GAME 1
RMU (0-0) @ Ohio State (0-0)
Monday, November 7, 2022 • 7:00 p.m.
Value City Arena (18,809) • Columbus, Ohio
 
TV: Big Ten Network +
Talent: Matt Goldman, Tyler Danberg & Kole Emplit
Audio: RMU Athletics Gameday App
Talent: Chris Shovlin (pxp) & Jim Elias (color)
Twitter: @RMUMBasketball • Instagram: RMUMBasketball
 
Opening Tip
 
- The RMU men's basketball team opens its 2022-23 campaign and 47th season of NCAA Division I basketball Monday with a 7:00 p.m. tip in Columbus, Ohio, against Ohio State at Value City Arena.
 
- Led by 13th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole, the Colonials return four starters and five letterwinners in 2022-23, including forwards Matt Mayers and Kahliel Spear and guards Enoch Cheeks and Michael Green III as starters.
 
- The Colonials enter the 2022-23 season returning 57.6 percent (1,279-of-2,220) of their scoring from last season, 61.9 percent (646-of-1,043) of their rebounding and 62 percent (251-of-405) of their assists.
 
- Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear was named to the 2022-23 Preseason All-Horizon League Second Team in a vote of league head coaches. Last season, Spear paced the Colonials in both scoring (14.7 ppg) and rebounding (7.7 rpg) while leading #HLMBB in field goal percentage at 55.1 percent (188-for-341).
 
- Entering Monday's game @ Ohio State, the Colonials have recorded a mark of 21-25 (.457) all-time in season openers, including a mark of 4-8 (.333) under RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole. Overall in 12 seasons leading the Colonials, Toole has posted a record of 200-193 (.509), picking up his 200th career win with a 77-73 victory over Youngstown State (3/1/22) in the first round of the 2022 Keeps Horizon League Tournament.
 
- Senior guard Michael Green III averaged 10.4 points and 3.3 assists in 29 games last year, while junior guard Enoch Cheeks produced averages of 9.2 points and 5.4 caroms per contest. Forward Matt Mayers, the final returning starter for RMU in 2022-23, scored at a 6.0 points per game clip, grabbed 4.4 rebounds per contest and knocked down 63.3 percent (76-for-120) of his shots from the floor.
 
- A total of 11 new Colonials are part of the 2022-23 roster for RMU, including four transfers. Junior guard Josh Corbin is a transfer from Winthrop, while sophomores Chris Ford, Trey James and Kevin Martina spent the 2021-22 season at Davidson, Iona and Sam Houston State, respectively.
 
- Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear and junior guard Enoch Cheeks were the only two Colonials to start each of RMU's 32 games during the 2021-22 season. Spear enters his final year of NCAA Division I basketball with the longest active streak of consecutive starts for the Colonials at 37.
 
- RMU hosted one exhibition game during the preseason, knocking off Alliance (10/29/22) at the UPMC Events Center, 88-59. Junior guard Josh Corbin paced the Colonials with 27 points, while fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear added 16 and junior guard Enoch Cheeks 12. Freshman forward Stephaun Walker grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
 
- The Colonials open the home portion of their 2022-23 season after taking on the Buckeyes Monday, welcoming Pitt Greensburg to the UPMC Events Center Wednesday, Nov. 9, for a 7:00 p.m. tip. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the RMU Ticket Office at (412) 397-4949.

OHIO STATE LINKS
- RMU 2021-22 Final Statistics
- Audio
- Live Stats
- RMU Athletics Gameday App
- RMU 2022-23 Season Tickets
 
The All-Time Series (Ohio State) – The Colonials and Buckeyes tip for the seventh time Monday, with Ohio State having won each of the previous six contests between the two programs. The last meeting between RMU and OSU came to open the 2017-18 campaign, with the Buckeyes earning a 95-64 victory Nov. 10, 2017, at Value City Arena. In that contest guard Matty McConnell (2015-19) and forward Koby Thomas (2017-19) each scored 22 points to pace the Colonials. The duo combined to convert 51.6 percent (16-for-31) of their shots from the floor, including 53.8 percent (7-for-13) from deep.
 
Windex – Fifth-year forward Kahliel Spear led the Colonials in both scoring and rebounding last season, and in the process put forth one of the best seasons in program history cleaning the glass. Spear finished with 246 caroms a year ago, which is tied for fifth in the RMU single-season record book. Former forward and all-time leading rebounder Lucky Jones (2011-15) grabbed a career-high 246 rebounds as a junior during the 2013-14 campaign. Spear finished the 2021-22 season ranked 11th in the Horizon League in scoring (14.7 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (7.7).
 
Block Party – Led by 35 rejections from forward Kahliel Spear last season, the Colonials posted 122 blocks as a team. That total ranks second in the RMU single-season record book, trailing only the 2015-16 Colonials, which established the school record with 127. In addition to the 35 stuffs from Spear, junior guard Enoch Cheeks posted 27 and junior forward Matt Mayers notched 21 as the trio combined for 83 blocks. In 50 games in two years with the Colonials after transferring from Bucknell, Spear has rejected 58 shots, an average of 1.16 per game.
 
Defense Wins Championships – The numbers bear out that following in the footsteps of defending is victories. Over the last 15 years, RMU owns a record of 209-59 (.780) when holding opponents under 70 points since the beginning of the 2007-08 season. Despite a 66-56 loss to IUPUI (2/17/22), the Colonials have posted a ledger of 158-52 (.752) under 13th-year RMU Pat Gallagher Head Coach Andrew Toole when turning the trick. Overall in the last 15 years, RMU has held its opponent to under 70 points 53.9 percent (268-of-497) of the time.
 
Dunk You Very Much – Kahliel Spear is as active as any member of the Colonials in recent years at the rim, and you just have to look at the numbers. In addition to his exploits in rejecting shots, Spear is RMU's leader on the other end of the court in dunks. In 32 games in 2021-22, Spear provided 51 jams, and in 50 career contests at RMU he owns 64 dunks (1.28 per game).
 
STUDENT-Athlete – For all of his production on the court, arguably the most impressive attribute for forward Kahliel Spear is his work off of it. Spear was named to the 2021-22 Academic All-America® Second Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), becoming the first basketball student-athlete in RMU's NCAA Division I history, in either gender, to be bestowed the plaudit. An economics major who has maintained a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.90, Spear also was tabbed to the 2022 Horizon League All-Academic Team while being selected as the 2022 Horizon League Winter Scholar-Athlete of the Season.

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