LIU in Northeast final tonight

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LIU-Brooklyn may make magic again.

After 14 years without an NCAA tournament appearance, the Blackbirds are on the verge of their second straight trip to the Big Dance, taking on Robert Morris in the Northeast Conference Tournament final tonight at the WRAC in Brooklyn in a rematch of last year?s overtime title game.

?Last year, we knew it was our chance to do something great, and we have the same mindset going into [tonight],? said LIU forward Julian Boyd, the NEC Player of the Year. ?It?s great to be able to be in the same position. We?ve worked hard, and the experience from last year has really helped us. Being home in the championship game, I know we?re all going to come out with our A-game.?

No. 1 seed LIU (24-8, 16-2 NEC) ? which has a 26-game home win streak, second-longest in the nation ? advanced to the final with a 78-75 comeback win over No. 5 Quinnipiac on Sunday after No. 3 Robert Morris (24-9, 13-5) pulled off a 71-64 upset at No. 2 Wagner behind Velton Jones? game-high 25 points.

Following the win, Jones was asked about a potential rematch with LIU. The First Team All-NEC guard displayed a smile that could have stretched across the Verrazano Bridge, even though the Colonials? other option was a home game against Quinnipiac.

?It?d mean a lot,? Jones said of the chance to avenge last year?s loss. ?It?ll be a fun experience to go back there.?

In their only meeting this season, Robert Morris led from start to finish in a 75-66 home win as Jones led the Colonials with 23 points. The stingy Robert Morris defense held LIU, the third-highest scoring team in the nation, to more than 15 points below their season average and kept Boyd and fellow First-Team All-NEC forward Jamal Olasewere as the Blackbirds? only double-digit scorers.

Olasewere, who was named last year?s tournament MVP after totaling 31 points and 11 rebounds in the final against Robert Morris, vowed LIU would not be pushed around again.

?We have a chip on our shoulder too because they beat us earlier this season,? Olasewere said. ?They jumped us early and we never responded. They came out physical and we kind of backed off. We can?t do that [tonight]. Actually, it won?t happen [tonight.]?

 

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On the road, Robert Morris men's basketball team right at home




Robert Morris coach Andy Toole doesn't believe his program has a patent on road success in the Northeast Conference Tournament. He just thinks his group of players enjoy this time of the year ? when everything's on the line.

RMU, which has a record seven NEC championships, seeks its eighth Wednesday night at Long Island. It's the fourth consecutive trip to the title game for the Colonials and their third straight on the road. They won at home in 2009 and at Quinnipiac in '10.

This is the second consecutive season that RMU and Long Island have met for the title. Long Island won last year's matchup, 85-82, in overtime.

"They average 81.6 points per game, and we can't let them near that if we want to win," Toole said. "It's going to be a difficult challenge. We have to control the tempo."

That's what the Colonials did Sunday at Wagner, when they posted a 71-64 victory in the semifinals. They did the same thing last year in the semifinals at Quinnipiac and two years ago ? coach Mike Rice's final season ? to claim the title there.

"We performed well at Wagner," Toole said. "We're playing defense with passion, and we're playing together."

It doesn't hurt that RMU has players from successful high school programs. Junior point guard Velton Jones led Philadelphia Northeast Catholic to a city title; junior forward Russell Johnson played for Pennsylvania standout Chester; and freshman forward Lucky Jones played at national power St. Anthony in Jersey City, N.J.

"We have guys who aren't used to losing," Toole said. "When they do, they try to figure new ways to win."

Long Island is led by NEC Player of the Year Julian Boyd (17.4 ppg) and first-team player Jamal Olasewere (17.0). Jason Brickman (9.5), who was named to the second team, likes to push Long Island's offense, which ranks in the top five in the nation in tempo.

"They're a talented squad," Toole said. "They like to throw the ball ahead, and we have to make sure to get back. We have to try to keep them in the 60s."

RMU did that Jan. 26 when it won, 75-66, to snap the visiting Blackbirds' nine-game winning streak. The Colonials are 21-4 when they hold a team to 70 points or fewer ? and 3-5 when a team scores 70 or more. Altogether, they have 12 wins on the road, tied for the most in Division I.

"Everyone plays a little different in the tournament," Toole said. "We seem to defend better because the players know in our conference the only way to get into the NCAA Tournament is to win the conference."