SETTING THE SCENE
The Cleveland State men's basketball team will close out its current four-game homestand on Sunday, January 23, welcoming Robert Morris to the Wolstein Center for a 3:00 p.m. contest. Cleveland State enters Sunday's game standing at 12-4 overall this year and 8-1 in league play, while RMU is currently 3-15 on the year and 1-8 against league opponents.

#FIGHT4LITERACY
Sunday's game against Robert Morris will be Cleveland State's annual #Fight4Literacy game, as the Vikings will team up with Coaching for Literacy to help Cleveland area children get the resources they need to become stronger readers. Cleveland State will be hosting a book drive during Sunday's game, while fans can also donate to Coaching for Literacy by CLICKING HERE to donate on the Cleveland State men's basketball page. 

A WIN ON SUNDAY WOULD…
Give the Vikings three straight wins for the third time this season…Improve CSU to 11-2 when playing at the Wolstein Center this year…Give the Vikings the season sweep over RMU…Put Cleveland State at 43-33 during Dennis Gates' tenure.

THE CLEVELAND STATE/ROBERT MORRIS SERIES
Sunday's game will mark the 17th meeting between the two teams, with Cleveland State owning a 9-7 advantage in the all-time series. The Vikings have been victorious in five of the last six meetings, including a 78-77 victory earlier this year when the two teams met for the first time as #HLMBB opponents.

…THE FIRST TIME AROUND
In the first meeting earlier this season, Cleveland State picked up a 78-77 victory over RMU in its first road #HLMBB contest of the year. Torrey Patton led the Viking offense with 18 points, while the Vikings combined to go 26-for-31 from the free throw line, marking a season-high for free throws made. Algevon Eichelberger made his first appearance of the season at RMU, recording one blocked shot in 1+ minute played.

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Robert Morris enters Sunday's contest standing at 3-15 overall this year, and 1-8 against Horizon League opponents…Sunday's game marks the second of just two road games for the Colonials during the month of January…Last time out, RMU dropped an 86-62 decision at Purdue Fort Wayne…The Colonials' lone #HLMBB victory came against Northern Kentucky (74-64) earlier this month…As a team, Robert Morris ranks second in the league standings with a .463 clip from the floor, while Kahliel Spear has a league-leading .530 individual clip this season…Spear also ranks in the top-five averaging 1.2 blocked shots per game.

LAST TIME OUT…
The Vikings notched their second straight win with a 64-61 victory over Youngstown State. After gaining a double-digit lead during the second half, the Vikings were able to hold off a YSU run late in the game to pick up their 10th victory at home this season. Cleveland State posted a .462 clip from the field, while the bench recorded 32 total points on the game. 

VIKINGS MOVE INTO FIRST PLACE IN THE #HLMBB STANDINGS
With the 64-61 victory over the Penguins on Friday night, the Vikings moved into first place in the #HLMBB standings, owning an 8-1 record against league opponents this season. Sitting behind the Vikings in the standings as of Saturday, January 22 are Oakland (7-1) and Wright State (7-2), with Oakland representing Cleveland State's lone loss in league play this year.

#HLMBB PLAY OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS
Throughout the last two years, Cleveland State has combined for a 24-5 regular season record against league opponents, including a 14-3 mark when playing at the Wolstein Center following the 64-61 victory over Youngstown State last time out. If you include #HLMBB Tournament play, the Vikings have won 17 of their last 20 matchups entering Sunday's game against the Colonials. 

HOME-SWEET-HOME
Sunday's game against Robert Morris will mark the 13th home game out of the first 17 contests (excluding cancelations) for the Vikings this season, as Cleveland State has had the benefit of playing in the friendly confines of the Wolstein Center throughout the first half of the season. Under head coach Dennis Gates, the Vikings are 25-12 when playing at home, including a 9-2 record last season and a 10-2 mark so far this year.

HILL NOTCHES CSU CAREER-HIGH AGAINST YSU
Last time out, senior Yahel Hill posted a CSU career-high 15 points against Youngstown State, marking his sixth double-digit point game of the season. Included in Hill's 15 points was a trio of three-pointers, which tied his CSU career-high. Against the Penguins, Hill played 28 minutes off the bench, going 5-for-10 from the field and 3-for-6 from behind-the-arc.

…PART OF STRONG CSU BENCH
Yahel Hill was a crucial part of a strong Cleveland State bench performance against the Penguins on Friday, as the Vikings outscored YSU 32-4 in bench points. Along with Hill, Chris Greene also tallied double-digit points off the bench, scoring 12 points on a quartet of three-pointers in 12 minutes played. This marked the 10th time this season that Cleveland State has had 20 or more points come from its bench. 

PATTON & JOHNSON ON THE BOARDS
Last week, Torrey Patton and Deante Johnson both reached the 100-rebound mark for the season, and enter Sunday's game against RMU with a team-high 106 and 105 boards, respectively. This duo has combined for eight double-digit rebound performances so far this season, while they both rank in the top-12 among #HLMBB players (Patton; 8th-7.0 & Johnson; 11th-6.6). 

CLEVELAND STATE ON THE OFFENSIVE END
Entering Sunday's game against the Colonials, Cleveland State continues to lead the league shooting 46-percent from the floor, including a .450 clip or better in eight of its last 11 games. Last time out, the Vikings posted a .462 clip from the floor against YSU, with eight of 10 players that saw action scoring at least two points on the game. 

…CLEVELAND STATE SPREADING OUT THE OFFENSE
Cleveland State has tallied 15+ assists in 11 of its 16 games so far this season, including 17 against Youngstown State last time out. Through the first part of the 2021-22 campaign, the Vikings are averaging a league-best 17.13 assists per game, and have notched 20 or more assists on six occasions. So far this season, 13 Vikings have recorded at least one assist, led by Torrey Patton with 60 assists and Deshon Parker with 52 assists on the year. 

HODGE LEADING THE VIKING OFFENSE
Over the first half of the 2021-22 campaign, senior D'Moi Hodge is averaging a team-best 15.3 points per game after notching double-digit points in all but three games this season. Through 16 games, Hodge ranks ninth among #HLMBB players in scoring, while he has tallied 15+ points seven times, including a pair of 30-point performances against Oklahoma State (31 pts) and Youngstown State (31 pts). 

COLLEGEINSIDER.COM MID-MAJOR POLL
For the second straight week, Cleveland State entered the week ranked in the top-25 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll, currently sitting at No. 22 in the most recent poll released on Monday, January 17. The Vikings are one of two Horizon League teams to be ranked in the top-25 this week, joining Oakland (No. 12).

HEAD COACH DENNIS GATES
The Vikings will be under the direction of third-year head coach and reigning back-to-back #HLMBB Coach of the Year Dennis Gates. Through his first three seasons, Gates has led the Vikings to a 42-33 overall record, including a 19-8 mark last season when the Vikings captured the Horizon League Tournament title and earned the program's third trip to the NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT
Cleveland State will hit the road for a pair of games next weekend, traveling to Wright State for a nationally televised game on Friday, January 28 before traveling to Northern Kentucky on Sunday, January 30.