Top Story - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team begins its quest for a league-record sixth Northeast Conference championship Thursday night when it hosts Mount St. Mary's for a 7:30 p.m. NEC Tournament quarterfinal game at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The Colonials enter the contest as the No. 4 seed, while Mount St. Mary's is seeded fifth. RMU is making its 23rd appearance in the NEC Tournament and fifth in six seasons under head coach Mark Schmidt. All-time in tournament action Robert Morris owns a record of 22-17, including a record of 2-4 under Schmidt. In NEC Tournament home games, the Colonials enter Thursday's contest with a record of 14-4, including a 9-3 mark in postseason tilts at the Sewall Center.

RMU Tournament Quick Hits - Robert Morris owns an all-time record of 22-17 in NEC Tournament history, with the 22 wins ranking second in conference history to Fairleigh Dickinson (27) ... Broken down, the Colonials own a record of 14-4 in tournament games played at home, including a record of 9-3 in games at the Charles L. Sewall Center, 3-6 in road games and a mark of 5-7 in neutral site contests ... Sophomore guard Jeremy Chappell averaged 19.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in two games of the 2006 NEC Tournament to earn All-NEC Tournament Team accolades, the first Colonial under head coach Mark Schmidt to earn the honor and 10th overall ... Senior guard Derek Coleman has the most posteason experience of any player on the RMU roster, having appeared in five games and averaging 6.4 points and 4.2 assists over that span ... In three career games in the NEC Tournament, junior guard Tony Lee has posted averages of 10.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.7 steals ... Senior forward A.J. Jackson averaged 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in the 2006 NEC Tournament ... 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 No. 5 seed owns a record of 10-13 against No. 4 seeds all-time in the NEC Tournament ... The Colonials have advanced to the semifinals of the NEC Tournament 11 times in school history, the second most of any team in the league behind only Fairleigh Dickinson (17).

A look at how RMU has fared in NEC tournament play since its inception back in 1982:
1982: Defeated Loyola (78-69), Baltimore (80-70) and Long Island (85-84)
1983: Defeated Loyola (81-60), St. Francis (Pa.) (106-94) and Long Island (79-67)
1984: Defeated Wagner (68-62), Fairleigh Dickinson (72-58), Lost to Long Island (87-81)
1985: Lost to Fairleigh Dickinson (65-49)
1986: Defeated Loyola (75-69), Lost to Marist (60-55)
1987: Lost to Wagner (82-72)
1988: Lost to St. Francis (N.Y.) (59-56)
1989: Defeated Long Island (63-52) and Fairleigh Dickinson (67-66)
1990: Defeated Fairleigh Dickinson (78-58) and Monmouth (71-66)
1991: Did Not Participate
1992: Defeated St. Francis (Pa.) (83-66), St. Francis (N.Y.) (70-68) and Marist (85-81)
1993: Lost to Long Island (80-77)
1994: Defeated Marist (71-52), Lost to Monmouth (76-61)
1995: Lost to Long Island (87-80)
1996: Defeated Fairleigh Dickinson (68-66), Lost to Marist (70-51)
1997: Lost to St. Francis (N.Y.) (62-59)
1998: Lost to Fairleigh Dickinson (89-73)
1999: Lost to Mount St. Mary's (80-63)
2000: Defeated St. Francis (Pa.) (72-52), Mt. St. Mary's (80-61), Lost to CCSU (63-46)
2001: Did Not Participate
2002: Lost to UMBC (85-76)
2003: Did Not Participate
2004: Defeated St. Francis (Pa.) (58-43), Lost to Monmouth (62-45)
2005: Lost to Wagner (69-65)
2006: Defeated Mount St. Mary's (67-66), Lost @ Fairleigh Dickinson (71-55)

Quick Stat of the Night - Robert Morris enters the 2007 NEC Tournament Thursday riding its best offensive stretch of the 2006-07 campaign, as in the last five games the club has averaged 83.8 points per game while shooting 51.7 percent (155-for-300) from the field. A key reason for the surge has been that a different Colonial has stepped up their offensive production on a given night. Junior guard Tony Lee (31 points vs. SFNY), sophomore guard Jeremy Chappell (31 @ CCSU) and senior guard A.J. Jackson (34 vs. LIU) have each eclipsed the 30-point plateau in the last five games, the first time in school history three different Colonials have turned the trick a five-game stretch.

