Robert Morris draws ACC runner-up Louisville in NCAA Tournament
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One of the perks of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament is the opportunity to sit in front of a big-screen TV with your teammates, await word on the opponent, day and seeding and then cheer wildly when your name is called.
Robert Morris’ women’s team gathered at the All-Star Sports Bar and Grill in Robinson Township for just such a watch party Monday night, but ESPN killed the suspense when it mistakenly revealed the bracket hours before its 7 p.m. show was scheduled to go on the air.
In any event, No. 16 seed Robert Morris (22-10) will play at Louisville at noon Friday in the Albany Region. Louisville (29-3) is a No. 1 seed and a 2018 Final Four team, but it lost the ACC Tournament championship game last week to Notre Dame, 99-79.
ESPN apologized to the NCAA and “the women’s basketball community,” but Robert Morris coach Charlie Buscaglia didn’t especially mind. He’s happy just to be back in the tournament with a young, resilient team.
“We didn’t talk about (the leak) at all,” he said. “What we had here was more of a celebration and a time to get together and enjoy what we earned so far this season.”
When the show was over, Buscaglia went straight from the restaurant to his office to begin studying Louisville video.
“I’ll learn the ins and outs of what makes them great,” he said.
The Cardinals are led by ACC Player of the Year Asia Durr, who leads the conference in scoring average at 21.3 points. They need to get healthy, however, after Arica Carter, who scored 16 points in the ACC semifinal against N.C. State, missed the Notre Dame game with a leg injury. Also, leading rebounder Sam Fuehring injured an ankle early in the second quarter and played only two minutes in the second half.
Louisville will be without coach Jeff Walz, who is suspended for the first tournament game after directing profane language toward NCAA officials during last year’s national semifinal overtime loss to Mississippi State.
Buscaglia doesn’t believe Walz’s absence, which was announced almost a year ago, will impact the game dramatically.
“I’m sure they will be ready to come out there and function well,” he said.
So, it’s another difficult matchup for the Colonials, who lost their previous five NCAA Tournament games by an average margin of 41.6 points — two of those to Notre Dame. Robert Morris’ NCAA berth is its third in the past four years, the sixth since 2007.
Robert Morris’ roster of 13 women includes nine freshmen and sophomores. Only seniors Nia Adams and Shakema Dashiell and juniors Nadege Pluviose and Nneka Ezeigbo played in the tournament in 2017 when the Colonials lost to No. 1 Notre Dame, 79-49.
Young teams often wilt under pressure, but Robert Morris got stronger Sunday in the Northeast Conference championship game when Saint Francis (Pa.) trimmed its 13-point deficit to two in the fourth quarter. From that point, the Colonials outscored the Red Flash, 12-3, and won, 65-54.
Buscaglia said he was not surprised by how his team responded because, he said, the women display a consistent work ethic every day in practice.
“You don’t expect young players to come in and understand that early on,” he said. “But they have to believe in where they are and what they’re here to do.
“We want them to grow and get better. And so, when things get tough and we’re correcting them and we’re talking about things they need to do better, even when the moment’s hard to handle, we challenge them to (handle it) every day.
“When you’re young, you can grow pretty quickly as long as you have a great work ethic and stay positive. Records are a reflection of your work ethic.”
Robert Morris was forced to grow up fast. The Colonials started the season 3-8, with losses at Iowa, a No. 2 seed in the tournament, and at home to James Madison, which went on to win 25 games and the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title.
After losing to James Madison, Robert Morris won 19 of 21 NEC games.