University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Basketball GAMEDAY: Rhode Island
02/07/2015 | Men's Basketball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond returns home in search of a big statement win against one of the A-10's top teams in Rhode Island. Sunday's game will start at 2:30 p.m. and air on NBC Sports Network.
The Spiders (12-10, 5-4) came within two points of a big comeback win on the road at La Salle on Thursday, while Rhode Island (15-5, 7-2) had the week off to prepare to extend its four-game winning streak.
Sunday's matinee will be in front of a packed Robins Center that will be sporting pink as part of the ninth annual Susan G. Komen Foundation "Pink Out."
On Thursday, Richmond went on a 14-0 run and held La Salle without a field goal for 10 minutes of the second half, but ultimately came up short in a 64-62 road defeat at La Salle's Tom Gola Arena. The Spiders outshot and outplayed the Explorers throughout the second half, but could not tie the game after coming from 16 points down. Kendall Anthony tallied a game-high 23 points, his second-straight 20-point performance, and nearly willed the Spiders to victory with his aggressive drives to the basket during UR's comeback. Alonzo Nelson-Ododa tied his career high with 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench. He shot 6-of-7 from the field and made three assists and two blocks. Terry Allen finished with 13 points, while Trey Davis dished six assists, grabbed four steals and three rebounds.
Saturday marks the seventh time in the last two months that Richmond will be playing before a national TV audience. The NBC Sports Network broadcast will be anchored by Mike Corey and David Kaplan, and will also be available on the NBC Sports Live Extra portal. The game will be on the radio on ESPN 950 AM with Bob Black and Greg Beckwith on headset. Sirius channel 84 and XM radio channel 84 will also pick up the radio broadcast. The audio will be streamed for free on RichmondSpiders.com.
| 2014-15 SPIDER MEN'S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY CENTRAL - RHODE ISLAND |
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| Who | Richmond Spiders (12-10, 5-4) vs. Rhode Island Rams (15-5, 7-2) |
| When | Sunday, Feb. 8, 2:30 pm |
| Where | Richmond, Va. |
| Venue | Robins Center (7,201) |
| Live Video | NBC Sports Network | NBC Sports Live Extra |
| On Air | Mike Corey, David Kaplan |
| Radio | ESPN 950 AM | Sirius Ch. 84 | XM Radio 84 | RichmondSpiders.com |
| On Air | Bob Black, Greg Beckwith |
| Live Stats | Click Here |
| Game Notes | Notes |
Scouting Rhode Island
The Rams of Rhode Island come to Richmond fresh off a bye week after the defeated George Washington last Saturday at home, 59-55. URI is riding a four-game winning streak and sits at 7-2 in A-10 play.
The Rams lead the conference in scoring defense, giving up just 57.1 points per game and opponents hitting just 39.3 percent of their shots. They lead the league with 6.1 blocks per game and are second with 7.2 steals per game.
E.C. Matthews leads the way with his 16.2 points per game, ranking eighth in the league. He is ninth in the conference with 2.0 threes per contest and has averaged 32.8 minutes per game. Matthews was a Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Second Team selection.
Series vs. Rhode Island
Richmond holds a 13-7 edge in the series between the Rams and Spiders. URI won last year in Rhode Island, but the Spiders have won five of the last seven contests.
Richmond is 8-1 against URI at home, including 6-1 in the Robins Center.
Schedule Still Strong
The Spiders have played one of the nation's toughest schedules, especially on the road. After the La Salle game, eight of Richmond's nine road games came against teams in the RPI Top 100, including seven against top 60 teams. Richmond has a SOS of 16 according to ESPN.
On the road, UR has a scoring margin of -4.6 with seven games decided by six or less.
Spiders On Fire In A-10 Play
Richmond has played very well, especially offensively, in 2015. The Spiders have dominated at home in conference play and played the A-10's top teams on the road very closely.
Over the last eight games, UR has averaged 70.8 ppg with a scoring margin of +10.9. UR is shooting 48.3 percent from the floor while holding opponents to just 41.6 percent.
In five of the last eight games, UR has had four players in double figures. Against Davidson, three players scored 20 points for the first time this century
In A-10-only stats, Richmond ranks third in scoring (70.3), second in FG pct (48.0) first in FT pct (78.1), second in 3PT FG pct (38.3), third in assists (15.8), fourth in steals (6.6), second in TO margin (+2.33) and tied for first in assist/TO ratio (1.6).
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 ninth in the country for fewest turnovers with 10.0 per game.
The Spiders only committed four turnovers against Northeastern, the best mark since 3/14/13 when Richmond had a three-turnover game against Charlotte. Richmond followed that up with just five turnovers at Davidson, eight against George Mason and six against Davidson again. Although 12 turnovers were high by Richmond standards, they were the second-fewest against a VCU squad that prides itself on getting steals.
When Richmond does turn the ball over, they often do it in dead ball situations. UR only allows 10.6 points per game off turnovers and just 4.2 fastbreak points.
Free Throws Coming In Hot
Richmond went 20-23 from the line, including 12-12 in the final five minutes, in the win over George Mason on 1/8. The Spiders then went 18-22 from the line in the second half to seal a win at VCU. UR is averaging 13.4 made FTs per game in conference play and now rank second in the A-10 with a 72.3 team percentage.
Junior Terry Allen ranks second in the conference with his 83.6 mark, the best of any forward in the A-10.
Alonzo Nelson-Ododa has drastically improved his FT shooting after going under 55 percent through his first two seasons. He now ranks fourth with an 81.0 mark. Kendall Anthony is fifth in the conference at 79.8.
Richmond is the only team with three players in the top 10 in FT percentage.
The Spiders have been clutch at the end of games, hitting 79.4 percent of their free throws in the final five minutes of regulation and overtime. UR went 10-of-12 over that stretch to seal a huge road win at VCU.
Strength At Home
The Spiders are 10-2 at home this year with some outstanding defense in those games. Richmond has held opponents to just 40.5 FG shooting and 55.3 points per game at the Robins Center.
Conversely, Richmond has shot 48.6 percent from the field at home with a 15.1-9.8 advantage in assists per game and a +4.6 turnover margin.
Richmond is 74-16 at home over the last six seasons.
