University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Basketball GAMEDAY: Arizona State
03/20/2015 | Men's Basketball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The top-seeded Richmond Spiders (20-13) will host the fifth-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils (18-15) in the NIT Second Round on Sunday, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Robins Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Richmond advanced to the NIT Second Round with a 10-point home win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Wednesday, marking the sixth postseason victory for the program since 2008. Richmond has now won 20 games in four of the last seven seasons.
Six Richmond players reached double figures vs. SFBK, led by Terry Allen's 21 points and 11 rebounds. That was the first time six players did that since 12/5/94 at VMI (W, 105-85).
UR has now tied the program record for most home wins in the Robins Center with 15. They will look to break it on Sunday night.
Richmond is 2-0 all-time against Arizona State, defeating the Sun Devils, 67-61, on the road in 2010.
Wednesday's game will be televised on ESPNU with Rich Hollenberg and Jon Crispin on the call. Fans can also log in to the WatchESPN app through their cable subscription to access the game. The game will be on the radio on ESPN 950 AM and 93.1 HANK FM with Bob Black and Greg Beckwith on headset. The audio will be streamed on RichmondSpiders.com.
| 2014-15 SPIDER MEN'S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY CENTRAL - ARIZONA STATE |
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| Who | No. 1 Richmond Spiders (20-13) vs. No. 5 Arizona State Sun Devils (18-15) |
| When | Sunday, March 22, 7:30 p.m. |
| Where | Richmond, Va. |
| Venue | Robins Center (7,201) |
| Live Video | ESPNU (WatchESPN) |
| On Air | Rich Hollenberg, Jon Crispin |
| Radio | ESPN 950 AM | 93.1 HANK FM |
| On Air | Bob Black, Greg Beckwith |
| Live Stats | Click Here |
| Game Notes | Notes |
Scouting Arizona State
The Sun Devils advanced to the NIT Second Round after defeating the defending national champion UConn Huskies on the road on Wednesday night.
ASU has appeared in the NIT 13 times and is 7-12 all-time. Under Coach Sendek, the Sun Devils are 4-3 in the event.
With Arizona winning the Pac-12 title, ASU is the only team to beat the Pac-12 champions in each of the past three seasons. The Sun Devils knocked off the Wildcats, an NCAA Tournament two seed, 81-78 back in February.
Three players average in double figures, led by Shaquielle McKissic and his 12.3 points per game. Savon Goodman leads the squad with 7.2 rebounds per game and has 11.1 ppg. The Sun Devils shot 44.7 percent from the floor but allow opponents to shoot 45.0 percent, including 36.3 from long range.
Sunday marks the third meeting between the Spiders and Sun Devils. Richmond won both prior meetings on the road in 2010 and 1987.
Richmond's NIT History
Richmond is making its eighth trip to the NIT and first since 2003. The Spiders are now 7-7 overall in the tournament, advancing as far as the quarterfinals in 2002 before losing a home game to Syracuse.
Sporting a home record of 6-4, the Spiders have gone 5-3 in the first round and 1-3 in the second round of the NIT. In UR's last appearance in 2003, Richmond lost the opener to Providence at home, 67-49. UR's first NIT trip came in 1982 under Dick Tarrant.
Historic Team Effort
The Spiders accomplished something for the first time in 21 years in Wednesday's 84-74 win over St. Francis Brooklyn in the NIT First Round. UR put six players into double figures in scoring with Terry Allen (21), Alonzo Nelson-Ododa (14), Kendall Anthony (12), T.J. Cline (12), ShawnDre' Jones (12) and Josh Jones (11) all adding to the scoring column.
It marked the first time since a win over VMI in 1994 that the Spiders had six players score in double figures.
Spiders Finish Regular Season With Six Straight
Richmond finished the regular season on a six-game winning steak, including wins in seven of the last eight games. Over that stretch, four players have averaged in double figures including Kendall Anthony (14.0), Terry Allen (13.2), ShawnDre' Jones (13.0) and T.J. Cline (13.0). Allen recorded three double-doubles and has 9.0 rebounds over the streak.
UR's defense held opponents to just 54.7 ppg and 37.9 FG shooting, including 18.7 percent from three. The Spiders averaged 9.2 steals in the six wins, posting a +5.5 turnover margin. Five of the six conference wins came over 2014 NCAA Tournament teams.
