GAME 1
Robert Morris (0-0) @ Ohio State (0-0)
Friday, Nov. 10, 2017 • 7:00 p.m.
Value City Arena (19,409) • Columbus, Ohio
 
Radio: ESPN 970 AM & 106.3 FM
Radio Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
TV: Big Ten Network
TV Talent: Tim Tully (pxp), David Austin (color) & Caroline Rice (sideline)
 
Quick Hits
 
- The Robert Morris University men's basketball team opens its 2017-18 regular season and 42nd campaign of Division I basketball Friday with a 7:00 p.m. tip against Ohio State at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

- Led by eighth-year head coach Andrew Toole, RMU returns two starters and three letterwinners from a 2016-17 squad that finished with an overall record of 14-19 (.424), including a mark of 9-9 (.500) in the Northeast Conference (NEC).
 
- Robert Morris was tabbed seventh in the 2017 NEC Preseason Coaches Poll, the program's lowest projection since being picked to finish 10th in 2005. Robert Morris has never been the preseason favorite in the poll despite owning a league-high eight NEC Tournament titles, the last of which came in 2015.
 
- Entering Friday's game against the Buckeyes, RMU owns an overall record of 20-21 (.488) in season openers, including a mark of 3-4 (.429) under head coach Andrew Toole.
 
- Junior guard Matty McConnell appeared in all 33 games in 2016-17 as a sophomore, earning 27 starts, and posted averages of 7.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest while ranking third in the NEC in steals (1.64 per game).
 
- Sophomore guard Dachon Burke played in all 33 games in 2016-17 as a rookie, finishing third for the Colonials in scoring at 7.6 points per game while grabbing an average of 3.9 rebounds per contest. He ranked sixth in the NEC in steals per game (1.55).
 
- The Colonials advanced to the semifinals of the NEC Tournament for the ninth time in the last 10 years in 2017. In two games of the 2017 NEC Tournament, junior guard Matty McConnell averaged 19.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals while shooting 52 percent (13-for-25) from the floor, including 64.3 percent (9-for-14) from beyond the arc.
 
- RMU's game @ Ohio State for the 2017-18 season opener is the start of an eight-game road trip to open the year. It marks the longest road trip to open a season since the 1993-94 campaign, when the Colonials also opened the year with eight consecutive games away from home. The longest season-opening road trip in school history is nine games, which came in 1990-91.
 
- In seven seasons under head coach Andrew Toole, Robert Morris has posted an overall record of 134-106 (.558), including a mark of 82-42 (.661) against NEC foes. Toole has guided the Colonials to a pair of NEC regular-season crowns (2013, 2014) as well as the 2015 NEC Tournament championship.
 
- Over the last 10 years, RMU has appeared in the postseason seven times, including the NCAA Tournament three times (2009, 2010, 2015), the NIT on three occasions (2008, 2013, 2014) and the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. In the last decade, the Colonials own an overall record of 207-137 (.673), which is tied for 15th with Ohio and Iona among mid-major programs for victories.

LINKS: 
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Game Notes (ISSUU)
- Live Audio
- Live Video
- Live Stats
 
Saint Vincent Tidbits - Robert Morris earned a 78-61 victory @ Saint Vincent (10/30/17) in the second of two exhibition tilts to open its 2017-18 season ... The Colonials trailed, 24-11, at the 6:27 mark of the first half after a pair of free throws from Austin Dedert of the Bearcats, but closed the half on a 21-1 run to grab a 32-25 lead at halftime ... Junior guard Matty McConnell scored a game-high 24 points and also added six rebounds and six steals ... Junior forward Malik Petteway notched a double-double in the win over the Bearcats with 12 points and 10 rebounds ... Petteway finished 4-for-4 from the floor and 4-of-7 at the free-throw line.
 
