2015 NCAA Tournament Preview: Robert Morris vs. North Florida

I've seen the Robert Morris Colonials play at least 20 times this season.  The only thing I know about the North Florida Ospreys is that people seem to think they beat Dunk City (Florida Gulf Coast Eagles) in order to get into the NCAA Tournament.  With that said, let's dive into it.

A quick look at Kenpom:

Robert Morris ranks 174th.

North Florida ranks 127th.

The Colonials rank 30th when it comes to generating turnovers on the defensive end; they turn their opponents over at a rate of 21.7%.  They pick the pockets of their opponents on 12.7% of their defensive possessions.

On the offensive end, they rank 40th in three-point percentage.  They cash in from long distance at a rate of 38%.

The Ospreys are a more efficient team on the offensive end.  They rank 98th in offensive efficiency at 105.7 points over 100 possessions.  Their effective field goal percentage of 53.6% ranks 31st in the country, while their three-point percentage of 38% ranks them just one spot behind RMU at 41st.

On the defensive end, NF limits their opponents to 31.5% from beyond the arc, good for 46th in the nation.

Kenpom Inferences:

Robert Morris has a glaring weakness when it comes to giving up offensive rebounds.  They allow opponents to secure 35.8% of their missed shots.  Unfortunately for North Florida, they may not be able to take advantage of the Colonials weakness; they only corral 28.9% of their misses, which ranks just 252nd in Division I.

What to Expect:

Both teams enjoy launching from beyond the arc.  RMU attempted 555 triples in 33 games this season; they've made 211 of them.  That breaks down to nearly 17 attempts per game and slightly more than six makes per contest.

At 788 attempts, the Ospreys really enjoy three-pointers.  They've made 308 over the course of 34 games.  That's over nine makes per game on nearly 21 attempts per contest.

I'd expect a three-point barrage between the two teams.

Players to Watch:

Junior guard Rodney Pryor leads Robert Morris in scoring at 15.2 points per game.  He's also the teams most prolific three-point shooter; he leads the team in makes (76) and attempts (178).

Pryor along with fellow Second-Team All-NEC performers, freshman guard Marcquise Reed and senior guard/forward Lucky Jones, have accounted for 61.7% of the teams total points.  Jones leads the team in rebounding at six boards per game, while Reed was named NEC Rookie of the Year.

Sophomore guard Dallas Moore leads NF in points per game at 15.9 and assists at 3.6 per contest.  Sophomore forward Chris Davenport leads the team in rebounding at 6.5 per game.  North Florida has four players averaging at least five boards per contest.  Moore along with junior guard/forward Beau Beech nabbed First-Team All-Atlantic Sun honors.

Junior forward Demarcus Daniels grabbed Defensive Player of the Year honors as he led the conference with 1.7 blocks per game.  Head coach Matthew Driscoll was also named Coach of the Year in the Atlantic Sun.

Details

No. 16 Robert Morris Colonials vs. No. 16 North Florida Ospreys
Where: Dayton, Ohio
Time: 6:40 p.m. Eastern, Wednesday
Televsion: TruTV