Setting the Scene
The No. 9 Youngstown State men's basketball team (15-16, 8-12 Horizon League) visits No. 2 Robert Morris in the first round of the 2026 Barbasol Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship, Wednesday, March 4. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at the UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, Pa. and the game will be aired on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

Up Next
With a win, the Penguins will play in the second round of the 2026 Barbasol Horizon League Men's Basketball Championship, Sunday, March 8, at 3:30 p.m. at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis, Ind.

Last Time Out
Three players reached double figures, but the Youngstown State men's basketball suffered an 85-63 setback to Green Bay on Saturday afternoon at the Kress Center. Senior Cris Carroll led the Penguins with 22 points, his eighth 20-point game of the season, while Vlad Salaridze scored 12 points and Bryson Dawkins added 10 points. The Penguins struggled from the field while the Phoenix caught fire. Youngstown State shot 40 percent from the floor while the Phoenix connected on 59.6 percent of its shots, including 63 percent in the second half.

Guins in the Tourney
Youngstown State has an overall conference tournament record of 18-36 dating back to 1983-84. The Penguins own a Horizon League tournament record (2001-02 to present) of 11-24, 4-7 in the Mid-Continent Conference (1994-95 to 2000-01) and 3-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference (1983-84 to 1987-88). The Penguins own a record of 3-7 in the Horizon League quarterfinals.

Carroll, Zorgvol Earn Postseason Honors
Youngstown State senior Cris Carroll and Imanuel Zorgvol each earned Horizon League postseason honors after a vote of the league's head coaches, the conference announced on March 2.Carroll was named All-Horizon League Second Team while Zorgvol was named to the All-Defensive Team. This marks the 11th straight season a Youngstown State earned all-league honors, and Carroll is the 13th player and the 17th all-league selection since 2016. Zorgvol's selection marks the third straight year a Youngstown State player was earned all-defensive team accolades.

Going Carrolling
Senior Cris Carroll led the Penguins and ranked fourth in the Horizon League with 17.4 points per game and ranked third in the league with 87 3-pointers and a .397 3-point percentage and tied for the league lead with 2.8 3-pointers per game. He scored in double figures 29 times and posted eight 20-point games, including a career-high 34 points against Green Bay on Jan.22. Carroll's 87 3-pointers rank fifth on the YSU single-season list, and he needs eight more to break the single-season mark of 94 set by Blake Allen in 2012-13. His 540 points this season rank 10th in a single-season in YSU's Division I era and he is the ninth YSU player to score at least 500 points in a season since 1981-82.

Secretary of Defense Zorgvol 
Senior Imanuel Zorgvol led the league with 59 blocked shots and 1.9 blocks per game. Nationally, Zorgvol ranks 23rd in total blocks and 29 in blocks per game. He has recorded at least one block in 25 of 31 games and multiple blocks 20 times. His 59 blocks rank eighth in the single-season list, and he needs just one more block to become just the fourth player in school history with at least 60 blocks in a season. Zorgvol posted four blocks against Northern Kentucky (Feb. 22), Wright State (Jan. 15), Grand Canyon (Nov. 7) and USC Upstate (Dec. 20).

Last Time Against the Colonials
The Youngstown State men's basketball team erased an 11-point halftime deficit and built a nine-point second-half lead but suffered a 72-66 setback to Robert Morris on Feb. 4 at Zidian Family Arena. Senior Cris Carroll scored 13 of his team-high 20 points in the second half to lead the Penguins while Bryson Dawkins poured in 16 points and Tae Blackshear added 12 points with four 3-pointers.

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's record to 16-16 overall.
• Give YSU 5-10 road record this season.
• Be Youngstown State's 17th win over the Colonials and its 10th in Moon Township.
• Snap a four-game losing streak to the Colonials.
• Be Youngstown State's 12 win in the Horizon League Championship and its 19th conference tournament win overall.
• Mark Ethan Faulkner's 37th career win and second over Robert Morris.

Scouting Robert Morris
Robert Morris enters the game as the second seed after posting a 13-7 league record and has an overall mark of 21-10 Leading the Colonials is Horizon League Player of the Year DeSean Goode with 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Ryan Prather, Jr., an All-Horizon League Second-Team choice, leads the team with 15.6 points per game. Robert Morris is averaging 78.2 points per game while allowing 72.8 points per contest

Series vs. Robert morris
This is the 35th meeting between Youngstown State and Robert Morris in a series dating back to 1989. The Colonials hold an 18-16 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last four contests. Robert Morris swept the season series this season with an 80-77 overtime victory on Dec. 17 in Moon Township, Pa. and a 72-66 win on Feb. 4 at Zidian Family Arena.The last time Youngstown State defeated the Colonials was 72-58 victory on Dec. 4, 2024, in Moon Township, Pa.

First Meeting vs. RMU
Senior Cris Carroll scored a then-career-high 31 points, but the Youngstown State men's basketball team suffered an 80-77 overtime setback to Robert Morris on Dec. 17 at the UPMC Events Center. Carroll connected on 10-of-12 shooting from the field and made a career-high six 3-pointers. He also became the first Youngstown State player to score at least 30 points in game since DJ Burns had 32 against Green Bay in 2024. Vlad Salaridze scored a season-high 15 points while Bryson Dawkins added 13 points. Carroll sparked the Penguins in the first-half scoring 17 points with five 3-pointers while the Penguins shot 58.3 percent from the floor.

Penguins Set 3s Record, 200 Streak Extended 
Youngstown State set the school record for most 3s in a single-season after making eight against Milwaukee on Feb. 25. The Penguins, who have 312 this year, broke the old mark of 303 set in the 2018-19 season. It is also just the second time in program history that Youngstown State has made at least 300 3-pointers in a season. With eight 3-pointers made against Cleveland State on Jan. 17, Youngstown State has made at least 200 3-pointers in 15 straight full seasons. Last year, the Penguins made 299 3-pointers. The streak dates back to the 2010-11 season, and does not include the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 campaign.