The first two years in the Horizon League didn't go well for Robert Morris, which finished 3-12 and last in the league two years ago, then 5-16 and third from the bottom last season.
This season, however, the Colonials proved they belong in the league.
They not only competed very well, which they had done at times the previous two years, but also turned their better efforts into more victories.
Andrew Toole's team finished 10-10 in the Horizon and also won a game in the conference tournament before bowing out. So, that's an 11-11 mark in the league, certainly very respectable all things considered.
But what made the season more than just respectable was two games that took place over four days late in the campaign. Those four days are what Toole can look back on as proof of tremendous progress for the program.
We'll start our season rewind there.
FOUR FABULOUS DAYS
Milwaukee tied for second in the league with a 14-6 record. But on Feb. 18 at UPMC Events Center, the Colonials destroyed the Panthers, 80-60, in a fantastic performance.
Three days later, on Feb. 21, first-place Youngstown State paid a visit to Moon Township. The Penguins had an excellent team and came in playing great, winning their previous two games by 29 and 30 points over Milwaukee and Green Bay, respectively.
Youngstown State jumped out to a 36-32 lead at the half and was up 43-38 with 17 minutes to go.
The Colonials then marched all over the Penguins the rest of the way, outscoring them 45-21 on the way to an 83-64 blowout.
BACK DOWN TO EARTH
As much as Toole can use those four days above as a teaching experience for the players and program going forward, he also can use what happened just two days later as an example of the incredible ups and downs of the sport.
The Colonials went on the road for the regular-season finale against an IUPUI team that was 1-17 in the league and 4-25 overall. Sure enough, the Jaguars cooled off the Colonials, 81-75.
WE MEET AGAIN
Robert Morris and IUPUI played again in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament, and it turned out to be a crazy finish.
The Colonials led by 11 (60-49) with less than two minutes to go before IUPUI stormed all the way back and tied it with 10 seconds left. It would have been a devastating way to end the season for Robert Morris, but the team avoided that as Michael Green III hit a 3-pointer with 2 seconds to go for a 67-64 win.
The Colonials' season did end the next day with a 75-70 loss to Cleveland State in the second round of the tournament.
BEST WIN AND PERFORMANCE
The Youngstown State blowout showed what this team was capable of when it put everything together. That was an incredible 17 minutes of basketball.
BEST MOMENT
The program celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the magical win over Kentucky in the 2013 NIT, with former players returning to remember the historic victory.
The event took place on Feb. 18, and of course, the team played great that night in the 20-point rout of Milwaukee.
BEST PLAYER
Forward Kahlil Spear enjoyed a strong season, leading the team in points (15.5) and rebounds (8.3). He began his career playing two seasons at Bucknell before three years with the Colonials and finished up with 1,331 points and 725 rebounds.
NOT TO BE OUTDONE
Guard Enoch Cheeks was a very good and consistent player all season, finishing just behind Spear at 15.4 points per game while also averaging 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Unfortunately, Cheeks decided to transfer and committed to Dayton. That's really just the way things have gone at Robert Morris over the past decade, as the program has lost a number of very good players who transferred out.
THE FUTURE
It was fair to wonder if the Colonials truly belonged in the Horizon League entering this season, given their struggles the previous two years. The program made a big jump from the Northeast Conference, where it was a perennial power, to the bigger and better Horizon, and everybody had to figure it would take some time to adapt.
The fact that Toole finished .500 in the tough league in year three and that the Colonials crushed the two best teams in back-to-back games are great signs that everything is going in the right direction.
The transfer portal has always been a big factor at Robert Morris, usually with outstanding players departing. Toole will have to find a way to tap into that for help next season with Spear done and Cheeks transferring.
It will be big for the program to maintain the success it had in conference this year, and perhaps even improve on it, as opposed to taking a step backward.
RIGHT GUY IN CHARGE
Toole has been head coach since 2011 and has enjoyed success, including two NCAA Tournament berths (2020 tourney was canceled), two NIT bids and two huge NIT victories (Kentucky and St. John's).
He surely learned a lot through the struggles of the first two seasons in the Horizon, and he found a way to take a big step forward this season.
There's no reason to doubt that he will continue to move the Colonials up the ladder in the Horizon in the coming years.