Thursday's Opponent and the All-Time Series - RMU and Mount St. Mary's will tipoff for the 40th time Thursday night, with the Mount holding a 22-17 edge in the all-time series. The two clubs will also meet for the fourth time in NEC Tournament play Thursday, with Robert Morris having won two of the previous three contests. Included in that is a 67-66 win over the Mount in the 2006 NEC Tournament quarterfinals at Knott Arena (3/2/06). Thursday's tilt will be the sixth time the two clubs have met in the last two years, with the previous five games having been decided by a total of 12 points.

PROBABLE STARTERS

Mount St. Mary's (10-19)

Robert Morris (17-10)

Head Coach Mark Schmidt (sixth season; Boston College '85) - The 2006-07 campaign marks Mark Schmidt's sixth year as head coach of the men's basketball program at Robert Morris University. He owns an overall record of 82-89 (.480), including a 58-52 (.527) mark in the Northeast Conference, and was named to his current post May 7, 2001. Schmidt guided the Colonials to their first winning season in six years in 2005-06 with an overall record of 15-14, including 10-8 in conference action. He also led RMU to the NEC Tournament semifinals for the second time in the last three years in 2006. In 2003-04 and 2004-05, he led RMU to identical overall records of 14-15. In 2001-02, Schmidt led Robert Morris to a 12-18 overall record, the most victories for a first-year head coach in the 30-year history of the Colonial men's basketball program.

Prior to RMU, Schmidt spent seven seasons as one of the nation's top assistants at Xavier University under current Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser from 1994-2001. While with the Musketeers, Schmidt played a dual role, serving as both a coach and the program's top recruiter. His coaching responsibilities centered mostly around the post players, and he helped develop and recruit players at Xavier that have moved on to the professional ranks, including James Posey (Memphis Grizzlies), David West (New Orleans Hornets), Romain Sato (San Antonio Spurs), Lionel Chalmers (Minnesota Timberwolves) and David Young (Seattle Supersonics). Prior to his stint with Xavier, Schmidt served one year as an assistant at Loyola College in Baltimore, Md., also under Prosser. He also spent two seasons at Penn State University under Bruce Parkhill from 1991-93, and started his coaching career as an assistant at St. Michael's College in Vermont from 1989-91.

Schmidt's playing career was highlighted by four years as a guard/forward at Boston College, where he received his bachelor's degree in business administration and management with a concentration in marketing in 1985. The Eagles went 22-10 and made the NCAA Elite Eight during his freshman season in 1981-82 under head coach Tom Davis and 25-7 the next year in making the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen in his first of three years playing for current Maryland coach Gary Williams. Boston College reached the NIT second round in 1984 and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen again in 1985.

Scouting the Mount - Mount St. Mary's enters Thursday's NEC Tournament quarterfinal game with RMU Thursday with an overall record of 10-19 and has dropped four of its last five and six of its last eight games entering the postseason fray. The leading scorer for the Mount has been junior guard Chris Vann, who scores at a 13.3 points per game clip and leads the club with 59 three-pointers. Freshman guard Jeremy Goode ranks fourth in the NEC in assists (4.97 per game) as well as third in steals (1.90 per game) while owning a scoring average of 10.2 points per contest. The leading rebounder for Mount St. Mary's is senior guard Mychal Kearse, who owns an average of 5.7 per tilt. The Mount has allowed just 68.4 points per game so far this season, which ranks third in the league.

Mount St. Mary's Head Coach - The 2006-07 campaign is the fourth season for head coach Milan Brown (Howard '93) on the sidelines at Mount St. Mary's. He enters Thursday's game with an overall record of 40-75 (.348), including a mark of 33-39 (.458) in the NEC.

