Robert Morris men's basketball team returns home after clinching berth in NCAA Tournament
For the first time in 10 years, the Robert Morris Colonials men's basketball team will be heading back to the NCAA Tournament and it was a hero's welcome in Moon Township as the team returned home with the Horizon League Championship Trophy and a ticket to the big dance.
They were greeted by their fellow students and the band after a triumphant trip to Indianapolis, beating Youngstown State 89-78 in the Horizon League Championship, giving them a berth in the tournament.
This afternoon, the team's bus pulled into UPMC Events Center in Moon Township excited, but focused on the next task at hand.
"Every single sprint we did, every single doubt we've ever had, every single person not believing in our dreams, I think going to March Madness embodies all the moments, collectively, for all of us," said Ismael Plet, a graduate student forward with the team. "I think that's what I'm mostly happy for, my brothers behind me, experiencing this big moment together, and just doing it together, you will never forget this."
Robert Morris's season has been one of triumph, winning the regular season title in the Horizon League with a 15-5 conference record and a 26-8 overall record. One of the leaders of that team was Kam Woods, who was one of many transfer players and averaged 15.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
"We got a lot of transfers who came here to rewrite their stories, to finish what they started with their basketball careers, so getting this trophy means a lot," he said.
Sophomore forward Alvaro Folgueiras echoed the team's sentiment that carried them through this season - belief.
"We're champions now, but I think we've been champions since day one," the Spanish sophomore said.
While RMU was the top-seeded team in the Horizon League Tournament, their journey to the championship was not an easy one. They faced last year's conference champion Oakland in the semifinals and were able to beat them in overtime, and then they beat Youngstown State to win the title.
"We knew Oakland was going to be a great opponent, the defending champions, but I think these guys are so confident in their ability to play and every challenge they've been faced with throughout the course of the season so far they've met it," said Head Coach Andy Toole. "In that second half [against Oakland], we had some animated timeouts. A lot of it was from them - [saying] 'guys, we're not losing this, pick it up, do what we gotta do, figure out how to make the next play, figure out how to get a stop.' Once we got to last night, they were so locked in and focused."
Now the Colonials await the fate of Selection Sunday to see how they will face in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
