It’s been an amazing run for Robert Morris in the past month-plus, having won 10 of the last 11 games. There have only been two low points for the team in this stretch. One was giving up an eight-point lead late in the road loss at Wright State. The other was trailing by as much as 17 points at Green Bay, before a 28-0 run to start the second half allowed them to win 89-67.
Since then, the Phoenix (3-24, 1-15 Horizon League) have been better. In fact, they’re coming off their first win in league play, 79-68 against Wright State. Here are the keys for RMU to prevent a sudden winning streak by them.
1. Contain new starter Ben Tweedy
The star in Green Bay’s win last week was Tweedy, who produced a career-high 27 points on 15/16 shooting from the FT line. The 6’2 guard has also helped on the boards and given Green Bay a need double-digit threat in the lineup. He had eight points in 17 minutes off the bench against RMU so he showed he can produce. He’ll have more of a focus on the Colonials scout this time.
2. Yonatan Levy will play this time
In the first matchup, the new freshman forward was a late scratch and didn’t play against RMU. Assuming he plays this time, he’s the best frontcourt option they have, averaging 9.9 ppg and 6.3 rpg in nine games at 26 mpg. The 6’9 forward has four games of 15+ points already and can be a handful to deal with. Look for Amarion Dickerson to get the assignment on Levy this time around.
3. Don’t overlook the Milwaukee matchup
Robert Morris is just .5 games back of Cleveland State for first in the Horizon League standings. And they have a very favorable schedule with two of the bottom teams (Green Bay and IU Indy) remaining. But the one to watch will be Milwaukee, who is among the top teams along with RMU. With that game being on Sunday, the Colonials could easily look ahead to that very important game. Hopefully, that previous 17-point deficit to the Phoenix is a reminder to not underestimate them on Friday.