It’s finally time for basketball season once again in Moon Township.
Robert Morris welcomed Canisius to the UPMC Events Center Tuesday night for their lone exhibition match before the real fun begins next week.
The contest served as an opportunity for RMU fans to get an early taste of what they can expect under head coach Andy Toole as he enters his seventeenth season at the helm of the program.
The Colonial Crazies had early season access to a win, with Robert Morris defeating the Golden Griffins by a score of 87-74.
There was lots to be excited about from the Colonial side of things, so let’s go over some takeaways from the match.
The newcomers made their mark
Tuesday night was all about the incoming transfers.
Four out of the five members of Toole’s exhibition starting lineup were new faces of the program, as Ace Valentine, Jalik Dunkley, KJ Garris Jr. and KC Uguwakazi took the floor alongside Darius Livingston.
Dunkley put on a show, posting a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds, as well as emphasizing the “dunk” in his last name by showcasing plenty of athleticism. He added three assists, three steals and two blocks to go with perfect nine of nine shooting from the field.
KJ Garris Jr. and KC Uguwakazi made impacts on both sides of the floor. Garris Jr. tallied 12 points and five rebounds, with Uguwakazi adding seven points and six boards. Lastly, Ace Valentine showed out on the defensive end and also was great facilitating. The UMBC transfer amassed six steals and posted seven assists.
Picking up right where he left off…
That player in question? Darius Livingston. Part of the starting unit against Canisius, the 2025-26 Horizon League All-Freshman Team member recorded 21 points, nailing five shots from beyond the arc. Livingston, who also tallied two assists and two steals, ranked eighth in the Horizon League last season with three pointers made per game. After averaging 10.1 points per game and making seven starts last season, Livingston figures to be a larger piece of the puzzle for Robert Morris in 2026-27.
A duo to keep your eyes on
Speaking of returning players from last year’s squad, the first two we got to see off the bench for Coach Toole were Ta’Zir Smith and Samuel Obenjo.
Smith scored 13 points off the bench, adding three blocks and two steals. Obenjo’s impact was more seen under the boards, as he posted five rebounds and two blocks to go with three made buckets from the charity stripe. While most of the attention for returning players was on Livingston, Ta’Zir Smith and Samuel Obenjo certainly made their presence felt as well.
Cleaner, more physical and more dominant team basketball
If you could only recap the exhibition victory for Robert Morris with those five words, you would still get the point across. Let’s dive deeper.
Cleaner: 17 turnovers as a team is still far less than the 24 recorded by Canisius. Robert Morris also tallied 11 more points than the Golden Griffins off those aforementioned mistakes.
More physical: RMU amassed 16 steals and eight blocks as a team, grabbed 34 boards, and recorded 13 second chance points. Against Canisius, the Colonials were all over the floor.
More dominant: The Colonials held a lead for 97.5% of the game (38:59 out of 40 minutes). Additionally, Canisius did not lead during any point in the exhibition. RMU’s largest lead during the contest was 58-34.
Next up
Robert Morris kicks off its 2026-27 men’s basketball season on Tuesday, November 3, as the Colonials travel to Reno for a matchup with the Nevada Wolf Pack at 10 p.m. eastern time that evening. Their regular season home opener at the UPMC Events Center will take place on Sunday, November 15 at 2 p.m. eastern against Capital.
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