RMU's Last Game - Senior forward A.J. Jackson recorded his second consecutive double-double, and seventh of the 2006-07 campaign, with a season high 34 points and a game high 12 rebounds to help Robert Morris to a 90-74 win over Long Island Feb 26. The victory, coupled with a Fairleigh Dickinson loss at St. Francis (N.Y.), 72-69, boosted RMU into a fourth place tie in the Northeast Conference standings and a home game in 2007 NEC Tournament. Against the Blackbirds, RMU used a 17-5 run late in the second half to turn a 59-59 deadlock into a 74-64 edge with 3:31 to play, and the Colonials finished 10-for-10 from the free-throw line in the last 1:42 to help seal the victory. During the surge Jackson scored eight points, including a pair of three-pointers, while sophomore guard Jeremy Chappell added five points. Senior guard Derek Coleman helped seal the victory by going 8-for-8 from the charity stripe in the last 1:42 of action and was 10-for-10 from the line on the game. In the first half the Colonials jumped out to an 11-4 advantage as Jackson scored eight points, but RMU then went cold offensively, allowing Long Island to score eight straight points to take a 12-11 lead. Robert Morris missed its first nine three-point attempts on the night and finished just 3-for-14 (21.4 percent) from long range in the first half. The Blackbirds eventually stretched their lead to 18-13 after a three-pointer from Eugene Kotorobai, and the LIU advantage eventually swelled to eight, 27-19, with 6:53 left before halftime after another trifecta from Kotorobai. Robert Morris reeled off eight straight points to knot the score at 27-27 and eventually entered the break with a 37-33 lead after a pair of free throws from Coleman with six seconds left on the first-half clock. Jackson finished 14-for-21 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line for his 34 points while also adding 12 rebounds, two assists and three blocks. Coleman contributed 21 points, four rebounds and six assists, while Chappell, despite an 0-for-7 performance from beyond the arc, finished with 15 points. James Williams paced LIU with 24 points and dished out six assists, while Kotorobai added 22 and nine rebounds.

Leading Scorers: Jackson (34), Coleman (21), Chappell (15), Lee (9)
Leading Rebounders: Jackson (12), Chappell (5), Coleman (4), Nwigwe (4)
Assists: Coleman (6), Lee (6), Chappell (4), Jackson (2)

Long Island Game Notes - Junior guard Tony Lee was held to nine points but added six assists as he played only 27 minutes due to foul trouble ... As a club Robert Morris shot 51.6 percent (32-for-62) from the field, including 56.3 percent (18-for-32) in the second half ... LIU finished with a shooting percentage of 33.3 percent (19-for-57) and hit on only 29 percent (9-for-31) of its field goal attempts after halftime ... RMU outscored the Blackbirds, 42-12, in points in the paint ... The Colonials posted 20 assists on their 32 field goals.

The Jackson Five - Senior forward A.J. Jackson enters the 2007 NEC Tournament coming off one of his best performances of the 2006-07 season, leading the way in a 90-74 victory over Long Island (2/26/07) with his 21st career double-double thanks to a season high 34 points and 12 rebounds. Jackson enters Thursday's game with the Mount have scored in double figures in eight straight games, averaging 17.6 points and 8.0 rebounds a contest over that span while shooting 54.3 percent (50-for-92) from the field.

Forever in Lee Blue Jeans - Junior guard Tony Lee has been as consistent a player for Robert Morris this season and has seemingly saved his basketball for the stretch run of the 2006-07 campaign. Despite finishing with just nine points in a 90-74 win over Long Island (2/26/07), in the last 10 games Lee has averaged 18.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest while shooting 57.6 percent (68-for-118) from the field.

The Patriot - Any success Robert Morris will have in the 2007 NEC Tournament will depend in large part to the play of senior guard Derek Coleman. A natural playmaker, the Boston, Mass., product has also increased his offensive production since the calendar has switched to the year 2007. In 16 games since returning to league play, Coleman is averaging 14.7 points per contest while shooting 46.3 percent (75-for-162) from the floor. Even with the increased offensive output, it hasn't slowed Coleman down in creating opportunities for his teammates. In the same stretch Coleman is averaging 5.8 assists per game.

