It was bound to happen at some point. For the first time in a decade, the Robert Morris Colonials are back in the NCAA Tournament! Robert Morris went 26-8 this season and won the Horizon to earn its automatic-qualifying bid. The Colonials had made the tournament several times previously in the NEEC, but not since joining the Horizon in 2020. Keep in mind they won the league in their first year...
So yes, it has been 10 years since Robert Morris last took part in March Madness. To date, the Colonials have qualified for the tournament nine times. They first made it in back in 1982 as a No. 12, getting their first win in the preliminary round over Georgia Southern the following year since 1983. In the years since, Robert Morris has never been seeded higher than a No. 15, which is what they will be.
No. 15 Robert Morris will take on No. 2 Alabama at 12:40 p.m. ET on Friday, March 21. Tipoff will be at Rocket Arena in Cleveland in the Round of 64/First Round portion of the East Region. Like Alabama, Robert Morris was a menace at the top of its league, albeit at a different level of competition. The Colonials went 15-5 in Horizon league. They are riding a 10-game winning streak entering Friday.
So for those who still want to know a little bit more about the school, where is Robert Morris located?
Where is Robert Morris University located?
Robert Morris University is located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania. It is a private university that was founded in 1921 as the Pittsburgh School of Accountancy. It was re-named after "The Financier of the American Revolution" in 1962 as Robert Morris Junior College. This occurred when the school acquired land in Moon Township just outside of Pittsburgh to build a new campus for the college.
Over the last several decades, the school has gone from being the Pittsburgh School of Accountancy, Robert Morris Junior College, Robert Morris College and now Robert Morris University as of 2002 when it attained university status. Current enrollment is over 3,700 undergraduate students and nearly 1,000 postgraduates, offering 60 undergraduate and 35 postgraduate programs.
Robert Morris' campus is on a 230-acre tract of land outside of the Pittsburgh International Airport.
Robert Morris basketball NCAA Tournament history
Now that we know a little bit about the school, here is Robert Morris' NCAA Tournament history.
Year | Seed | Result |
|---|---|---|
1982 | No. 12 | First Round: vs. No. 5 Indiana (L, 94-62) |
1983 | No. 12 | Preliminary Round: vs. No. 12 Georgia Southern (W, 64-54) |
1989 | No. 16 | First Round: vs. No. 1 Arizona (L, 94-60) |
1990 | No. 15 | First Round: vs. No. 2 Kansas (L, 79-71) |
1992 | No. 16 | First Round: vs. No. 1 UCLA (L, 73-53) |
2009 | No. 15 | First Round: vs. No. 2 Michigan State (L, 77-62) |
2010 | No. 15 | First Round: vs. No. 2 Villanova (L, 73-70 OT) |
2015 | No. 16 | First Four: vs. No. 16 North Florida (W, 81-77) |
2025 | No. 15 | First Round: vs. No. 2 Alabama (TBD) |
To date, Robert Morris is 2-9 all time in NCAA Tournament games. Their two wins have come in either the preliminary round or the first four. The first tournament win came over Georgia Southern in the preliminary round of the 1983 tournament before falling to Purdue in the first round. Their most recent win came over North Florida in the first four in 2015, but came up way short later vs. Duke.
The closest they came to getting to the Round of 32 was in 2010 with an overtime loss to Villanova.