University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Basketball GAMEDAY: South Alabama
12/17/2014 | Men's Basketball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond (4-4) will look to win its 400th game all-time at the Robins Center and put together a winning streak on Thursday night against South Alabama (2-5) at 7 p.m.
The contest is UR's second game in the Gotham Classic, a four-game tournament sponsored by the Gazelle Group that features a Spider game in Madison Square Garden.
Richmond is coming off a 54-41 win over Howard on Saturday night at home, improving the Spiders' home record to 4-0.
Richmond held Howard to 29.5 percent shooting for the game and a paltry 4-of-23 (17.4 percent) from the field in the second half. The Spiders forced a season-best 21 turnovers, turning those into 21 points. UR also held a 9-1 edge in second-chance points with 10 offensive rebounds.
Eight players reached the scoring column for the Spiders, while only three players hit field goals for Howard.ShawnDre' Jones led the way with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from long range. It was Jones' third double-figure scoring game of the year.
Thursday's game will be streamed online through the Atlantic 10 website, produced by SpiderTV. On the radio, Bob Black and Greg Beckwith will anchor coverage that will be on ESPN 950 AM, 93.1 HANK FM, Sirius Ch. 108 and XM Radio Ch. 201.
| 2014-15 SPIDER MEN'S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY CENTRAL - SOUTH ALABAMA |
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| Who | Richmond Spiders (4-4, 0-0) vs. South Alabama (2-5, 0-0) |
| When | Thursday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. |
| Where | Richmond, Va. |
| Venue | Robins Center (7,201) |
| TV/Live Video | |
| On Air | Bob Black, Greg Beckwith |
| Radio | ESPN 950 AM | 93.1 HANK FM | Sirius Ch. 108 | XM Ch. 201 | RichmondSpiders.com |
| On Air | Bob Black, Greg Beckwith |
| Live Stats | RichmondSpiders.com |
| Game Notes | Richmond | South Alabama |
| Social Media | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |
Opening Tip
The Spiders are 1-0 in the Gotham Classic after defeating Howard on Saturday. The Spiders will host home games against Howard, South Alabama and IUPUI and play Pepperdine in Madison Square Garden as part of the Classic, sponsored by the Gazelle Group.
Eight different players scored baskets against Howard, and nine players saw time on the court in the first half.
The Spiders are a perfect 4-0 when winning the turnover battle. Richmond ranks 15th in the country with just 10.6 turnovers per game.
On Thursday, Richmond has the opportunity to win its 400th game all-time in the Robins Center. The Spiders are currently 399-183 in the building since its opening against Maryland in 1972. Coach Mooney accounts for 103 of Richmond's 399 home wins.
Scouting South Alabama
South Alabama flies across the country after a Monday night loss to Pepperdine, 78-68, in Malibu in the Gotham Classic. The Jaguars are looking for their first D-I win this year under second-year head coach Matthew Graves, a former assistant at Butler.
The Jaguars average 68.0 points per game, but give up 69.3 and an opponent FG percentage of 44.7. Two players, Ken Williams (11.7) and Taishaun Johnson (11.0) each average in double figures, while Barrington Stevens has 23 assists in seven games.
Series vs. South Alabama
Thursday is the first meeting between Richmond and South Alabama.
Four of Richmond's first nine opponents on the schedule have played the Spiders for the first time this season (High Point, UNI, Howard, South Alabama).
SOS Helping RPI
Through eight games, Richmond has played the ninth-toughest schedule in the nation, according to ESPN's Daily RPI. The Spiders' four road opponents have a combined record of 30-7. UNI cracked the Top 25 last week, while N.C. State and ODU received votes.
Richmond's current RPI is 48th in the ESPN Daily RPI.
Perfection in Robins
The Spiders are 4-0 at home this year with some outstanding defense in those games. Richmond has held opponents to just 39.4 FG shooting and 52.5 points per game at the Robins Center.
Conversely, Richmond has shot 48.4 percent from the field at home with a 12.8-7.8 advantage in assists per game and a +5.8 turnover margin.
Going For 400
Richmond will look to tally win number 400 all-time in the Robins Center on Thursday. The Spiders are 399-183 at home since the building opened in 1972 with a game against Maryland. Over the last six seasons, Richmond is 68-14 at home, including 4-0 in 2014-15. Head coach Chris Mooney is 103-42 at the Robins Center in his 10 seasons.
This season, Richmond's average attendance of 5,742 ranks fourth in the Atlantic 10. The Spiders have won five of the last six home games against ranked opponents.
Spreading the Wealth
The Spiders moved the ball around for a season-high 18 assists against High Point, including five from Trey Davis and four from ShawnDre' Jones. UR followed that up with a 17-assist effort against N.C. State, including a career-high six from Jones. With 12 assists against Radford and Howard, UR has only played one game with single-digit assists. Six different players have six or more assists for UR this season.
Richmond's assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.1 currently ranks fifth in the A-10 and 61st in the NCAA.
Protecting The Rock
Richmond has been very protective of the ball this season with a stellar backcourt and skilled frontcourt that rarely turns it over. Richmond currently ranks 15th in the country for fewest turnovers with 10.6 per game.
Getting Caught In The Web
Richmond's defensive reputation extends beyond the conference region as teams and media around the country have come to respect UR's unique approach to a matchup zone.
Regardless of what you call it, Mooney's defenses have been formidable. Last season, Richmond ranked second in the A-10 and 52nd in the country in scoring defense (65.2). The Spiders held opponents to just 30.1 percent shooting from long range, a mark that ranked 15th in the country.
This season, opponents are shooting just 41.1 percent from the field, and the Spiders' fourth-ranked +2.25 turnover margin has led to an average of 15.8 points off turnovers, including 27 vs. William & Mary and 21 against Howard. The Spiders have won the points off turnovers battle in six of the eight games this season.
Richmond makes it a point to not allow transition baskets as opponents have averaged just 5.0 transition points per game.
