It's inevitable at this time of year. The news has quieted down. The recruiting classes are all but official. The days are getting longer and college basketball fans are desperate for news.
Around Robert Morris, that usually means a constant inquiry into the status of the schedule for the upcoming season. And that usually means asking if Robert Morris and Pitt will play once again.
Before we get into that, here's what RMU does have planned for 2014-15 so far:
Confirmed road games - Toledo
Confirmed home games - Lafayette, Delaware, Oakland, Buffalo, Duquesne
Unconfirmed home games - Youngstown State
That would leave room for two guarantee games and Robert Morris' usual foray into a multi-team exempt tournament. Last year it was Oklahoma State and Alabama, plus inclusion in the Keightley Classic, where RMU played Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Texas-Arlington and Cleveland State.
So there is theoretically room for Robert Morris and Pitt to hook up again. Well, early rumblings from both camps are that Pitt once again will NOT be on Robert Morris' basketball schedule this upcoming season. The two haven't played since they met as part of the 2011-12 Hoop Group Classic. That game was an 81-71 loss for Robert Morris, but it really wasn't that close. Pitt built a double-digit lead early and held off RMU from there.
It was a game that frustrated Andy Toole to no end, and it ended with a post-game press conference that's led to some of his best quotes as a head coach. Here's our story from that day.
The most relevant quote was this: "I think it's more than we're playing a Big East team," Toole said. "I think the fact that it says P-I-T-T across their uniform, all of a sudden our guys bow down."
Toole seemed pretty perplexed back in 2011 as to why his team couldn't find the spark to be at its competitive best against Pitt when it's found ways to fight hard against other high majors. And in the years since, I'm not surprised Pitt hasn't been on the schedule.
Robert Morris' marquee wins have come when they've successfully played the "lack of respect" and "nothing to lose" cards. That includes the NIT wins over Kentucky and St. John's.
That's never been the case with Pitt. The two teams spend half the summer together playing in the Greentree Summer League. The two schools often recruit in the same area. RMU has even identified and offered a prospect early, hoping to lean on an established relationship, only for him to blow up and go to Pitt (See: Chris Jones).
Robert Morris hasn't ducked Pitt the last two years and that's never how it should be characterized. But the impression I get is that the Colonials aren't enthused about playing their bigger neighbors. Robert Morris feels playing games against high major teams from outside the region can do more to benefit them in a given season than playing Pitt. Think of it this way: It's quite possible that if RMU were to beat Pitt, the entire discussion in the region would be "What's wrong with Pitt?" rather than anything about Robert Morris.
But if Robert Morris beats an Alabama or Arkansas like it nearly did the last two years, or it beats a Boston College like it did under Mike Rice, the talk around Pittsburgh centers on the Colonials, even if their high major victim isn't bound for the NCAA Tournament.
Toole always looks for new ways to challenge his team and get the school positive publicity. It's why he didn't back down from a rematch against Kentucky last year when everyone and their grandmother knew it'd be all about revenge for the Wildcats. Toole saw a chance for a young team to go into a hostile environment, play in a fabled arena and play on national TV.
Robert Morris may not get Kentucky every other year, but they've scheduled Memphis, Arizona and Oklahoma State under Toole. Pairing a high profile perennial NCAA Tournament team with a middle of the pack high major (Arkansas, Alabama, Xavier) seems to be Toole's preferred method right now rather than continuing to play the neighbor down the parkway.
This post was edited on 5/25 4:41 PM by Andrew_Chiappazzi
Around Robert Morris, that usually means a constant inquiry into the status of the schedule for the upcoming season. And that usually means asking if Robert Morris and Pitt will play once again.
Before we get into that, here's what RMU does have planned for 2014-15 so far:
Confirmed road games - Toledo
Confirmed home games - Lafayette, Delaware, Oakland, Buffalo, Duquesne
Unconfirmed home games - Youngstown State
That would leave room for two guarantee games and Robert Morris' usual foray into a multi-team exempt tournament. Last year it was Oklahoma State and Alabama, plus inclusion in the Keightley Classic, where RMU played Kentucky, Eastern Michigan, Texas-Arlington and Cleveland State.
So there is theoretically room for Robert Morris and Pitt to hook up again. Well, early rumblings from both camps are that Pitt once again will NOT be on Robert Morris' basketball schedule this upcoming season. The two haven't played since they met as part of the 2011-12 Hoop Group Classic. That game was an 81-71 loss for Robert Morris, but it really wasn't that close. Pitt built a double-digit lead early and held off RMU from there.
It was a game that frustrated Andy Toole to no end, and it ended with a post-game press conference that's led to some of his best quotes as a head coach. Here's our story from that day.
The most relevant quote was this: "I think it's more than we're playing a Big East team," Toole said. "I think the fact that it says P-I-T-T across their uniform, all of a sudden our guys bow down."
Toole seemed pretty perplexed back in 2011 as to why his team couldn't find the spark to be at its competitive best against Pitt when it's found ways to fight hard against other high majors. And in the years since, I'm not surprised Pitt hasn't been on the schedule.
Robert Morris' marquee wins have come when they've successfully played the "lack of respect" and "nothing to lose" cards. That includes the NIT wins over Kentucky and St. John's.
That's never been the case with Pitt. The two teams spend half the summer together playing in the Greentree Summer League. The two schools often recruit in the same area. RMU has even identified and offered a prospect early, hoping to lean on an established relationship, only for him to blow up and go to Pitt (See: Chris Jones).
Robert Morris hasn't ducked Pitt the last two years and that's never how it should be characterized. But the impression I get is that the Colonials aren't enthused about playing their bigger neighbors. Robert Morris feels playing games against high major teams from outside the region can do more to benefit them in a given season than playing Pitt. Think of it this way: It's quite possible that if RMU were to beat Pitt, the entire discussion in the region would be "What's wrong with Pitt?" rather than anything about Robert Morris.
But if Robert Morris beats an Alabama or Arkansas like it nearly did the last two years, or it beats a Boston College like it did under Mike Rice, the talk around Pittsburgh centers on the Colonials, even if their high major victim isn't bound for the NCAA Tournament.
Toole always looks for new ways to challenge his team and get the school positive publicity. It's why he didn't back down from a rematch against Kentucky last year when everyone and their grandmother knew it'd be all about revenge for the Wildcats. Toole saw a chance for a young team to go into a hostile environment, play in a fabled arena and play on national TV.
Robert Morris may not get Kentucky every other year, but they've scheduled Memphis, Arizona and Oklahoma State under Toole. Pairing a high profile perennial NCAA Tournament team with a middle of the pack high major (Arkansas, Alabama, Xavier) seems to be Toole's preferred method right now rather than continuing to play the neighbor down the parkway.
This post was edited on 5/25 4:41 PM by Andrew_Chiappazzi
