#2 Robert Morris (22-11) @ #1 Quinnipiac (23-8)
2010 NEC Tournament Championship
Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - 7:00 p.m.
TD Bank Sports Center (3,570) - Hamden, Conn.

Top Story - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team's quest for a league-record seventh Northeast Conference Tournament championship culminates Wednesday night when it travels to the Hamden, Conn., for a 7:00 p.m. tip against Quinnipiac at the TD Bank Sports Center in the championship game of the 2010 NEC Tournament. The Colonials, the No. 2 seed, advanced to their ninth NEC Tournament title contest in school history by earning an 80-62 win over No. 3 seed Mount St. Mary's (3/7/10) at the Charles L. Sewall Center. In that game freshman guard Karon Abraham led four Colonials in double figures scoring with 19 points, while senior forward Rob Robinson added 14 points and five rebounds. RMU is making its seventh straight appearance in the NEC Tournament and 26th overall. All-time in tournament action Robert Morris owns a record of 28-19 (.596).

Quick Stat of the Night - Robert Morris is making its league-high ninth appearance in the championship game of the NEC Tournament, but it's been almost 30 years since the Colonials have had to play a title game on the road. RMU is a perfect 5-0 when its hosts the championship tilt of the NEC Tournament and is 0-2 when the game is contested at a neutral site. The only other time Robert Morris played the NEC Tournament championship game on the road came in the 1982 ECAC Metro Tournament, when the Colonials posted an 85-84 win over Long Island (3/6/82) at the Schwartz Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. In that contest former forward Tom Parks (1978-83) came off the bench to score 21 points to be named the MVP of the tournament.

Wednesday's Opponent and The All-Time Series - RMU and Quinnipiac will tip for the 23rd time Wednesday, with the Colonials holding a 14-8 (.636) edge in the all-time series. The Bobcats won the only meeting of the 2009-10 regular season between the two programs with an 87-79 victory at the Charles L. Sewall Center (2/20/10). In that game senior forward Rob Robinson led Robert Morris with 16 points and six rebounds. In four career games against Quinnipiac, Robinson has averaged 15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.8 steals while shooting 56.1 percent (23-for-41) from the field. In the only meeting between the two programs in the NEC Tournament, the Colonials earned a 75-48 win in semifinals of the 2009 NEC Tournament at the Charles L. Sewall Center (3/8/09).

Head Coach Mike Rice (Third Season; Fordham '91) - Simply put, Mike Rice has put the men's basketball program at Robert Morris University back on the map.

Just 22 months after being named the seventh head coach in the 34-year history of the program, Rice led the Colonials to their sixth Northeast Conference Tournament championship with a thrilling 48-46 win over Mount St. Mary's March 11, 2009, at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The win helped RMU earn its sixth automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and its first since 1992.

In three years as a head coach, Rice has been at the helm of a program that has claimed back-to-back-to-back NEC regular-season championships, its first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament in 2008 and the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Along the way, a total of 17 school records have either been tied or broken under Rice's watch, including victories (26 in 2007-08), NEC wins (16 in 2007-08) and consecutive victories (14 in 2007-08). Robert Morris also posted 15 straight wins in NEC road games over the course of the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, a conference record.

A two-time Northeast Conference Jim Phelan Coach of the Year (2008, 2009), Rice owns an overall record of 72-30 (.706), including a mark 46-8 (.852) against league foes. He signed a three-year contract extension with Robert Morris in April of 2009, meaning he will lead the Colonials through the 2015-16 season.

Rice was named the seventh head coach in the 34-year Division I history of the program at a press conference in the Sewall Center on RMU's Moon Township Campus April 26, 2007. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Rice has appeared in the NCAA or NIT Tournament seven times as an assistant coach and twice as the head coach at Robert Morris.

Rice brought 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).

