SB Nation - Richmond Spiders

Study Hall: Mizzou vs Richmond

Bill C. — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:00:20 -0000

Richmond 59, Mizzou 52

	Mizzou	Spiders
Points Per Minute	1.30	1.48
Points Per Possession (PPP)	0.87	0.99
Points Per Shot (PPS)	1.06	1.26
2-PT FG%	36.8%	42.9%
3-PT FG%	18.2%	33.3%
FT%	78.3%	77.3%
True Shooting %	44.0%	52.0%

	Mizzou	Spiders
Assists	5	13
Steals	6	5
Turnovers	12	14
Ball Control Index (BCI) (Assists + Steals) / TO	0.92	1.29

	Mizzou	Spiders
Expected Offensive Rebounds	13	11
Offensive Rebounds	12	9
Difference	-1	-2

Reactions:

A buddy of mine (lionsden) saw both South Padre games and said that, for both teams, the rims in the convention center were brutal. Credit Richmond for figuring out how to win anyway, but both teams' shooting numbers were at least a bit artificially low, both for this game and the ODU game Friday night, really.

And you can see that a bit in the numbers. No matter how good the defense is, you're rarely going to see Zaire Taylor and J.T. Tiller go a combined 5-for-20 from inside the 3-point line over a two-game span, not to mention Mike "old-school, mid-range" Dixon going 1-for-7 from inside the line. That's a 22.2% 2-point % for Mizzou's three best penetrating/finishing guards, and no matter how much of that is due to rims or good defense, obviously I'm not too concerned about that turning into a long-term slump.

That said, we knew shooting could be an issue for this team, and obviously the trip to Texas did nothing to alleviate that concern. Mizzou went a combined 8-for-31 (25.8%) from 3-point range, and while the rims certainly didn't help (I think it's telling that Mizzou only took 11 3's against Richmond after taking 20 against ODU -- they probably knew it was a lower-percentage shot than normal), Mizzou is more than capable of shooting 25% on 3-pointers with the friendliest rims in the world.
Well, BCI is thus far a perfect predictor. When they win the BCI battle, they're 4-0. When they lose it, they're 0-1. Obviously terrible shooting hurt the assist numbers, but regardless ... perfect predictor!
Lionsden also mentioned that Richmond was abnormally patient in dealing with Mizzou's press, risking a 10-second call multiple times to make sure that no stupid pass was made, leading to an easy bucket. This makes sense, as they are an extremely experienced team (of their top six players from a minutes perspective, three are juniors, three are seniors), but in the end, if Mizzou could have made some buckets, they'd have won.
Another reasonably decent showing by Mizzou on the boards. Richmond is a pretty big team, and Mizzou outdid them by one in terms of both expected rebounds and actual rebounds. Laurence Bowers' five offensive rebounds were the single biggest cause for this.

Player stats after the jump.

Player Stats

NCAA Basketball Stats

Player	AdjGS*	GmSc/Min	Line
Laurence Bowers	18.1	0.62	29 Min, 8 Pts (4-for-8 FG), 8 Reb (5 Off)
Kim English	15.8	0.56	28 Min, 14 Pts (4-for-12 FG, 0-for-3 3PT), 3 Stl, 2 Reb
J.T. Tiller	10.9	0.39	28 Min, 11 Pts (2-for-6 FG), 5 Reb, 3 TO
Zaire Taylor	5.6	0.16	35 Min, 7 Pts (1-for-8 FG), 2 Stl, 4 PF
Justin Safford	2.5	0.25	10 Min, 5 Pts (2-for-4 FG), 2 Reb, 4 PF
Keith Ramsey	1.3	0.05	24 Min, 0 Pts (0-for-0 FG), 4 Reb
Michael Dixon	1.1	0.14	8 Min, 5 Pts (2-for-7 FG),
Steve Moore	0.2	0.02	12 Min, 0 Pts (0-for-1 FG), 3 Reb
Marcus Denmon	-1.8	-0.10	18 Min, 2 Pts (1-for-2 FG), 3 TO
Miguel Paul	-2.7	-0.34	8 Min, 0 Pts (0-for-0 FG)

* AdjGS = a take-off of the Game Score metric (definition here) accepted by a lot of basketball stat nerds. It does the same thing my previous measure of choice did (it takes points, assists, rebounds (offensive & defensive), steals, blocks, turnovers and fouls into account to determine an individual's "score" for a given game), only the formula is more used and accepted. The "adjustment" in Adjusted Game Score is simply matching the total game scores to the total points scored in the game, thereby redistributing the game's points scored to those who had the biggest impact on the game itself, instead of just how many balls a player put through a basket.

