NCDS: Jimmy Martelli, Asst. Coach - Robert Morris ("What it means to be a one-bid league")
By: Jimmy Martelli, Asst. Coach - Robert Morris
Since we left two chances to secure an automatic bid in the NIT on the table by not securing an outright Northeast Conference regular-season championship, our team has one last chance to make it to the postseason and realize our goal that we set back in October, which is to make it to the NCAA Tournament.
Last year on Selection Sunday our team, school and alumni had a great feeling that had not been had around Robert Morris and the community since 1992. It was an accomplishment that had a lot of time, sweat and blood poured into it by many people. The coaching staff, the players, athletic trainers and fans had all had their hopes and dreams come true with one shot by one of our senior forwards, Dallas Green.
This year it has been a little different of a ride, but with the path to the postseason still very much in view. We have earned the right to host two home games (at least) if we win the first round, which began at 7:00 pmlast night against Central Connecticut State at the Sewall Center.
We were fortunate enough to win that game, and so our second game is Sunday and also at home in the Sewall Center. This idea of home sites in the conference playoffs is a good thing for a conference such as the NEC. You play 18 league games throughout the year and in turn you are able to earn home playoff opportunities.
In leagues such as the Big East and Big Ten they are playing their conference season for the at-large bids, and then their conference tournaments for seeding in the Big Dance, but our reward is playing in front of your home crowd and being able to sleep in our own beds.
All the work that each team has put in will come to a head as the tournament starts for everyone tonight and will come to its culmination on Wednesday of next week with an ESPN audience and the chance to earn your way to the Big Dance. As I said the teams in our league and leagues such as the NEC have really tried to prepare themselves for that chance with the past 18 league games as well as the non-conference schedules that each team had to face.
The many hours spent recruiting, scouting, practicing, traveling and in film sessions all boil down to who plays the best when it means the most, and from the experience last year I can say that nothing means more than hearing your name called on Selection Sunday and being told you are about to face (Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, or some other big time school with All-Americans). But the next week will determine who gets the pleasure of having their name called and being given the chance to have the upset of the NCAA Tournament!
GO COLONIALS!
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