A 1991 graduate of Fordham, Rice was a three-year starter for the Rams at guard. He appeared in 117 career games, serving as team captain of a 1990-91 squad that posted an overall record of 25-8. That season Fordham earned an appearance in the NIT. Rice and his wife, Kerry, have two children, son Michael and daughter Katie, and reside in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Scouting the Bobcats - Quinnipiac owns an overall record of 23-8 on the 2009-10 season and carries a five-game winning streak into the championship game of the 2010 Northeast Conference Tournament with Robert Morris. The Bobcats are coming off an 83-78 win over No. 4 seed Long Island (3/7/10) in the semifinals of the NEC Tournament, with junior forward Justin Rutty leading the way with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Rutty has averaged 18.0 points and 14.5 rebounds in two NEC Tournament games while shooting 50 percent (13-for-26) from the floor. The leading scorer for the Bobcats is senior guard James Feldeine, who produces a scoring average of 17.1 points per game, while Rutty averages 15.2 points and 11.0 rebounds on the season. Sophomore guard James Johnson scores at a 12.2 points per game clip while dishing out an average of 3.8 assists per contest.

Quinnipiac Head Coach - Named the sixth head coach in the 56-year history of Quinnipiac men's basketball March 29, 2007, is Tom Moore (Boston University '87), who is in his third season. For 13 seasons prior to taking his post with the Bobcats, Moore, who owns an overall record of 53-39 (.576), served as an assistant coach with the University of Connecticut.

RMU's Last Game - A 13-0 run over the course of seven minutes in the second half helped Robert Morris a tight contest into a double-digit advantage en route to an 80-62 win over No. 3 seed Mount St. Mary's, March 7, in the 2010 Northeast Conference Tournament semifinals at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Raven Barber pulled Mount St. Mary's within three at the 16:35 mark of the second half, 51-48, with a layup, but Robert Morris scored the next 13 points to open up a 64-48 edge with 9:19 remaining. Freshman guard Karon Abraham started the surge with a three-pointer as five different Colonials scored during the spurt. Senior forward Rob Robinson scored four points, including a dunk on a feed from Abraham. The Mount could never trim their deficit under 12 the rest of the contest, with RMU's biggest advantage coming with 57 seconds to play when senior forward Dallas Green hit a three-pointer to give the Colonials an 80-60 lead. Robert Morris never trailed in the contest, jumping out to a 15-5 lead as Robinson and Green each scored four points in the early going while Abraham and junior guard Gary Wallace each buried three-pointers. The Mount answered with a 17-7 run to tie the game, 22-22, as Kelly Beidler scored five points and Will Holland hit a three-pointer. Robinson put the Colonials back in front, 24-22, with a layup, but Jeremy Goode tied the game for the second time, 24-24, with a layup of his own with 8:22 to go before halftime. The Colonials responded by recording a 13-6 run to open up a 37-30 advantage and took that seven-point lead into halftime, 47-40. Wallace scored five points during the spurt, including a three-pointer, while Abraham added four. Abraham paced Robert Morris for the third straight game with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 performance from the free-throw line while grabbing three rebounds and dishing out three assists. He was one of four Colonials to score in double figures, as Robinson added 14, Green 11 and redshirt freshman guard Velton Jones 10. Goode capped a stellar career for the Mount with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field while dishing out three assists.

Leading Scorers: Abraham (19), Robinson (14), Green (11), Jones (10)
Leading Rebounders: Robinson (5), Green (5), Nwigwe (5), Wallace (4)
Assists: Abraham (3), Robinson (2), Jones (2), Wallace (2)