Even when he scores only eight points, Laurence Bowers still makes by far the most statistical impact of anybody on the team. As mentioned above, his five offensive rebounds were vital, even if Mizzou came up short.
Kim English: 1-for-10 from 3-point range in South Padre. In fact, the only person who made more than one was Mike Dixon (3-for-6).
In a game that was within two points with seven seconds left, Mizzou got an estimated -4.5 points of contribution from Marcus Denmon and Miguel Paul. I don't want to overstate that number, as box scores don't take into account drawn charges (why don't they???) or good defense, but still, they combined for one assist, three turnovers, one FG and an 0-for-3 line from the FT line. Not the best game for the Mizzou bench.
Your leading AdjSC scorers in Texas: Laurence Bowers (12.5 per game), J.T. Tiller (11.1), Kim English (9.7), Zaire Taylor (9.4), Keith Ramsey (7.9).

Summary

No matter how much analysis we do here, it all comes down to shooting. Richmond stood up relatively well to Mizzou's press, and the game was very much played at Richmond's pace (60 possessions, instead of the 70-75 Mizzou prefers), but in the end, if Mizzou made shots they're capable of making, they'd have won. This loss does not really affect me long-term, but it does raise some worry with a trip to Vanderbilt coming up next. Now's the time when you want another couple of easy home games to get everybody's confidence back, but Mizzou does not have that opportunity. Instead, now comes a very interesting three-game stretch: @Vanderbilt, Oregon, @Oral Roberts. Go 2-1 here, and I still think this is easily a tournament team. Slip up twice, however, and there's at least a smidge of worry.

RPI WATCH: 11/29/09

BracketCat — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:00:14 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Kansas State's Jacob Pullen (0) puts up a shot under pressure from IUPUI's Jon Avery, behind, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. Pullen scored 25 points, leading Kansas State to a 70-57 win. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Browse more photos »

A quick note about yesterday's game:

We've been a notoriously slow-starting team so far this season, but I was surprised to learn that our 40 first-half points Saturday were the most we have scored in the initial period all year. Considering how poor our offense looked at times against IUPUI's matchup zone, we must have done a few things right.

Also, these numbers were striking:

	Points	Minutes
Jacob Pullen	25	34
Dominique Sutton	14	34
Denis Clemente	12	35
Curtis Kelly	11	33
everyone else	8	11*

*average per player

We clearly missed Jamar Samuels yesterday. I have to think he would have contributed at least 10 points and probably would have helped us top IUPUI on the boards. Furthermore, we really missed his energy and ability to create on offense, as well as the matchup difficulties he presents on defense.

But the bottom line is some other players on this team need to step it up. Our five best players can't do it all, and there's simply no excuse for no other player on the team scoring more than two points. That won't cut it against teams such Xavier and UNLV.

Anyhow, you can see how our other opponents fared yesterday after the jump. I'll even give you a hint: One of them suffered a pretty nasty spider bite... (chortle) ... And another one picked up a huge quality win.

If for some reason you absolutely need to know up-to-date numbers, I get them here.

Current Kansas State RPI = 15

Current Kansas State SOS = 24

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Loyola, Dayton

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = IUPUI

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = none

Quick discussion: Our numbers have not been this high in November in a long, long time. As long as we win three of the next five, and at least nine in conference play, there is very little doubt in my mind we will be in the Big Dance. The difference between last year's schedule and this year's needs to be measured in units of astronomical distance.

Loyola (4-1) | RPI = 27: Win over St. Ambrose (81-42)
Western Illinois (3-3) | RPI = 207: Win over Greenville (84-46)
Boston (1-4) | RPI = 141
Ole Miss (4-1) | RPI = 76
Dayton (3-2) | RPI = 42: Win over Towson (74-69)
IUPUI (5-2) | RPI = 84: Loss to Kansas State (70-57)
Fort Hays State (3-0)
Washington State (6-0) | RPI = 146: Win over San Diego (93-56)
Xavier (4-1) | RPI = 106
UNLV (5-0) | RPI = 8: Win over No. 16 Louisville (76-71)
Alabama (3-2) | RPI = 91
UAPB (0-4) | RPI = 249
Cleveland State (3-4) | RPI = 191: Loss to Wichita State (69-54)
South Dakota (3-3) | RPI = 95: Win over Dana (100-65)
Missouri (4-1) | RPI = 96: Loss to Richmond (59-52)
Texas A&M (4-1) | RPI = 25
Colorado (4-2) | RPI = 127
No. 3 Texas (4-0) | RPI = 71
Oklahoma State (5-0) | RPI = 16
Baylor (5-1) | RPI = 113
No. 1 Kansas (5-0) | RPI = 52
Nebraska (3-1) | RPI = 126
Iowa State (6-1) | RPI = 161: Loss to Northwestern (67-65)
No. 25 Oklahoma (3-3) | RPI = 214: Win over Nicholls State (81-60)
Texas Tech (7-0) | RPI = 48: Win over Samford (74-53)

The Can Ball Report's NCAA Canadian Player Preview

rbala — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:00:34 -0000

The Can Ball Report gives what can only be described as the only NCAA Canadian player preview that matters. Join us for a look at the Canuck ballers that we expect to be making big waves this season.

