University of Richmond Athletics
ACC, Big East Teams Highlight Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
08/20/2005 | Men's Basketball
Aug. 20, 2005
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. -
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University of Richmond first-year men's basketball coach Chris Mooney announced the 2005-06 non-conference schedule, which will feature visits from Wake Forest, Virginia, Seton Hall, VCU and Old Dominion. The combination of quality opponents and quantity of home dates gives the Spiders arguably the most attractive Robins Center schedule in the building's 33-year history.
Including eight Atlantic 10 contests, the Spiders are tentatively scheduled for 16 regular season home dates - which equals the second-most in Robins Center history. The 1981-82 slate included 17 home games, while 16 regular season games were played on the home court in 2001-02.
The 13-game non-conference schedule includes two teams from the Big East (Louisville and Seton Hall) and two from the ACC (Wake Forest and Virginia). Four of the non-conference opponents went to postseason play last year with three playing in the NCAA Tournament (Louisville, Wake Forest, Old Dominion) and one participating in the NIT (Virginia Commonwealth). Richmond will play six state opponents.
"We have a very challenging non-conference schedule that will be the perfect test for us as we prepare for the Atlantic 10," Mooney said. "Playing four games against teams in either the ACC or Big East will really help us grow. We are very proud of the teams we will be bringing into the Robins Center. With national programs such as Wake Forest, Virginia, Seton Hall and regional rivals such as Old Dominion and VCU, our fans will have plenty of opportunities to see some great basketball this winter."
Richmond will host Wake Forest, Virginia and Seton Hall, along with Colonial Athletic Association champion Old Dominion and city-rival VCU. The Spiders will also face stiff competition on the road, when they play at Final Four participant Louisville in the three-game, round-robin Colonial Classic Dec. 3-5, which also includes Prairie View A&M and Arkansas State.
The Spiders open the regular season with three home games in November, playing Hampton (Nov. 18), Virginia (Nov. 22) and McNeese State (Nov. 26). Seton Hall, which Richmond defeated 77-71 last season, visits the Robins Center on Dec. 1, before the Spiders make their first road trip of the year to Louisville, where they will play three games in three days in the Colonial Classic.
The Spiders return to the Robins Center to take on a pair of in-state rivals in VCU (Dec. 10) and Old Dominion (Dec. 20), before hosting ACC power Wake Forest (Dec. 22). After Christmas, the team heads to New Orleans, La., for a contest with Tulane (Dec. 27). A home game with Longwood is scheduled for Jan. 2 and a date and location for the William & Mary game is still to be determined.
Richmond returns leading scorer and rebounder Kevin Steenberge, who averaged 12.6 points and 6.0 boards per game last season. Fellow senior Jermaine Bucknor, who has been playing with the Canadian National Team this summer, is also back after averaging 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds.
Mooney comes to Richmond from Air Force, where he led the Falcons to an 18-12 record in 2004-05, the second best mark in school history. Mooney's team led the nation in fewest points allowed (54.3) and was second in the country in fewest turnovers (9.8). They also set the school record for three-pointers made in a season with 266.
Richmond has advanced to postseason play in four of the past five seasons, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2004.
| 2005-06 Men's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule | ||
| HAMPTON | | |
| VIRGINIA | | |
| MCNEESE STATE | | |
| SETON HALL | | |
| Colonial Classic vs. vs. Arkansas St; Prairie View A&M; at Louisville | | |
| VCU | | |
| OLD DOMINION | | |
| WAKE FOREST | | |
| at Tulane | | |
| LONGWOOD | | |
| vs. William & Mary | | |
