Robert Morris (0-2) @ 2K Sports Classic
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009 - Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009
SEFCU Arena (4,638) - Albany, N.Y.

Top Story - The Robert Morris University men's basketball team concludes play in the 2009 2K Sports Classic, benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer, with three games in three days at SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y., Nov. 20 through Nov. 22. The Colonials will open play Friday night against Detroit Mercy with a 5:00 p.m. tip and will also square off with Alcorn State Saturday, Nov. 21, at 4:30 p.m. and Albany Sunday, Nov. 22, at 5:00 p.m. The Colonials are coming off an 80-61 loss @ Penn State (11/16/09) to fall to 0-2 for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign. In three years as head coach at Robert Morris, the Colonials have never lost three straight under the guidance of Mike Rice.

Quick Stat of the Night - Despite an 0-2 start to the 2009-10 season, one area Robert Morris can take away a positive in losses @ Syracuse (11/11/09) and Penn State (11/16/09) is the job the Colonials did on the glass. RMU has averaged 33.5 rebounds per contest through the first two games of the season but has really excelled on the offensive boards. RMU has posted 28 offensive rebounds, compared to 20 for its opponents, through the first two games, with senior forward Rob Robinson leading the way with six. Three other Colonials have grabbed at least four offensive rebounds, including senior forward Dallas Green and freshmen forwards Brad Piehl and Lijah Thompson. In the early portion of the 2009-10 campaign, Robinson leads the Northeast Conference in rebounding with an average of 10.0 per contest.

Weekend Opponents & The All-Time Series - Robert Morris and Detroit Mercy will square off for the first time on the hardwood Friday night at SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y. The Titans are one of just two opponents the Colonials will face for the first time this year, joining Alcorn State. RMU will tip with the Braves Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. Robert Morris owns a record of 0-2 in the all-time series against Albany, and Sunday's game marks the first meeting between the two programs since 2002.

RMU vs. Detroit Mercy
Series Record - Inaugural meeting
First Meeting - 11/20/09
Last Meeting - NA
Last RMU Win - NA
Current Streak - NA
Rice vs. Detroit Mercy - NA

Head Coach Mike Rice (Third Season; Fordham '91) - Simply put, Mike Rice has put the men's basketball program at Robert Morris University back on the map.

Just 22 months after being named the seventh head coach in the 34-year history of the program, Rice led the Colonials to their sixth Northeast Conference Tournament championship with a thrilling 48-46 win over Mount St. Mary's March 11, 2009, at the Charles L. Sewall Center. The win helped RMU earn its sixth automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and its first since 1992.

In three years as a head coach, Rice has been at the helm of a program that has claimed back-to-back NEC regular-season championships, its first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament in 2008 and the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Along the way, a total of 16 school records have either been tied or broken under Rice's watch, including victories (26 in 2007-08), NEC wins (16 in 2007-08) and consecutive victories (14 in 2007-08). Robert Morris also posted 15 straight wins in NEC road games over the course of the last two seasons, a conference record.

The two-time reigning Northeast Conference Jim Phelan Coach of the Year, Rice owns an overall record of 50-21 (.704), including a mark 31-5 (.861) against league foes. He signed a three-year contract extension with Robert Morris in April, meaning he will lead the Colonials through the 2015-16 season.

Rice was named the seventh head coach in the 34-year Division I history of the program at a press conference in the Sewall Center on RMU's Moon Township Campus April 26, 2007. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Rice has appeared in the NCAA or NIT Tournament seven times as an assistant coach and twice as the head coach at Robert Morris.

Rice brought to RMU a vast background in collegiate coaching, having served as an assistant coach at alma mater Fordham (1991-94), Marquette (1994-97), Niagara (1997-98), Chicago State (1998-2001), Saint Joseph's (2004-06) and Pittsburgh (2006-07).

A 1991 graduate of Fordham, Rice was a three-year starter for the Rams at guard. He appeared in 117 career games, serving as team captain of a 1990-91 squad that posted an overall record of 25-8. That season Fordham earned an appearance in the NIT. Rice and his wife, Kerry, have two children, son Michael and daughter Katie, and reside in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Scouting the Titans - Detroit Mercy carries an overall record of 1-1 into its matchup with Robert Morris Friday night after earning an 86-80 win over Western Michigan (11/15/09) in its 2009-10 home opener. In that game sophomore guard Chase Simon scored 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including a 5-for-9 performance from beyond the arc. Sophomore center Eli Holman recorded a double-double against the Broncos with 16 points and 12 rebounds, including five offensive caroms. Simon has averaged 19.5 points in UDM's first two contests and is familiar with Robert Morris, having scored 12 points in eight minutes of action in an 83-72 Central Michigan win over the Colonials at the Charles L. Sewall Center Dec. 5, 2007, before transferring to Detroit Mercy.

Detroit Mercy Head Coach - In his second season as head coach of the Titans and 13th year overall is Ray McCallum (Ball State '83). He enters Friday's game with an overall record of 178-173 (.507), including a mark of 8-24 (.250) with Detroit. Prior to his position with the Titans, McCallum served as head coach at Ball State from 1993 to 2000 and head coach at the University of Houston from 2000 to 2004.

