University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Basketball GAMEDAY: Wake Forest
12/27/2014 | Men's Basketball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond will look to extend its winning streak to five games when hosting the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.
The Spiders (7-4) have won four in a row while sweeping through the Gotham Classic before the Christmas holiday. Wake Forest (6-6, 0-1) comes to town after defeating Bucknell.
Although Wake Forest won last year's battle in overtime, 76-66, Richmond has won three of the last four in the series. The two teams have played nearly every season dating back to 1975.
The last time out, Richmond hit 10 three-pointers and the Spider backcourt of Kendall Anthony and ShawnDre' Jones combined for 30 points as UR defeated IUPUI, 57-53, in the Gotham Classic finale.
Anthony set a new season high with five three-pointers, as he finished with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Jones added 11 points on three treys, his third double-digit scoring game in the last four contests.
Richmond will be on national television on NBC Sports Network with Steve Schlanger and Ben Howland calling the action. The telecast is available online through NBC Sports Live EXTRA.
On the radio, Bob Black and Greg Beckwith will anchor coverage that will be on 93.1 HANK FM and ESPN 950 AM (in progress after Redskins). A free audio stream will also be available on RichmondSpiders.com.
| 2014-15 SPIDER MEN'S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY CENTRAL - WAKE FOREST |
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| Who | Richmond Spiders (7-4, 0-0) vs. Wake Forest (6-6, 0-1) |
| When | Sunday, Dec. 28, 4 p.m. |
| Where | Richmond, Va. |
| Venue | Robins Center (7,201) |
| Live Video | NBC Sports Network | LIVE Extra |
| On Air | Steve Schlanger, Ben Howland |
| Radio | ESPN 950 AM (in progress) | 93.1 HANK FM | RichmondSpiders.com |
| On Air | Bob Black, Greg Beckwith |
| Live Stats | Click Here |
| Game Notes | Notes |
| Social Media | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram |
Opening Tip
Richmond won its fourth game in a row and swept the Gotham Classic with a victory over IUPUI before Christmas. That tied last season's longest winning streak of four games. The Spiders won five in a row in 2012-13.
UR is now 6-0 at home in the Robins Center. At home, Richmond has shot 46.5 percent from the floor and held opponents to 39.5 FG shooting. Richmond also holds a +4.8 turnover margin at home.
The Spiders scoring defense continues to be outstanding. Richmond ranks second in the A-10 by giving up just 57.5 points per game.
UR has won three of the last four against Wake Forest, including the last two at home.
Scouting Wake Forest
Wake Forest comes out of the Christmas holiday after winning two of three against Samford and Bucknell. The Demon Deacons are averaging 69.8 points per game and 40.8 rebounds per contest.
Codi Miller-McIntyre leads the way with 13.1 points per game and is tied for the team high with 34 assists. He is shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 27.3 percent from three.
Devin Thomas is the team's leading rebounder with 9.4 boards, ranking fourth in the ACC. He also averages 10.8 points per game and has 1.0 blocks per game.
Series vs. Wake Forest
Although Wake Forest has a 39-12 edge in the all-time series, Richmond has won three of the last four game against WF. In the 2012 meeting in the Robins Center, the Spiders won 62-60. Wake Forest rallied last season for a 76-66 win in overtime.
The teams have played nearly every season dating back to 1975.
SOS Helping RPI
Through nine games, Richmond's strength of schedule is 39th in the country, putting the Spiders at 45 in the ESPN Daily RPI.
Richmond's four road opponents currently have a combined record of 37-10 with UNI and Old Dominion in the top 25 of the RPI.
Perfection in Robins
The Spiders are 6-0 at home this year with some outstanding defense in those games. Richmond has held opponents to just 39.5 FG shooting and 52.8 points per game at the Robins Center.
Conversely, Richmond has shot 46.6 percent from the field at home with a 12.8-8.3 advantage in assists per game and a +4.8 turnover margin.
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, Howard, South Alabama and 11 vs. Pepperdine, UR has only played one game with single-digit assists. Six different players have 11 or more assists for UR this season.
Richmond's assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.1 currently ranks fifth in the A-10.
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 leads the A-10 and ranks 15th in the country for fewest turnovers with 10.5 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 averaging just 57.5 points per game, 2nd-best in the A-10 and 22nd in the country. Opponents are shooting just 41.5 percent from the field, and the Spiders' fourth-ranked +2.18 turnover margin has led to an average of 14.9 points off turnovers, including 27 vs. William & Mary and 21 against Howard. The Spiders have won the points off turnovers battle in eight of the 11 games this season.
Richmond makes it a point to not allow transition baskets as opponents have averaged just 4.4 transition points per game.
Tall Guys Shoot Free
Richmond's big men have been incredibly efficient from the free throw line this season. Alonzo Nelson-Ododa is fifth in the conference in free throw percentage (83.3), while Terry Allen is eighth (80.6). They are the two best FT shooters at the forward or center position in the A-10.
'O Kendall, My Kendall'
After a close loss at Old Dominion, Anthony led the charge in Richmond's bounce-back win against High Point, showing great leadership and emotion in an 18-pt, 6-of-6 FG, first half. Anthony hit all four threes that he took en route to a 22-point game, his 18th career 20-point game. He followed that up with a gutsy 17-point, 40-minute effort at N.C. State. Anthony scored 18 points and shut down Marcus Thornton (37 pts) in the final five minutes of a one-point win over William & Mary. In the Gotham Classic finale, he overcame a stomach bug to hit five threes and score 19 to beat IUPUI.
Anthony leads the team with 14.8 points per game, good for 11th in the A-10. He has tallied a team-best eight double-digit scoring games and also ranks 40th in the country with 35.6 minutes per game.
Anthony was picked to the Preseason Atlantic 10 First Team after earning Second Team honors last year.
