Having the advantage of less than a two hour drive from Robert Morris University, Colonials fans traveled well and were the more represented team within Rocket Arena when 2 seed Alabama escaped with a 90-81 win.
Here’s how the mid-major from Moon Township, Pennsylvania, nearly knocked off the national title contender Crimson Tide and how Alabama survived what could have been one of the most devastating losses in school history.
Rebounding
Heading into the game, the Colonials were ranked 37th in the country in rebounding, and they continued to rebound at a very high level. They outdid an Alabama team that ranked 20th nationally in the statistic, leading 16-5 on the offensive glass and 39-37 overall and thus gaining more opportunities to score.
“There were more offensive boards for them to get, but we didn’t do a good enough job keeping them off the glass,” Alabama head coach Nate Oats said.
He added that he was “disappointed” in the Crimson Tide’s performance on the glass but noted that his team was “resilient” despite getting outrebounded for much of the game.
Amarion Dickerson
Robert Morris forward Amarion Dickerson came to play, dropping a game-high 25 points, pulling down nine rebounds and playing just about the entire game, fouling out in the final minutes of the game.
His aggressiveness in the paint allowed him to score most of his points inside while also grabbing boards off the glass. Attributes that could have been overlooked by the Alabama scouting report.
“We didn’t do a great job, but you’ve got to give him a lot of credit,” Oats said. “That’s a hard-playing, athletic guy that gave everything he had.”
Nelson injury
For much of the game, the Colonials did not have to deal with the dominant presence of Alabama forward Grant Nelson. The fifth-year starter suffered an apparent leg injury in the team’s SEC Tournament loss to Florida last week.
Nelson told Oats to put him in the game when the team’s momentum completely evaporated midway through the second half after defensive breakdowns and turnovers. This proved successful, as a Nelson dunk sparked a 19-6 run that eventually turned the tides in Alabama’s favor.
“I trust him. He shows up big in big games. He came in, and we went on a run right away,” Oats said.
Overlooking the opponent?
Oats was asked after the game if it was possible that his players “overlooked” Robert Morris Friday afternoon. He said that he had hoped his players were “mature enough to not overlook them” but that “maybe they thought it was going to be easy.”
“I hope we don’t overlook anybody,” he added.
The Crimson Tide will return to action Sunday versus No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