RMU's Last Game - Penn State opened the second half on a 23-4 run, aided by four three-pointers from Chris Babb, en route to an 80-61 win over Robert Morris, Nov. 16, at the Bryce Jordan Center. Babb finished 5-for-9 shooting from the beyond the arc as PSU converted 12 of its 26 attempts (46.2 percent) from long range. Tim Frazier added four three-pointers in five attempts for Penn State, while as a team the Colonials converted just four of their 16 (25 percent) chances from long range. In the first five minutes of play Robert Morris opened up an 11-6 advantage as five different Colonials scored, including a three-pointer from senior guard Jimmy Langhurst. The score was tied five times in the first half while the lead changed hands on seven occasions. Penn State closed to within 13-11 on Babb's first three-pointer of the game at the 13:27 mark of the first half, but RMU stayed in front by converting foul shots, including four by sophomore guard Velton Jones. The Nittany Lions took just their second lead of the contest, 20-19, on a Frazier three-pointer with 8:51 left before the break, but Robert Morris took the lead right back on a fastbreak layup from senior forward Dallas Green. Penn State's biggest lead of the first half came courtesy of a Frazier three-pointer, 24-21, but RMU owned a 33-31 edge with under a minute to play in the first half thanks in large part to a thunderous dunk by freshman forward Lijah Thompson off a missed three-pointer by junior guard Gary Wallace. Frazier closed the Nittany Lions to within one, 33-32, by hitting the back end of a pair of free throws, and it looked as if the Colonials were going to take the lead into halftime. However, after a missed layup by sophomore forward Russell Johnson with just four seconds to go in the first half, Talor Battle converted his first field goal of the game as time expired to give Penn State the lead at intermission, 34-33. Johnson led Robert Morris with 11 points, while Jones finished with 10 points.

Leading Scorers: Johnson (11), Jones (10), Green (8), Robinson (8)
Leading Rebounders: Robinson (9), Johnson (5), Wallace (3), Abraham (3), Langhurst (3)
Assists: Nwigwe (3), Langhurst (3), three tied with ... (1))

Penn State Game Notes - As a club the Colonials shot just 37.1 percent (23-for-62) from the floor and after committing 28 turnovers in the season opener @ Syracuse (11/11/09), the most in a game under third-year head coach Mike Rice, RMU finished with just eight miscues against Penn State ... RMU held a 25-24 edge in points in the paint ... Robert Morris forced the Nittany Lions into 14 turnovers, converting those into 18 points to hold an 18-3 edge in the category ... The Colonials also scored more second-chance points (14 to 13) and fastbreak points (9 to 2) ... Eight different players scored at least four points for RMU.

Mr. Jones - After sitting out the 2008-09 campaign to concentrate on academics after being declared a partial qualifier by the NCAA, sophomore guard Velton Jones has been happy to return to the basketball court. In the first two games of his collegiate career, Jones has reached double figures in scoring in both of them, including a team-high 15 points in the 2009-10 season opener @ Syracuse (11/11/09). Jones became the first Colonial to lead the team in scoring in his first collegiate game in school history. In two games, Jones is averaging 12.5 points per contest.

Surf Board - Senior forward Rob Robinson has been a monster on the glass for Robert Morris in the first two games of the 2009-10 campaign, corralling 20 rebounds, including six offensive boards. He notched his third career double-double in the season opener @ Syracuse (11/11/09) and missed his second straight double-double by two points and a rebound by finishing with eight points and nine caroms @ Penn State (11/16/09). Robinson has been a big reason the Colonials enter play this weekend averaging 22.5 points in the paint in the early portion of the season, including 25 points down low against the Nittany Lions.

Start Me Up - Through the first two games of the 2009-10 campaign, third-year head coach Mike Rice has used two different starting lineups. While senior forwards Rob Robinson and Dallas Green, senior guard Mezie Nwigwe and sophomore guard Velton Jones have each started the first two games of the year, junior guard Gary Wallace earned his 13th career start @ Penn State (11/16/09) in place of sophomore forward Russell Johnson. Johnson started the season opener @ Syracuse (11/11/09). The starting five could change again Friday night against Detroit Mercy, as senior guard Jimmy Langhurst could be placed in the starting lineup. It's a trend that looks likely to mirror what Rice did in 2008-09, as he used seven different starting lineups before forward Dallas Green became a consistent starter for Robert Morris in January of 2009. The Colonials finished with an overall record of 6-7 (.462) with the seven different starting five early last year, while RMU finished 18-4 (.818) with Green in the starting lineup. In three seasons as head coach, Rice has used 14 different starting lineups. A look at RMU's 2009-10 starting lineups:

2009-10 Starting Lineups (F, F, F, G, G) and RMU's Record:
• Robinson, Green, Johnson, Nwigwe, Jones (0-1)
•• Robinson, Green, Wallace (G), Nwigwe, Jones (0-1)