University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Basketball GameDay Central - Fordham
02/24/2017 | Men's Basketball
BRONX, N.Y. - Fresh off a home win over Davidson, the Spiders hit the road to play the red-hot Fordham Rams on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.
Richmond (16-11, 10-5) still sits in third place in the Atlantic 10 standings with three games remaining, while Fordham (13-15, 7-8) has won three games in a row including a statement victory at Rhode Island.
Richmond put five players into double figures and shot over 60 percent for the second time this season in a win over Davidson on Tuesday. In conference play only, Richmond has shot 48 percent from the field, leading all A-10 teams.
The Spiders are averaging 31.8 points in the paint with 44 coming against the Wildcats on Tuesday. UR's two-point FG percentage of 55.3 is 12th in the NCAA. The Spiders have accomplished this despite having the 40th shortest average height in the NCAA.
Richmond averages assists on 61.9 percent of FG made, ranking 17th in the country. After 18 assists with just seven turnovers against Davidson, UR is up to 26th in the nation in assist-turnover ratio.
The game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network with Terry Gannon and Ron Thompson on the call. Fans can stream the action through the NBC Sports Watch Live app.
The game will also be on the radio on ESPN 950 AM, 107.3 BBT, Sirius Satellite Channel 145, XM Satellite Channel 202, SiriusXM Internet 962 and streamed on RichmondSpiders.com. Bob Black and Matt Smith will call the action over the radio airwaves.
| 2016-17 SPIDER MEN'S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY CENTRAL - FORDHAM |
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| Who | Richmond Spiders (16-11, 10-5) at Fordham Rams (13-15, 7-8) |
| When | Saturday, February 25, 2:30 p.m. |
| Where | Bronx, N.Y. |
| Venue | Rose Hill Gym (3,200) |
| TV | NBC Sports Network | Watch Live |
| On Air | Terry Gannon, Ron Thompson |
| Radio |
ESPN 950 AM | 107.3 BBT | RichmondSpiders.com |
| On Air | Bob Black, Matt Smith |
| Live Stats | Click Here |
| Game Notes | Notes |
Scouting Fordham
Fordham hosts Richmond hot off a three-game winning streak including a victory at Rhode Island. The Rams rank fifth in the country in turnover margin and fourth in steals. Fordham's defense averages 67.2 points allowed, however it's given up just 45.0 points in the last three games.
Series vs. Fordham
Richmond leads the all-time series with Fordham, 18-7. The Spiders have won 13 in a row including an eight-point win at home in January. UR is 5-3 all-time at Rose Hill Gym, the nation's oldest actively used D-1 facility.
P-R-A Machine
After coming close on three occasions, T.J. Cline finally broke through for the first-ever triple-double in school history against Duquesne. He scored 34 points with 12 rebounds and 11 assists.
It marked just the sixth time that any NCAA DI player has reached 30 points in a triple-double in the last 20 years. Of those six players, Cline was the only one to do it in regulation.
T.J. Cline is currently averaging 19.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game, making his case as a prime candidate for Atlantic 10 Player of the Year honors as he ranks fifth, third and second in P-R-A in the league.
Cline is the only player in the NCAA to post 19-8-5 in points, rebounds and assists. He has more assists than any player in the country his height or taller and ranks 11th in the nation with an assist rate of 39.4. His 151 assists on the season rank 4th all-time as he is 49 assists away from the single-season school record.
Cline is putting together one of the best seasons in recent memory in rebounding as Charles Stephens (1997-98) was the last Spider to average over eight rebounds a game for an entire season (8.3).
Cline has tallied 10 double-doubles this season, more than any other Spider since 1987-88 when Peter Woolfolk tallied 13. He is second in the A-10 and 44th in the country in double-doubles.
Batman and Robin
Cline's partner in crime the past three years has been fellow senior ShawnDre' Jones. Jones also scored 30 points in UR's win over Duquesne, the first time a pair of Spiders have each scored 30 in a game in Mooney's tenure. Jones then followed it up with a gutsy 30-point effort at VCU. He is tied for second in the A-10 with three 30-point games this year.
Jones is averaging 17.1 points per game and 4.2 assists per game, ranking top 10 in the league in both categories. His assist-turnover ratio of 1.9 ranks eighth in the league.
Jones and Cline are the third-highest scoring duo in the Atlantic 10.
Jones became the first player in Richmond history to top 1,400 points, 300 assists and 200 three-pointers made.
High-Flying Spiders
While Richmond runs a "Princeton-style" offense, the Spiders are far from slow and boring. Richmond ranks in the top 75 in the nation in pace of play and UR has averaged 76.4 ppg in conference play, good for second in the league. Richmond shoots 55.3 percent from inside the arc, ranking 12th in the country.
Defending The Line
Richmond has done a fantastic job defending the three-point line this season. It's even more impressive considering the improvement from last year. Last season, Richmond ranked 267th in three-point defense. This year, the Spiders rank 31st in the nation by holding opponents to just 31.5 percent from long range.
Assist To...
The Spiders have always run an offense with constant motion and crisp passes that lead to shots in rhythm. Richmond is at its best when every player on the court is setting up someone else for a shot.
The Spiders lead the league in assists (16.5) and assist-turnover ratio (1.4). Richmond has dished more or same assists than the opponent in 22 of the season's 27 games. In Atlantic 10 play, the Spiders have averaged 17.4 assists per game.
UR ranks 17th in the country in assist-to-FG percentage of 61.9. The Spiders led the league in assist-turnover ratio last year and ranked second the year before.
Freshmen Impact
Against Rhode Island, Nick Sherod and De'Monte Buckingham became the first pair of freshmen starters in the Spider lineup since the 2007-08 season (Kevin Anderson, Kevin Smith).
The two have been a vital part of Richmond's success in A-10 play. Buckingham is averaging 10.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists in A-10 play, while Sherod has 9.3 points and 2.1 rebounds.
Buckingham has been a stat-stuffer in many ways. In conference play, he is second on the team in rebounds, third in assists, first in steals and first in blocks.
Khwan Effect
Although quiet off the court, Khwan Fore can make a big statement on it. His rim-rattling dunks can be momentum shifters when coming from a 6-0 guard. He had three such dunks in the second half at Dayton and two against Davidson. He is Richmond's most athletic player pound-for-pound with a 45-inch vertical.
He exploded for a career-high 24 points against George Washington, scoring on dribble drives and pull-up jumpers at the elbow.
In A-10 play, Fore has averaged 11.7 points with 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He ranks eighth in the league with 1.7 steals per game.
