Where has this season gone? It felt like just yesterday we were gearing up for Robert Morris-Lafayette in game one of the season.
Today marks senior day at Robert Morris. Both Lucky Jones and David Appolon will be honored before the game begins. While Appolon will likely not be playing with a torn labrum in his shoulder, I hope we appreciate the defense and energy he brought on the court game after game. My favorite Appolon memory is the defensive performance he put on Ohio's D.J. Cooper in a 2012-2013 matchup.
I also hope that Colonial fans can truly appreciate the career Lucky Jones has put together. While he has had some bumps along the way, he is the programs all-time leading rebounder, has scored over 1,500 points in his career, has scored in double figures in 83 games (fifth all-time), has always been a top-end defensive player, and has been a big contributor on four really good basketball teams. What a career.
As for the game, there's a lot at stake. Robert Morris has clinched no lower than a three seed, which guarantees at least one home playoff game. However, with a win today or a Bryant loss at St. Francis Brooklyn, the Colonials can clinch a two seed which guarantees at least two home playoff games. The difference between playing someone at home in the semi-finals (assuming they get there) and going on the road to Bryant is a big one.
RMU and SFU met in week one of conference play. In that game, the Red Flash used a nice defensive effort and great play from center Ronnie Drinnon to beat RMU by seven. Now, RMU gets a shot at revenge. Some more to know about SFU:
-St. Francis might have the best starting frontcourt in the NEC. Forward Earl Brown has been a dominant force for years now and is doing it again this season, averaging 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds-per-game. Brown was a preseason first team all-NEC selection and he'll surely finish the season with that honor as well.
Next to Brown is Drinnon, who stands at 6-7 while averaging 8.2 points and 7.6 rebounds-per-game. Drinnon is probably the most under-utilized big man in the NEC, capable of dominating anybody.
The expectations for SFU were pretty high going into this season. They brought back 90% of their minutes from last season and some pegged them as the favorite in the NEC because of it. Early in the season, they were living up to that hype. In the middle of January, they were 10-6 and 4-1 in conference and had a win over Rutgers.
Despite having such a god frontcourt, SFU's biggest problems have come on the offensive end. They have the seventh-best offensive efficiency rating in NEC play. In my opinion, St. Francis has too many shooters for their own good. Dom Major, Malik Harmon, Ollie Jackson, Ben Millaud-Meunier, and even Greg Brown can all catch fire.
The problem, of course, is that none of those guys have really shot as well as we think they can. SFU has no players shooting over 40 percent from three on the season. If there was more of a focus on the frontcourt and less on shooting from three, maybe that would be having some more offensive success.
Brown and Drinnon are also good rebounders, but they're the only rebounders the team really has. SFU is dead last in offensive rebounding percentage and eighth in defensive rebounding percentage. Robert Morris has been better on the boards lately and have a prime chance to dominate the boards again.
Today marks senior day at Robert Morris. Both Lucky Jones and David Appolon will be honored before the game begins. While Appolon will likely not be playing with a torn labrum in his shoulder, I hope we appreciate the defense and energy he brought on the court game after game. My favorite Appolon memory is the defensive performance he put on Ohio's D.J. Cooper in a 2012-2013 matchup.
I also hope that Colonial fans can truly appreciate the career Lucky Jones has put together. While he has had some bumps along the way, he is the programs all-time leading rebounder, has scored over 1,500 points in his career, has scored in double figures in 83 games (fifth all-time), has always been a top-end defensive player, and has been a big contributor on four really good basketball teams. What a career.
As for the game, there's a lot at stake. Robert Morris has clinched no lower than a three seed, which guarantees at least one home playoff game. However, with a win today or a Bryant loss at St. Francis Brooklyn, the Colonials can clinch a two seed which guarantees at least two home playoff games. The difference between playing someone at home in the semi-finals (assuming they get there) and going on the road to Bryant is a big one.
RMU and SFU met in week one of conference play. In that game, the Red Flash used a nice defensive effort and great play from center Ronnie Drinnon to beat RMU by seven. Now, RMU gets a shot at revenge. Some more to know about SFU:
-St. Francis might have the best starting frontcourt in the NEC. Forward Earl Brown has been a dominant force for years now and is doing it again this season, averaging 15.3 points and 7.5 rebounds-per-game. Brown was a preseason first team all-NEC selection and he'll surely finish the season with that honor as well.
Next to Brown is Drinnon, who stands at 6-7 while averaging 8.2 points and 7.6 rebounds-per-game. Drinnon is probably the most under-utilized big man in the NEC, capable of dominating anybody.
The expectations for SFU were pretty high going into this season. They brought back 90% of their minutes from last season and some pegged them as the favorite in the NEC because of it. Early in the season, they were living up to that hype. In the middle of January, they were 10-6 and 4-1 in conference and had a win over Rutgers.
Despite having such a god frontcourt, SFU's biggest problems have come on the offensive end. They have the seventh-best offensive efficiency rating in NEC play. In my opinion, St. Francis has too many shooters for their own good. Dom Major, Malik Harmon, Ollie Jackson, Ben Millaud-Meunier, and even Greg Brown can all catch fire.
The problem, of course, is that none of those guys have really shot as well as we think they can. SFU has no players shooting over 40 percent from three on the season. If there was more of a focus on the frontcourt and less on shooting from three, maybe that would be having some more offensive success.
Brown and Drinnon are also good rebounders, but they're the only rebounders the team really has. SFU is dead last in offensive rebounding percentage and eighth in defensive rebounding percentage. Robert Morris has been better on the boards lately and have a prime chance to dominate the boards again.
