 6-1)
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
Charles L. Sewall Center (3,056) - Moon Township, Pa.

Probable Starters (Wagner vs. Robert Morris)

Head Coach Mike Rice (Second Season; Fordham '91) - Making a good first impression is important in any profession, and if Mike Rice's first season as head coach of the Robert Morris University men's basketball team is any indication, the program is in good hands and on stable ground.

In his first year as a head coach, Rice helped guide the Colonials to their first Northeast Conference regular-season championship and postseason appearance in 16 years, as RMU finished with a 16-2 mark in league play while advancing to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) for the first time in the 32-year history of the program.

A total of 13 school records were broken last season under Rice's watch, including victories (26), NEC wins (16), consecutive victories (14), road wins (14) and consecutive road victories (10). For those efforts Rice was named the 2008 NEC Jim Phelan Coach of the Year as well as the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District III Coach of the Year.

Rice, who owns an overall record of 37-15 (.712), including a mark of 22-3 (.880) against Northeast Conference foes, brings to RMU a vast background in collegiate coaching, having served as an assistant coach at alma mater Fordham (1991-94), Marquette (1994-97), Niagara (1997-98), Chicago State (1998-2001), Saint Joseph's (2004-06) and Pittsburgh (2006-07).

Scouting the Seahawks - Wagner carries an overall record of 10-6, including a 3-3 record in the Northeast Conference, into Saturday's game with Robert Morris. The Seahawks snapped a two-game slide with a 76-68 win @ Saint Francis (Pa.) (1/15/09). In that contest senior guard Joey Mundweiler led Wagner with 17 points. Mundweiler is one of four Seahawks with a double-figure scoring average, as he paces the club at 13.6 points per game. Senior forward Jamal Smith contributes 13.2 points a contest, while senior forward Llewchean Radford scores at a 12.8 points per game clip and grabs a team-high 8.3 rebounds a contest. Senior forward Justin Drummond produces 10.7 points per game for Wagner and also owns a team-high 18 blocks.

Wagner Head Coach - In his sixth season on the sidelines at Wagner and in his 25th season overall is Mike Deane (Potsdam State '74). He owns an overall record of 427-297 (.590), including an 84-79 (.515) mark with the Seahawks. Deane is one of just 28 coaches in NCAA history to have led three different teams to the NCAA Tournament.

RMU's Last Game - Robert Morris stretched its winning streak to five games, Jan. 15, with a 76-64 victory over Central Connecticut State. The Blue Devils scored five of the game's first seven points thanks to a three-pointer by Ken Horton and a layup from Marcus Palmer, but a 13-2 surge gave Robert Morris a 15-7 lead at the 13:33 mark as four different Colonials scored during the run. Senior guard Jeremy Chappell scored five points, while junior guard Mezie Nwigwe came off the bench to supply four points. A three-pointer by Joe Seymore helped CCSU trim its deficit to 19-15 with nine minutes remaining in the first half, but the Colonials used a 22-4 run to take a commanding 41-19 lead into the break. Chappell ignited the spurt with a three-pointer, while a total of seven different Colonials provided points, including eight from junior guard Jimmy Langhurst. The Blue Devils hit just two of their final nine attempts from the floor in the final nine minutes of the first half while committing four turnovers. In the first half Central Connecticut State shot just 29.6 percent (8-for-27), while the Colonials converted 16 of their 30 attempts (53.3 percent) from the field. In the second half CCSU trimmed its deficit to 43-29 after a jumper from Robby Ptacek, but Chappell answered with a three-pointer and a jumper from Langhurst gave RMU a 48-31 lead with 14:10 to play. Seymore's third trifecta of the game helped the Blue Devils climb within 57-42 at the 8:07 mark of the second half, but nine straight points gave the Colonials their largest lead of the contest, 66-42, with 5:20 remaining. Nwigwe converted four from the free-throw line, while junior forward Josiah Whitehead and Chappell each scored baskets. Central Connecticut State closed the game on a 22-10 run to settle the final score at 76-64 as Ptacek scored seven points and Horton added five. Chappell took home game-high honors with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting and added five boards and three assists, while Langhurst and Nwigwe each finished with 13 points. Junior forward Dallas Green tied a career-high with seven rebounds.

Leading Scorers: Chappell (21), Langhurst (13), Nwigwe (13), Robinson (9)
Leading Rebounders: Green (7), Robinson (5), Chappell (5), Three tied with ... (4)
Assists: Francisco (5), Nwigwe (4), Chappell (3), Three tied with ... (2)

Central Connecticut State Game Notes - Robert Morris improved to 13-11 all-time against Central Connecticut State and has won three straight over the Blue Devils ... RMU finished with a shooting percentage of 50.9 percent (27-for-53), while the Blue Devils were 24-for-61 (39.3 percent) from the field ... The Colonials are 8-0 this season when their opponents take more shots ... Robert Morris outrebounded its opponent for the fifth straight game, owning a 37-34 edge on the glass ... Central Connecticut State recorded 13 offensive boards compared to 11 for RMU ... Rob Robinson had his streak of consecutive double-figure scoring streak snapped at five by finishing with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Slapping Them Down ... 100 ... Junior guard Jimmy Langhurst hit a pair of three-pointers in a 76-64 win over Central Connecticut State (1/15/09), pushing his career total in triples to 100. He became the 11th Colonial in school history to compile at least 100 career three-pointers, and he enters Saturday's game against Wagner just six three-pointers shy of moving into the top 10 at Robert Morris. Former Colonial Dan Alcorn hit 105 three-pointers from 1995 to 1999.