Double Nickel on a Dime - Junior guard Tony Lee tied for game high honors in assists with six in a 90-74 win over Long Island (2/26/07), the 12th time this season he has either led or tied for the team lead in dimes in a game. Lee pushed his season total in the category to 120, second on the club behind senior guard Derek Coleman (148). Coleman and Lee are the first pair of RMU teammates to post at least 100 assists in a season since the 1990-91 campaign, when Andre Boyd (137) and Wade Timmerson (126) turned the trick. Coleman and Lee are also just the third pair overall to accomplish the feat, joining former guards Forest Grant and Chipper Harris, who each finished with at least 100 assists in three straight seasons from 1981 to 1984.

Offensively Speaking - Robert Morris enters the 2007 NEC Tournament having seemingly hit its stride offensively, as the club has shot a solid 50.3 percent (539-for-1,071) from the field in its last 19 games. Over that span the Colonials have shot 50 percent or better from the field 12 times. Due to the surge, RMU owns a team shooting percentage of 48.1 percent (747-for-1,552) on the season, which leads the Northeast Conference. The Colonials have never lead the league in field goal percentage in 26 years as part of the conference.

Coleman's Court - Senior guard Derek Coleman enters the 2007 NEC Tournament leading the league in assists with an average of 5.48 per game, a total that also ranks 28th in Division I. He's trying to become just the third player in league history to lead the circuit in assists in back-to-back years and first since Monmouth's Rahsaan Johnson in 2000-01 (5.7 apg) and 2001-02 (5.3 apg). Former St. Francis (N.Y.) guard Greg Nunn posted averages of 5.6 and 6.1 assists per game, respectively, in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. Coleman led the NEC last year in assists per game (4.7). Drafton Davis of Marist is also a two-time assist leader in the NEC, as he paced the circuit with an average of 8.0 in 1985-86 before leading the league two years later with an average of 7.7 in 1987-88.

Combination Platter - So far this season, Robert Morris has received 79.6 percent of its offense from its usual contributors in guards Derek Coleman, Tony Lee and Jeremy Chappell and forward A.J. Jackson. Despite that, dating back to the start of the 2005-06 campaign, when Coleman and Jackson combine to score more than 30 points in a game, the Colonials own a record of 19-6 (.760). Included in that is a mark of 10-3 so far this season.

Triple Threat - Thanks to 21 points @ Quinnipiac (2/24/07) and eclipsing the 1,000-point plateau for his career, junior guard Tony Lee eclipsed a milestone few have accomplished in the history of the Northeast Conference. With career totals of 1,017 points, 523 rebounds and 266 assists, Lee is just the sixth player in league history, and second this season, to eclipse career totals of 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 250 assists. Lee joins Jarrid Frye of Sacred Heart, who joined the club when grabbing his 500th rebound Feb. 10 against Wagner. Lee is also the first player in league history to go over those thresholds during his junior season.

Joining the Club - By draining a trio of three-pointers in RMU's 9-74 victory over Long Island (2/26/07) in the club's 2006-07 regular-season finale, senior guard Derek Coleman pushed his career total for three-pointers to 201. The total ranks fifth all-time at Robert Morris, and Coleman becomes the fifth player in school history to tally at least 200 three-pointers on his career. In all in the Colonial record book, three of the top five leaders in three-point field goals have come under the guidance of sixth-year head coach Mark Schmidt. Joining Coleman is former forward Aaron Thomas, who finished with a school record 218 from 2000 to 2004, and former guard Maurice Carter, who tallied 217 trifecta's from 2001 to 2005.

The Strokes - Despite having his consecutive streak of free throws snapped at 13 in a 76-68 win over Saint Francis (Pa.) (2/3/07), senior guard Derek Coleman still has shot 90 percent (36-for-40) from the free-throw line in his last 11 games. Coleman's run marked his second double-digit streak of the 2006-07 campaign, as he hit 17 straight over a seven-game span in December and January. Coleman currently ranks tied for second in the Northeast Conference with a free-throw percentage of 87.5 percent (70-for-80) and could possibly be making runs at both the single-season and career records for free throw shooting. The single-season mark is held by former Colonial Brandon Welsch, who converted 87.7 percent (71-for-81) of his shots in 1998-99. The career record of 86 percent is held by former Colonial Tom Parks (1978-83). Coleman enters the 2007 NEC Tournament with a career free-throw shooting percentage of 83.4 percent (191-for-229), which ranks third in the career record book at Robert Morris.