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Robert Morris Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Colonials

By Tristan Freeman

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA - MARCH 19: head coach Andy Toole of the Robert Morris Colonials reacts in the first half during a CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament first round game against the Cornell Big Red at the North Athletic Complex on March 19, 2019 in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
MOON TOWNSHIP, PA - MARCH 19: head coach Andy Toole of the Robert Morris Colonials reacts in the first half during a CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament first round game against the Cornell Big Red at the North Athletic Complex on March 19, 2019 in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /
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Julius Randle Kentucky Wildcats Robert Morris Basketball (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Julius Randle Kentucky Wildcats Robert Morris Basketball (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Non-conference schedule for Robert Morris Basketball

Nov 10 (A) – UCF Golden Knights

Nov 12 (A) – Kentucky Wildcats

Nov 15 (A) – Ohio Bobcats

Nov 19 (H) – Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers

Nov 27 (A) – Davidson Wildcats

Dec 8 (H) – Lancaster (D-II)

Dec 11 (H) – Florida Gulf Coast Eagles

Dec 18 (A) – Bowling Green Falcons

Dec 22 (A) – Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash

It’s going to be a rough start for the Colonials, opening up on the road against a UCF team that returns over 95% of its production from last season. Contrast that to a Robert Morris squad with eight newcomers still looking to come together and that’s a recipe for disaster for a season opener. And Kentucky is looking for revenge not only from its 9-win campaign last year but from over eight years ago when Robert Morris beat them in the NIT Tournament in a shocking upset.

There will be lots of pressure in the Colonials home-opener against Mount St. Mary’s because if they lost that one, the program could start out the 2021-22 campaign 0-5 and on a somber note. The good news is that the final four non-conference games are all winnable on paper, even with two of them being on the road.

Horizon League schedule for 2021-22

Dec 2 (A) – Green Bay Phoenix

Dec 4 (A) – Milwaukee Panthers

Dec 30 (A) – Oakland Grizzlies

Jan 1 (A) – Detroit Mercy Titans

Jan 5 (H) – Youngstown State Penguins

Jan 7 (H) – Cleveland State Vikings

Jan 9 (H) – Purdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons

Jan 13 (H) – Wright State Raiders

Jan 15 (H) – Northern Kentucky Norse

Jan 21 (A) – Purdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons

Jan 23 (A) – Cleveland State Vikings

Jan 27 (H) – Milwaukee Panthers

Jan 29 (H) – Green Bay Pheonix

Feb 3 (A) – Illinois-Chicago Flames

Feb 5 (A) – IUPUI Jaguars

Feb 9 (H) – Detroit Mercy Titans

Feb 11 (H) – Oakland Grizzlies

Feb 13 (A) – Youngstown State Penguins

Feb 17 (H) – IUPUI Jaguars

Feb 19 (H) – Illinois-Chicago Flames

Feb 24 (A) – Northern Kentucky Norse

Feb 26 (A) – Wright State Raiders

Horizon League Tournament (March 1)

It’s a 22-game round-robin schedule where everyone plays everyone twice. Things could get off to a rough start for Robert Morris, with four straight road games to open league play… three of them coming against the projected top teams. The following five-game stretch at home will be very consequential, as it could determine the ceiling for Robert Morris in the Horizon League standings.

This is a one-bid conference and Robert Morris has little hope of getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. So they’ll have to win the Horizon League Conference Tournament to get there. The goal is to finish in the top-4 of the standings to get a bye into the quarterfinals. Otherwise, being in the 5-8 range to host a first-round game in the tournament. This is a conference that has had many upsets in the tournament so it’s surely possible.