That's because the the 15th seeded Robert Morris Colonials held an eight point lead over the 2nd seeded Villanova Wildcats with three minutes remaining. Scottie Reynolds had only one field goal at this point but was in double-digits for scoring because of foul shots.
Would this be the fifth time a 15 seed defeated a two seed? It sure looked like it.
Then the tide turned Villanova's way. Reynolds saved a loose ball - in which slid a foot, which you would think would be a travel - and was fouled shortly after, hitting two foul shots to make it 55-51. Then the Colonials gave up the ball and the former Oklahoma commit was fouled again, hitting both shots and making it a two-point contest with just 2:10 to play.
Eventually it was tied at 56 all, when freshman guard Karon Abraham got a nice screen and drove into the paint to hit an off-balance lay-up with 1:09 left. But on the following possession, Mouptharou Yarou got free inside and hit an easy shot to tie it once again.
Reynolds eventually hit his second field goal in overtime - a three as the shot clock was winding down - but the senior All-American ended up with 20 points. His stat line was very unusual (2-15 from the field, 1-8 from behind the arc) but his 15-16 performance from the line made the difference. How did he get to the foul line so much? Pictures like the one below tell the story.
It's pretty safe to say that he got the Michael Jordan treatment out there. I'm not saying that he wasn't fouled at all, but a lot of his foul shots came off of very, very questionable calls. In addition to the treatment they gave Reynolds, there were other numerous calls that went the Wildcats' way, most notably a tie-up in overtime that was called a jump ball at first, but was overruled by another official who signaled a Robert Morris reach-in foul.
So the referees played a major part in Villanova's win, we - besides Wildcat fans - all know that. But let's look at the positives for Robert Morris.
1) More exposure.
- Yeah, winning would have made this much better, but at least some people will remember who took Villanova to overtime in the first round; especially if the Wildcats make a deep run in the tournament. That could lead to more fan support and possibly more recruits interested in going to Robert Morris. No one will remember the other 15 seeds (North Texas, Morgan State, UC-Santa Barbara) that lost by double-digits.2) Gained respect.
- Related a little bit to the first positive, this close game should make college basketball fans and other teams respect Robert Morris more. Usually NEC teams are looked upon as cup-cakes in out-of-conference scheduling, but you can't really lump the Colonials in that group after their performance. They'll only continue to improve their reputation.3) A bright future.
- The senior class will go out as one of the most accomplished in NEC history. They won two conference regular season championships, two conference tournament championships, and were never dominated in a post-season game (2008 NIT, 2009 & 10 NCAA Tournament). But look who led the Colonials just about all year...a little freshman named Karon Abraham. The 5'9" combo guard has range from Los Angeles and if you leave him get a step on you, he'll get to the rim in a blink. He and fellow freshman starter Velton Jones will welcome another classmate in Russell Johnson to the starting lineup and should start the 2010-11 season as the conference favorite. If head coach Mike Rice doesn't bolt for a more prestigious job, could you imagine how good this team could be in 2012-13 (Abraham's senior year)?The loss will always sting because of the way it happened, but one thing's for sure; Robert Morris basketball is ready to put their name out there on the national stage, or at least in the category of good/great mid-major programs. The question is...are you ready to accept that?
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