Niagara Tidbits - RMU opened its 2017-18 campaign with a 73-70 exhibition win @ Niagara (10/27/17) in a game to raise awareness and financial support for continued hurricane relief efforts ... The contest featured 13 ties and 13 lead changes ... The Colonials took the lead for good, 65-63, with 2:37 to go on a pair of free throws from junior guard Matty McConnell ... The Purple Eagles missed a pair of three-point attempts with under two and-a-half minutes to go, and a jumper from McConnell with 2:01 left gave Robert Morris a 67-63 lead ... McConnell scored a game-high 27 points and added five rebounds and five steals, while freshman forward Koby Thomas chipped in nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
 
So, What's New? Plenty, to be precise. The 2017-18 version of Robert Morris basketball features 11 newcomers, including six freshman, two junior college transfers, two graduate transfers and a transfer. Among RMU's 11 newcomers is 10 on scholarship, which is tied for second in the NCAA with Little Rock entering the 2017-18 season. The only program with more scholarship newcomers is Pittsburgh, which has 11. The Colonials and Trojans will square off this season in the final game of the Grand Canyon Classic Saturday, Nov. 25.
 
The Veteran - Junior guard Matty McConnell is the elder statesman for RMU in 2017-18, as he is the program's active leader in points (437), rebounds (215), assists (115) and steals (111). McConnell also owns the longest streak for consecutive games by a student-athlete at Robert Morris, as he has played in 60 straight contests for the Colonials dating back to his freshman season. A consistent presence on the defensive end, McConnell has averaged 1.79 steals per game in his 62 career contests and enters his junior season needing 51 steals to crack the top 10 all-time at Robert Morris in the category. 
 
30 Rock - Freshman guard Jon Williams has a familiar teammate in his rookie season at Robert Morris, as his older brother, Josh, is also on the 2017-18 roster. Josh Williams transferred to RMU from Akron in April of 2017 and will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. The brothers will have the chance to play two seasons together once Josh Williams is eligible for the 2018-19 campaign. In two seasons with the Zips, Josh Williams appeared in 69 games, producing averages of 7.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. Jon and Josh are one of 30 sets of brothers from 29 different programs that play for the same team this season.
 
Plenty Of Playing Time - Given the number of new faces on the RMU roster in 2017-18, the latest batch of Colonials will have plenty of opportunities to work their way into the rotation. Robert Morris returns a total of 1,611 minutes from last season in junior guard Matty McConnell (854), sophomore guard Dachon Burke (755) and junior forward Seth Rouse (2). Only six programs enter the year with fewer minutes returning from last year, led by Mississippi Valley State. The Delta Devils return just 386 minutes from last season. RMU is also one of just five programs to feature no seniors on its roster in 2017-18, joining Chattanooga, The Citadel, Holy Cross and Kentucky.
 
Close Out - Robert Morris, which is one of 19 mid-major programs to average at least 20 wins a year (20.7) over the last 10 years, has used defense as its calling card in the last decade. Six of the top 10 marks for scoring defense in the Robert Morris record book have come since Andrew Toole joined the staff, including three as an assistant coach (2007-10) and the last seven as head coach. The school record for scoring defense came in Toole's second season as head coach in 2011-12, when the Colonials yielded just 63.5 points per game. Last season, RMU allowed an average of 67.8 points per contest, which ranked second in the Northeast Conference and is tied for 10th all-time in program history.
 
Fit & Fresh - In the 41-year Division I history of Robert Morris basketball, a total of eight true freshman have earned a start in their collegiate debut. Head coach Andrew Toole has added to that list by starting four true freshman in his seven years, including Yann Charles (2010), Elijah Minnie (2014), Matty McConnell (2015) and Braden Burke (2016). That list is expected to grow Friday, as rookies Jon Williams and Charles Bain are both listed as probable starters. Also earning starts in their first collegiate games in the history of Robert Morris basketball were Forest Grant (1980), Keith Jones (1995), Jeremy Chappell (2005) and Jonathan Clark (2005).
 
Good Point - Jon Williams has a chance to become just the second point guard in program history to earn a start as a true freshman in his Robert Morris debut when the Colonials open the season Friday at Ohio State. The only other point guard to start as a true freshman was Forest Grant (1980-84), who concluded his career with 1,494 points and still owns the career record for assists (555). In exhibition road victories over Niagara (10/27/17) and Saint Vincent (10/30/17), Williams produced averages of 13.5 points and 5.5 assists. In a 73-70 win over the Purple Eagles, Williams finished with 17 points and seven assists in 35 minutes of action.

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