... 200 ... While Langhurst eclipsed 100 career three-pointers against Central Connecticut State (1/15/09), senior guard Jeremy Chappell hit four from beyond the arc against the Blue Devils, pushing his career total to 202. Chappell is just the sixth player in school history to eclipse 200 career three-pointers, and he needs just six triples to move into fourth place all-time at Robert Morris. With 13 games left in the regular season, Chappell is just 17 three-pointers shy of establishing a new RMU career record. The current mark is held by former forward Aaron Thomas, who hit 218 three-pointers from 2000 to 2004.

Tag Team - Since the beginning of the 2006-07 campaign, junior guard Jimmy Langhurst and senior guard Jeremy Chappell have combined to hit 249 career three-pointers. The most triples by a pair of Robert Morris teammates came when former Colonials Aaron Thomas (2000-04) and Maurice Carter (2001-05) combined for 345 three-pointers from 2001 to 2004.

Back On Track - After failing to reach double figures in scoring for seven straight games, junior guard Jimmy Langhurst has rediscovered his shot in the last three contests for Robert Morris. Over the last three games Langhurst is averaging 14.3 points and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 56.5 percent (13-for-23) from the field, including 60 percent (9-for-15) from beyond the arc. Over the last three seasons, Robert Morris owns a record of 22-5 (.815) when Langhurst scores in double figures.

Surf Board - Robert Morris has turned up its intensity on the glass since the calendar has switched to 2009, as the Colonials enter Saturday's game against Wagner averaging 38 rebounds and having posted a rebounding margin of +44 (190-to-146) in their last five games. Included in that stretch is a season-high 46 rebounds and a +16 margin in a 77-70 win @ Mount St. Mary's (1/5/09). The 46 rebounds @ the Mount are the second highest single-game total compiled by Robert Morris in two seasons under head coach Mike Rice, trailing the 50 caroms the club notched in a 93-77 win @ Navy (11/14/07). To illustrate the importance of rebounding for RMU, the Colonials own a record of 9-1 (.900) this season when outrebounding their opponent and a mark of 26-2 (.929) in two seasons under Rice when turning the trick.

Zoned In - Senior guard Jeremy Chappell has done his part to step up for Robert Morris in his final season of eligibility in 2008-09, and his numbers across the board prove it. Chappell entered the season with career averages of 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game but has increased those averages this year to 17.1 ppg (+2.6), 6.8 rpg (+1.6) and 2.5 steals (+0.5) per contest. Probably the most impressive aspect of Chappell's start to the 2008-09 campaign has been his shooting from long range. A career 35.1 percent (159-for-453) shooter from beyond the arc entering the season, Chappell has converted 41 percent (43-for-105) of his three-point shots so far this year, which ranks fifth in the Northeast Conference.

Block Party - Robert Morris established a season-high with seven blocks in its 76-64 win over Central Connecticut State (1/15/09), and RMU's inside presence on defense has been a key during its five-game winning streak. Over the last five games the Colonials have averaged 4.6 blocks per game, with junior forward Rob Robinson owning six rejections over that span. Against the Blue Devils, senior forward Ifeanyi Ehirim led the way, tying a career high with three blocks. RMU's quartet of Robinson, Ehirim and junior forwards Dallas Green and Josiah Whitehead have combined for 36 of RMU's 48 blocks so far this season. Individually, Robinson owns a team-high 15 rejections, an average of 1.00 blocks per game that ranks tied for 10th in the Northeast Conference.

Who Shot J.R.? After sitting out the first eight games of the 2008-09 campaign to concentrate on academics, junior forward Dallas Green has returned to the rotation and provided Robert Morris with a spark. Green, who became the ninth different Colonial this season to record a double-figure scoring game when he tied a career high with 11 points in a 73-60 win over Central Michigan (12/20/08), has provided RMU with averages of 6.5 points and 4.9 rebounds over the last eight games, converting 58.8 percent (20-for-34) of his shots from the field over that span.

Start Me Up - After using eight different combinations in the starting lineup in RMU's first 13 games of the 2008-09 campaign, head coach Mike Rice has been consistent with his starting five over the last five contests. Junior forwards Dallas Green and Rob Robinson were inserted into the starting lineup in a 78-60 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) (1/3/09) and have each earned starting assignments each of the last five games, with RMU posting a perfect 5-0 record in those contests. In addition, senior guard Bateko Francisco was inserted back into the starting five against the Red Flash after coming off the bench for just the second time in his two seasons in an RMU uniform @ No. 22 Xavier (12/31/08). In his two seasons as head coach at Robert Morris, Rice has used 11 different starting lineups.

2008-09 Starting Lineups (F, F, G, G, G) and RMU's Record:
? Ehirim, Nwigwe (G), Chappell, Langhurst, Francisco (0-1)
?? Ehirim, Whitehead, Chappell, Francisco, Wallace (1-2)
??? Robinson, Nwigwe (G), Chappell, Langhurst, Wallace (1-0)
???? Robinson, Francisco (G), Chappell, Langhurst, Wallace (3-2)
????? Robinson, Whitehead, Francisco, Wallace, Chappell (1-0)
?????? Whitehead, Francisco (G), Chappell, Langhurst, Wallace (0-1)
??????? Ehirim, Nwigwe (G), Chappell, Langhurst, Wallace (0-1)
???????? Robinson, Green, Chappell, Francisco, Langhurst (5-0)