UDM is two wins away from its first NCAA tournament berth since 2012.

Calling what Detroit Mercy basketball has done this season a resurgence may be an undersell.

UDM (16-14, 12-8 Horizon), the No. 3-seed in the Horizon League Tournament, is playing No. 2 Robert Morris (22-10, 13-7) in the conference semifinals at Corteva Coliseum in Indianapolis on Monday, March 9. The game is scheduled to tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN2.

For a team that went 8-24 in the 2024-25 season, and a program-worst 1-31 in 2023-24, that the Titans are just two wins away from an NCAA Tournament appearance represents nothing short of a rebirth. That possibility looked distant even on Jan. 24, when a 95-87 loss to rival Oakland brought the Titans to 8-12 overall.

Watch Horizon League tournament on Fubo

But UDM responded by winning seven of its last nine regular-season games, including a 95-89 win against Oakland at the O’Rena to secure the team’s first 16-win season since 2016.

“We all found out who we were as players and as people. So now we know what positions to put the right people in at the right time,” said Titans senior point guard Orlando Lovejoy of the team’s late-season surge. “Once we figured that out, it was game on.”

The Detroit native Lovejoy has put up exceptional numbers in his senior season with the Titans, putting up a career-high 33 points in a 74-70 win over Green Bay on Feb. 22 and 29 points on 13-for-16 shooting against Oakland in the regular-season finale.

“He scores in phases. He can score on the fast break, he can post up, he can get to his spots,” said UDM coach Mark Montgomery. “He also brings the, ‘Gimme the ball in the biggest moments, and I’ll take over.’”

Lovejoy might have to take over more than usual against a tough Robert Morris team. The Colonials are the defending Horizon League champions and have beaten the Titans twice this year, with an 85-77 win in Detroit on March 2 and a 73-62 win at home on Feb. 25.

“We turned the ball over in key moments in those games, and then we have to keep them off the offensive glass,” said Montgomery of the Colonials. “We’re gonna get down to Indy, we’re going to enjoy a day, and then we’re going to lock in and know it’s one-and-done time.”

As for Lovejoy, who only gets four tickets to give to friends and family for the upcoming game, he expects to have a big travelling crowd to support him and the local team.

“I don’t know who I’m not bringing to Indianapolis,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of people coming to support as they did ever since I started playing basketball.”

Detroit Mercy basketball time vs Robert Morris in Horizon League semifinal

• Date: Monday, March 9.
• Time: 9:30 p.m. ET.
• Location: Corteva Coliseum, Indianapolis.

UDM is looking for its fourth conference tournament win and first since 2012.

Detroit Mercy basketball channel vs Robert Morris in Horizon League semifinal

• Tipoff: 9:30 p.m. ET.
• Channel: ESPN2.
• Streaming: Fubo.

Monday’s Horizon League semifinal game featuring UDM and Robert Morris will be televised on ESPN2 and can be streamed on Fubo, which carries ESPN channels.

Watch Detroit Mercy-Robert Morris on Fubo

Horizon League tournament results

• Play-in: No. 11 Cleveland State 101, No. 10 IU Indianapolis 93.
• First round: No. 5 Green Bay 64, No. 6 Purdue.
• First round: No. 1 Wright State 90, No. 10 Cleveland State 61.
• First round: No. 2 Robert Morris 68, Youngstown State 53.
• First round: No. 3 UDM 84, No. 8 Milwaukee 63.
• First round: No. 7 Northern Kentucky 85, No. 4 Oakland 84.
• Sunday, March 8, Second round: No. 5 Green Bay vs No. 7 Northern Kentucky, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+).
• Monday, March 9, Semifinal: No. 1 Wright State vs TBD, 7 p.m. ET (ESPNU).
• Monday, March 9, Semifinal: No. 2 Robert Morris vs No. 3 UDM, 9:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2).
• Tuesday, March 10, Final: TBD vs TBD, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN).