CLEVELAND — The crowd at Rocket Arena decidedly favored Robert Morris during the pregame introductions for the 15th-seeded Colonials’ NCAA Tournament first round game against No. 2 Alabama on Friday.

Chants of, “Robert Morris!! Robert Morris!!” permeated the cavernous facility, home to the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and the American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters.

When Cleveland native Amarion Dickerson slammed home a bucket midway through the first half, the noise got even louder.

Though Robert Morris (26-8) trailed for the entire first half, Dickerson’s 3-point shot with 11 seconds to go before the half got the Colonials within three, and they went into halftime down, 40-36.

Dickerson’s homecoming

Dickerson, who played his high school basketball at nearby Rhodes, went on to Mineral Ara (Mo.) College for two junior college seasons.

Last year, he average 12.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 2.0 steals per game, paving the way for his transfer to Robert Morris.

This season, the 6-foot-7 Dickerson ranks seventh in Division I in blocks with 80.

He attracted a sizable following for Friday’s East Region opener.

“In Cleveland, you can expect some diehard fans,” Dickerson said Thursday. “Obviously, growing up not too far from (what was previously known as) Rocket Mortgage Field House, probably five minutes away, you can expect the type of fans that we need — high energy — throughout the arena.

A man down

Alabama (25-8) played the first half without 6-11 Grant Nelson, its second-leading scorer and leading rebounder, who was held out of the starting lineup with a knee injury.

Nelson, who is averaging 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, was injured in the Crimson Tide’s 104-82 loss to Florida on Saturday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals in Nashville.

Nelson, who saw a specialist to determine the severity of the injury, entered the game in the second half.

Next up

The winner of Robert Morris-Alabama will advance to the second round on Sunday against either No. 7 Saint Mary’s (28-5) or No. 10 Vanderbilt (20-12).