It’s been a great season for Robert Morris, winning 11 regular season games for the first time since joining the Horizon League. They’re one of four teams with five losses around the top of the standings, including their upcoming opponent, Purdue Fort-Wayne (18-9, 11-5 HL).
The Mastodons are coming off a 93-71 road loss at Youngstown State. But they already have an 82-77 home win over the Colonials, and they are looking for the important season sweep. Here are the keys to the Colonials winning.
1. Slowing down Jalen Jackson
The leading scorer for the Mastodons is Jalen Jackson, who averages nearly 20 ppg. In the previous win over Robert Morris, he scored 23 points on 6/7 FG shooting, including making 11 of 12 FTs. In the last three wins, Jackson has scored 20+ points for the team. But in the last two losses, he scored just 20 points combined. As he goes, Purdue Fort Wayne goes.
2. 3-point battle
The Mastodons are statistically the best three-point shooting team in the Horizon League, taking nearly 27 attempts a game. RMU held them to just 4/16 shooting last time around, which was why they were in the game late. At one point, the Colonials were at the bottom of the league in shooting but have been great in the past 10 games, ranking 5th in percentage at 35%. If they can match the Mastodons in that category at home, they’ll have a good chance of winning.
3. 10+ points from DJ Smith
While Kam Woods has been the star of the RMU backcourt, Smith has been a steady starter, averaging around 10 ppg in the last seven games. In the first matchup vs Purdue Fort-Wayne, he was limited to just two points on 1/7 FG shooting. Woods will be dealing with quality defensive guard Rasheed Bello for 30+ minutes so it’s going to be important for Smith to give production on his end in what could be a high-scoring outing.