Since 1992, there have been the shortfalls.

Since 1992, there have been disappointments, near-misses and rebuilding seasons.

Since 1992, an early March Sunday evening was spent wishing and hoping it was them -- and not a conference foe -- who saw their school flashed up on those brackets for the college basketball world to see.

But in one brilliant flash of a Dallas Green baseline jump shot with 2.5 seconds remaining last night, those 17 years seemed all but forgotten -- and, my, how Robert Morris celebrated.

Robert Morris (24-10) clinched a trip to the NCAA tournament for the first time since '92, earning an automatic bid as the Colonials claimed a 48-46 victory against Mount St. Mary's (19-13) in the Northeast Conference tournament championship game at the Sewall Center in Moon. Green picked up a loose ball and hit the winning points.

It was Green's lone field goal of the game. He finished 1 for 2 from the floor and had a free throw for his three points. The winner came when Robert Morris standout Jeremy Chappell -- who finished with a game-high 15 points -- went to make a move to the basket but fumbled the ball away near the free-throw line.

It then fell into the hands of an opportunistic Green, who coolly hit the short jumper for the winner.

"The ball just rolled to me," Green said. "It was supposed to be a high-ball screen. I just caught it and went up."

Mount St. Mary's guard Jeremy Goode was particularly stung that Green -- a player who even Robert Morris coach Mike Rice admitted was the fifth option on the play -- was the player who hit the decisive shot.

"It hurts more," Goode said. "You'd rather see a guy who makes shots the whole time he has been here make the game-winner. Not [Green] though."

Chappell offered the swatting comeback when told of Goode's comments, saying, simply, "Dallas is a part of our team."

The celebration for the Colonials was made sweeter because the victory came against Mount St. Mary's, Robert Morris' most bitter of rivals and the squad that eliminated them -- on the same floor -- in the semifinals a year ago.

It wasn't pretty this time, but the Colonials were the victors at the end.

The teams participated in a first half that set basketball back what seemed like 40 years, as the game arrived at halftime tied, 19-19, with just 19 of 53 shots made over the first half.

Perhaps it was a huge case of nerves for both teams as the stands were uncharacteristically overflowing and television cameras from ESPN2 twisted into focus every turnover, missed shot and offensive inadequacy. As a testament to the nerves, consider this: Even after already playing 31 games this season, late in the first half of its most consequential game of the season, Mount St. Mary's was assessed a technical foul for having six men on the floor.

The Colonials were terribly inefficient in the first half, making just 7 of 30 shots.

To that end, Chappell was miserably off in the first half, failing to score over the first 16:43, before making two free throws. But, for as tough as it was on him in the first half, Chappell found a rhythm out of the second-half gate, making his first three shots of the half, two of those 3-pointers.

Mount St. Mary's opened its advantage up to five points, 40-35, with just over six minutes left.

A furious comeback then set the stage for Green's heroics.

"I can't tell you how proud I am of this team for just sticking with it," Rice said. "Dallas went and got it and was faced with an opportunity and, no, he's not our No. 1 option. But when he was called upon, he delivered."

A month ago, Robert Morris junior forward Rob Robinson let fly with a line that, in some ways, became his team's rallying cry as the regular season dwindled and the year advanced through the first two rounds of the conference tournament.

After a particularly hard practice Feb. 23, Robinson said, matter-of-factly, "As a little kid, no one dreams about playing in the NIT."

Last night, Green made sure the real dream, college basketball's true dream, happened.