NEC Tournament Quick Hits - Robert Morris owns an all-time record of 28-19 (.596) in the NEC Tournament, with the 28 wins the most in conference history ... Broken down, the Colonials own a record of 20-6 (.769) in tournament games played at home, including a record of 15-5 (.750) in games at the Charles L. Sewall Center, 3-6 in road games and a mark of 5-7 in neutral site contests ... Robert Morris will have its eight-game streak of NEC Tournament games at home snapped when it visits No. 1 seed Quinnipiac for the 2010 NEC Tournament championship game Wednesday ... RMU went 6-2 (.750) in NEC Tournament games at the Sewall Center over the last four years ... RMU has appeared in the NEC Tournament in each of the past seven seasons, advancing to the semifinals five times over that span and the NEC Championship game twice (2009, 2010) ... RMU has hosted the NEC Tournament championship game five times (1983, 1989, 1990, 1992, 2009), with the Colonials a perfect 5-0 in those games ... RMU's first NEC Tournament championship game tilt in 1982 came with an 85-84 win over Long Island at the Schwartz Center in Brookyln, N.Y. ... Robert Morris is the only current team in the Northeast Conference to have won back-to-back league titles, having accomplished the feat twice (1982 and 1983 and 1989 and 1990) ... Former members Marist (1986 and 1987) and Rider (1993 and 1994) also won back-to-back NEC titles, with Rider the last team to turn the trick ... The Colonials have advanced to the semifinals of the NEC Tournament 15 times in school history, the second most of any team in the league behind only Fairleigh Dickinson (17) ... The 43 points RMU held Saint Francis (Pa.) in the 2004 tournament quarterfinals is the fewest points scored in a tourney game ... The Colonials are one of four teams to score 100 points in a tournament game, joining Long Island, Wagner and Saint Francis (Pa.) ... Former Colonial Gene Nabors (1995-2000) owns two of the top six tournament scoring games in league history, with 38 points against the Red Flash (3/3/00) and 35 against Mount St. Mary's (3/4/00) ... Former Colonials Vaughn Luton (1986-89), Myron Walker (1990-94) and Jeremy Chappell (2005-09) are three of 11 players in league history to be named the NEC Player of the Year, then went on to claim NEC Tournament MVP honors ... Robert Morris owns a share of the longest NEC Tournament winning streak in league history at eight games ... The Colonials owned an eight-game tourney winning streak from 1982 to 1984.

The Nut(meg) Cracker - Robert Morris carries a seven-game winning streak in games played in the state of Connecticut into the championship game of the 2010 Northeast Conference Tournament @ Quinnipiac. Since the beginning of the 2007-08 campaign, head coach Mike Rice's first year at the helm, the Colonials are 7-0 in Connecticut, having posted three road victories @ Central Connecticut State and two each @ Sacred Heart and @ Quinnipiac.

Forward Thinking - Robert Morris would not have been able to advance to the championship game of the 2010 Northeast Conference Tournament without the contributions its received from the three senior forwards on the roster. Over the last two games, Rob Robinson, Dallas Green and Josiah Whitehead have combined to average 27.0 points and 12.5 rebounds while shooting a blazing 66.7 percent (22-for-33) from the field. Green has averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in the last two games while shooting 80 percent (8-for-10) from the floor, while Whitehead has converted each of his six attempts from the field.

Green Day - Senior forward Dallas Green was one of four Colonials to score in double figures in an 80-62 win over No. 3 seed Mount St. Mary's (3/7/10) in the semifinals of the 2010 NEC Tournament by contributing 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and a 2-for-4 performance from the free-throw line. So far this season RMU is a perfect 7-0 when Green scores in double figures, and over the last four years the Colonials are 15-1 (.938) when he scores at least 10 points in a game. RMU has won 14 straight contests when Green reaches the double-figure scoring plateau, as the last loss came in a 111-107 overtime setback @ Seton Hall (11/18/08) as part of The Philly Hoop Group Classic.

The White House - One Colonial playing his best basketball of the season in the stretch run of the 2009-10 campaign has been senior forward Josiah Whitehead. Having played sparingly in the first few months of the season, Whitehead has done an about face in the last 11 games against Northeast Conference opponents, converting a white hot 75 percent (30-for-40) of his shots from the floor and 76.9 percent (20-for-26) of his attempts at the free-throw line over that span in averaging 7.3 points and 2.4 rebounds while playing an average of 15.4 minutes per contest. Five times over that stretch Whitehead has scored in double figures, including 10 points in a 71-63 win over No. 7 seed Central Connecticut State (3/4/10) in the quarterfinals of the 2010 NEC Tournament.

Surf Board - A big key to the success RMU has had in Northeast Conference games this season has been its ability to rebound. The Colonials have outrebounded 11 of their last 17 league foes, including a 36-31 edge on the glass in an 80-62 win over No. 3 Mount St. Mary's (3/7/10) in the semifinals of 2010 NEC Tournament. So far this season Robert Morris is 16-1 (.941) when outrebounding its opponent and owns a sparkling record of 51-3 (.944) in three seasons under head coach Mike Rice when turning the trick.

Three's Company - Thanks to a 2-for-5 performance from beyond the arc @ Pittsburgh (2/8/10), freshman guard Karon Abraham, the 2010 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, established a new RMU freshman record for three-pointers. On the 2009-10 campaign Abraham owns 79 three-pointers, breaking the old mark of 56 that was held by former guard Bubba Donnelly (1991-95) during the 1991-92 campaign. Abraham also established a new Robert Morris freshman mark for free throws earlier this season and enters Wednesday's game @ Quinnipiac with 121 on the year. For Abraham, it's two of three key freshman records Abraham has established this season ...

Biscuit in the Basket - Thanks to 18 points in a 71-63 win over No. 7 seed Central Connecticut State (3/4/10) in the quarterfinals of the 2010 NEC Tournament, freshman guard Karon Abraham established a new RMU freshman record for points. RMU's leading scorer at 13.3 points per game entering Wednesday's championship game of the NEC Tournament @ Quinnipiac, Abraham owns a team-high 438 points this season. He snapped the old freshamn record of 410, which was held by former guard Jeremy Chappell (2005-09) in 2005-06.

Moving On Up - Already having established a new RMU freshman record for three-pointers with 79, freshman guard Karon Abraham cracked the top five in the Colonial single-season record book for three-pointers by going 4-for-5 from beyond the arc in a 71-63 win over No. 7 seed Central Connecticut State (3/4/10) in the quarterfinals of the 2010 NEC Tournament. Abraham's total currently ranks fourth all-time.

Engine Starter - Redshirt freshman guard Velton Jones, who is the only player in school history to lead RMU in scoring in his first collegiate game when he scored 15 points in the 2009-10 season opener @ Syracuse (11/11/09) as part of the 2K Sports Classic, has given the Colonials something they haven't had in three seasons under head coach Mike Rice: A true point guard. Since the calendar switched to the year 2010, Jones has averaged 3.29 assists per game over the last 21 contests, dishing out at least four assists in seven games. Jones finished the 2009-10 campaign ranked 10th in the NEC against league foes in assists per game (3.33) and 11th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.28).

Paint By Numbers - While Robert Morris has been known to have the ability to knock down the three-point shot in recent years, the Colonials in recent weeks are doing their damage offensively inside. Over the last 17 games against Northeast Conference opponents, RMU is averaging 28.9 points in the paint per contest, almost nine points better (20.1 ppg) than its opponents. Overall this season Robert Morris is averaging 26.1 points down low per game. So far this year the Colonials are 12-1 (.923) in games when scoring at least 30 points in the paint and are an amazing 40-5 (.889) in three years under head coach Mike Rice when turning the trick.

Start Me Up - Robert Morris may have found a consistent offensive presence in Karon Abraham, and the freshman guard has really flourished since being inserted into the starting lineup @ Youngstown State (12/30/09). Over the last 22 games, a stretch in which the Colonials are 18-4 (.818), Abraham is averaging 14.8 points per contest while shooting 45.9 percent (56-for-122) from beyond the arc and 86.1 percent (93-for-108) at the free-throw line.

The Line Dance - Already having established a freshman record for free throws this season with 121, guard Karon Abraham has shown an uncanny ability to get to the charity stripe in his first season in a Robert Morris uniform. Abraham's season total of 121 free throws currently ranks tied for fourth in single-season school history with former forward Tom Underman (1981-85), who drilled 121 free throws during the 1984-85 campaign. Abraham, who needs four free throws to move into sole possession of second place in the RMU single-season records, has converted the highest total of free throws since former forward Gabe Jackson (1992-95) finished with a school record 151 in 1994-95.