Spiders Defended Well In A-10 Play
After starting A-10 play with increased offensive firepower, the Spiders found ways to win games with suffocating defense.
In A-10-only stats, Richmond ranked fourth in scoring defense (61.6), third in scoring margin (+6.6), third in FG pct (.452), third in FT pct (.704), first in 3PT defense (.260), third in assists (14.4), second in steals (7.7), second in turnover margin (+4.33) and second in assist/turnover ratio (1.5).
Individually, Kendall Anthony was fifth with 16.8 ppg. Terry Allen was fifth in steals (1.8), and T.J. Cline is eighth in 3PT FG pct (.415).
Put Four On The Board
Richmond's strong push at the end of the season was in large part due to balanced scoring. Four players are averaging in double figures this season in Kendall Anthony, Terry Allen, T.J. Cline and ShawnDre' Jones.
Richmond has played 12 games with four players reaching double figures, including the St. Bonaventure road game where five players reached double figures, and the St. Francis NIT game where six players reached double figures for the first time since 1994. In the home win over Davidson, three UR players scored 20 or more points for the first time this century.
'O Kendall, My Kendall'
The heart and soul of Richmond's team is lone scholarship senior Kendall Anthony. An All-A-10 first team selection, Anthony leads the team with 16.5 points per game and a team-best 27 double-digit scoring performances, including 101 for his career. He earned A-10 Player of the Week honors after his 22-point game against VCU, and is tied for first on the team with 78 assists. Prior to Senior Night, Anthony was awarded the prestigious Kevin Eastman Award. He was also tabbed for the Richmond Times-Dispatch All-State team.
Anthony has had a number of gutsy performances this season. In the Gotham Classic finale, he overcame a stomach bug to hit five threes and score 19 to beat IUPUI. Against Wake Forest, Anthony played through a mild groin strain to score 21 points, including 13 in the second half. Despite just five points over the first 39 minutes against GW, Anthony scored five points in the final minute to force OT and then scored another 10 points in the two OT periods. He also scored 20 second-half points to lead a big comeback win at VCU.
The program's all-time leading three-point shooter, Anthony just moved into fourth all-time in scoring at Richmond. He also ranks sixth in career field goals, eighth in career free throws, sixth in career three-point percentage and sixth in career FT percentage. He has played 40 minutes on seven separate occasions this year and is second in the A-10 with 36.2 minutes per game.
Double-Double Machine
Junior forward Terry Allen has been running hot with increased aggressiveness in 2015. A mismatch problem for most teams because of his height and speed, Allen averaged 13.9 points per game against A-10 teams, shooting 50.3 percent from the field in those 18 games, which include a 21-point performance against Davidson, a 20-point game against George Mason at home and three consecutive double-doubles against St. Bonaventure, George Washington and VCU. He was one rebound away from four straight double-doubles at SJU.
In the NIT, he posted a strong double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth of the season. He has record 24 double-digit scoring games, including 19 of the last 21 and 16 in a row.
Masters of Theft
In A-10 play, Richmond mastered the art of the steal. The Spiders had 11 steals to force 19 turnovers at St. Bonaventure, then repeated the effort with 11 steals vs. GW and a season-high 13 steals at SJU. UR ranks second in the league with 7.1 steals per game.
Remarkably, it was UR's frontcourt that led in pilfers. Terry Allen has 1.8 (5th) spg in A-10 play, followed by Deion Taylor with 1.5 steals per game in A-10 play.
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 is second in the A-10 and ranks 12th 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. The Spiders have committed single digit turnovers in 11 games and only gave up 12 against VCU in the first contest.
When Richmond does turn the ball over, they often do it in dead ball situations. UR only allows 10.2 points per game off turnovers and just 4.3 fastbreak points.
Strength At Home
The Spiders are 15-3 at home this year with some outstanding defense in those games. Richmond has held opponents to just 40.7 FG shooting and 58.3 points per game at the Robins Center.
Conversely, Richmond has shot 47.1 percent from the field at home, averaging 68.8 points and 6.8 threes per game. UR has a 14.4-9.3 advantage in assists per game and a +4.8 turnover margin.
Richmond is 79-17 at home over the last six seasons, winning six of the last seven home games vs. ranked teams, including a double OT win over No. 22 VCU on 2/25.
Richmond's 15 home wins in 2014-15 ties 2012-13 for the most wins in any single season at the Robins Center.
