Robert Morris’ Amarion Dickerson came into the NCAA Tournament known as one of the nation’s best shot blockers after being chosen the Horizon League’s Defensive Player of the Year.

With the threat of an early exit looming large, the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team got the job done. The second-seeded Tide claimed a 90-81 victory over No. 15 seed Robert Morris in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday,

All-America guard Mark Sears scored 19 of his 22 points in the second half and second-seeded Alabama pulled away late to escape 15th-seeded Robert Morris 90-81 in the first round of the NCAA tournamen