Head of the Class - Seniors Mezie Nwigwe, Dallas Green and Jimmy Langhurst have been an important part of the success at Robert Morris over the last four seasons, and the trio now have the numbers to back it up. Neither Nwigwe, Green or Langhurst will score 1,000 points or grab 500 rebounds on their respective careers, but they have one thing in common: Winning. Over the last four years the trio have compiled 89 victories, a new school record for wins by a class. Nwigwe, Green and Langhurst eclipsed the old record of 82, which was established just last year by former guard Jeremy Chappell (2005-09). In addition, the trio also broke Chappell's record for most Northeast Conference victories by a class of 50, as Nwigwe, Green and Langhurst compiled 55 from 2006 to 2010.

Young and Old - RMU entered the 2009-10 campaign with a grizzled bunch of veterans in its five seniors, including three returning starters. However, in order to be successful, head coach Mike Rice pointed out the Colonials need to get production from the five active players in their first season of Division I basketball in redshirt freshman Velton Jones and Russell Johnson and true freshman Karon Abraham, Brad Piehl and Lijah Thompson. As RMU hits the stretch run of its 2009-10 campaign, it's so far so good for the young and the restless. The five newcomers have combined for 1,055 points, or 46.3 percent of the team's total offense. Meanwhile, RMU's five seniors have accounted for 44.7 percent of the team's points, combining for 1,019.

Game On - Senior guard Mezie Nwigwe appeared in his 125th career game in RMU's 2009-10 regular season home finale Quinnipiac (2/20/10), helping him establish a new school record for games played. Nwigwe, who enters Wednesday's game @ Quinnipiac with 129 career games played, snapped the old record of 124, which was held by former guard Jeremy Chappell from 2005 to 2009. Nwigwe has started 32 of RMU's 33 games so far on the 2009-10 campaign.

Three's Company - Despite the loss of former guard Jeremy Chappell (2005-09), who finished his career as RMU's all-time leader in three-point field goals with 243, the Colonials continue to convert from downtown. On the 2009-10 campaign, Robert Morris is averaging 5.67 three-pointers per contest, which ranks eighth in the Northeast Conference. The top shooter for the Colonials has been freshman guard Karon Abraham, who ranks second in the NEC in three-point field goal percentage (.449) and owns 79 three-pointers. Abraham enters Wednesday's game @ Quinnipiac averaging 2.39 three-pointers per contest, which ranks fourth in the NEC.

Clutch - While it has been an up-and-down season for the senior class of the 2009-10 version of the Colonials, you can't say the group doesn't step up when it is needed most. The four active seniors on the roster in forwards Rob Robinson, Dallas Green and Josiah Whitehead and guard Mezie Nwigwe have combined to shoot 63.2 percent (36-for-57) from the field in the last five minutes of games. Robinson has been superb late in contests, as he has shot 64.3 percent (18-for-28) from the field in crunch time.

Two Streaks - RMU has hit at least one three-pointer in 494 straight games dating back to Feb. 25, 1993, vs. Marist (club was 0-for-6 vs. Long Island - 2/20/93) ... Junior guard Gary Wallace, who has never missed a game in his three years in an RMU uniform, will appear in his 103th consecutive game Wednesday @ Quinnipiac.

Offensive Outburst - RMU's 107-76 victory over Alcorn State (11/21/09) in Albany, N.Y., as part of the 2K Sports Classic marked the 15th time in school history the Colonials eclipsed the 100-point plateau, and it also marked the most points scored by Robert Morris in a neutral site contest. The old record came in a 105-86 victory over Texas A&M (11/30/90) as part of the Marshall Classic in Huntington, W.Va. RMU shot 53 percent (35-for-66) from the field against the Braves. Thanks to a shooting percentage of 53.7 percent (29-for-54) in an 80-62 win over Mount St. Mary's (3/7/10), RMU has posted a record of 35-2 (.946) under head coach Mike Rice when shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.

Defense Wins Championships - Mike Rice has preached as head coach at Robert Morris that defense wins championships, and the numbers bear that out. So far on the 2009-10 campaign RMU has posted a record of 16-3 (.842) when holding its opponent under 70 points and all-time under Rice the Colonials own a mark of 50-7 (.877) when turning the trick.