No matter what happens on Tuesday night, history will be made in the Horizon League. Either 1-seed Robert Morris (25-8, 15-5) or 4-seed Youngstown State (21-12, 13-7) will win its first-ever HL conference tournament title. For the Penguins, there’s even more on the line, as they’re looking to make its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament as a D-I program.
These two teams split their regular season meetings, winning on each other’s homecourts. Both teams have looked and played differently since the last battle. Here are some key in-game storylines to watch for their final and most important matchup.
YSU without EJ Farmer
It’s been an impressive run for the Penguins, considering that they’ve been without all-league guard Farmer, who leads them with 15.1 ppg, scoring 14 points combined in the two games against RMU. The reported illness he’s been dealing with has shut him down for the tournament, but two guards have stepped up Ty Harper (20 points to beat Fort Wayne) and Siem Uijtendaal, who scored a team-high 13 points to beat Cleveland State. Add Juman Maxey, who did well in both games versus RMU, and they still have enough firepower to get this win.
Gabe Dynes vs RMU’s frontcourt
The biggest x-factor in this game may be Dynes, a 7’3 center for YSU, who averages 6.7 ppg and 5.6 rpg. His biggest impact comes from his interior defense, ranking as the top shot-blocker in the Horizon. In two games against Robert Morris, Dynes had 11 blocks combined. Part of that is due to the Colonials having the best frontcourt in the league, led by Horizon Player of the Year Alvaro Folgueiras and Amarion Dickerson. In the second game, those two had much more success against Dynes, thanks to their ability to space the floor. We’ll see how Round 3 games between them.
The other key guard for RMU
I could talk about Kam Woods's impact on the Colonials, but the all-league guard gets talked about enough. However, the other starter for RMU that gets talked about much less is DJ Smith, who averages 9.0 ppg and 3.1 apg. He’s shooting 38% from deep and has made multiple early three-pointers to get the Colonials out of early slumps. When he’s in double figures, RMU is 14-1. A good game from him could give the Colonials the title.