So it’s is finally here people! All the waiting is over because the NCAA basketball season will officially start in a few days. There are roughly about 75 Canadians on Division 1 men’s basketball rosters this season and it looks like it will be a good one for our boys. We have two bona fide stars headlining what can be said is the most talented set of Canadian players playing at this level, ever. There are upperclassmen that have earned preseason honors; there are two reigning conference rookies of the year; there are a whole host of preseason all conference selections as well as players who will play major roles to their respective teams’ success. Since we are all basketball enthusiasts (I’ll let you gauge the degree of your enthusiasm in silence now for a moment) the Can Ball Report has compiled a list of players that we feel are worthy of early notice. Now some of you may know a few of the names already, if you do then good for you. For those of you who are not so familiar with them we suggest you, to quote Clinton Sparks, get familiar quickly. The players listed below are guys we feel you'll be hearing a lot about on this site, and any other Canadian media outlet for that matter, from the opening tip to the One Shining Moment in March and we want you to get it here first. So here we go people, the first annual Can Ball Report’s NCAA Canadian Player preview.

Most Outstanding Player – Harouna Mutombo, G - Western Carolina

A consensus pre season Southern Conference First Team selection this season after an incredible Rookie of the Year campaign, Mutombo is poised for a big (ger) year. He led the Catamounts in scoring, rebounding and steals on his way to a Second Team All SoCon nod so I wonder what the encore will be this season.

Top Newcomer – Manny Arop, G - Gonzaga

Arop may not have the best shot nor be the best rebounder as a freshman, but he does everything well enough that he will be an impact player for the Zags from day one. The team will be short on frontcourt help this year so he will be given every opportunity to contribute on a small ball lineup. Of all the newbie Canadians playing this year at the D1 level, Arop should be the best of them come March.

Best Shooter – Andy Rautins, G - Syracuse

Do you really need any explanation here? He is the best deep threat on a perennial national power team. Check his stats. He took 279 threes last year with gunner Eric Devendorf on the team and Rautins made an average of 2.8 makes per game. And that’s high quality defense in his face night in, night out. We don’t need to say anymore.

Best Defender – Andrew Nicholson, F/C – St. Bonaventure

After hitting the weight room this summer, the rookie record setting block machine is back to hold down the lane for the Bonnies. A legit Mutombo-like game changer, teams better rethink the attack when he’s they see his shadow looming.

Best Situation – Chretien Lukusa, G - Binghamton

The scandal that rocked Binghamton earlier this school year sent three starters and three supporting players packing, including two conference first teamers. An accomplished defender, Lukusa is the only returning starter so he pretty much should be good to go on both ends from day one.

Worst Situation – Ryan Wright, F - Oklahoma

The much ballyhooed Wright left UCLA for Oklahoma last year. Now with Blake Griffin in the NBA, the pressure is on him to contribute immediately to a team that has no real experienced frontcourt players returning. This may be a sink or swim situation that could turn against Wright in a hurry.

Most Important to Team – Andrew Nicholson, F/C – St. Bonaventure

Not enough can be said about Nicholson’s importance to his team this year so we’ll only use one word: very. He was the difference between a dead last finish and going .500 last season in the perennially tough A-10 Conference. This year, the team’s success will hinge largely on him and his improvements on both ends of the floor.

Super Sleeper – Willie Galick, F – Cal State-Northridge

Galick has been steadily flying under the radar for most of his college career finally breaking out last season as a junior transfer at Cal State-Northridge. Last year he started 25 of 33 games averaging 9.3 points and 5.5 rebounds, both fourth and second respectively on the team. This year, he will get the starting nod at the power forward spot from the beginning of the season for the Matadors and should really shine in the California sun.

Best Down the Road – Manny Arop, G - Gonzaga

Call me crazy but a having great games against the best in the world at your age group should be an indicator of how good you are. Arop showed how good he was in New Zealand at the U19 Worlds this summer. He will have every chance this season to show why he may be the best recruit in the Zags class this year and will only get better with experience.

Due for a Breakout - Rob Sacre, C - Gonzaga

Last season, Rob Sacre was hindered by a foot injury that kept him out of all but five games. After spending the summer working out with the Canadian Senior Men's National Team, the recovered Sacre will be the man in the middle with the departures of Josh Heytvelt and Austin Daye. With Sacre getting the first look at the starting center spot and a lack of real interior players, expect the breakout to come sooner than later.

Redemption Time – Maurice Joseph, G - Vermont

MoJo was another heralded Canadian export from the 2004 high school class along with Wright. He started out at Michigan State and was a big contributor to the team’s Tournament run in ’06 but he decided to transfer to Vermont after his sophmore campaign. Last season amid very high expectations, he began as a starter but finished coming off the bench. This season is the Montreal native’s final year to prove that he was worthy of big expectations when he became a Catamount.

Don’t Call It a Comeback – Olu Ashoalu, G/F – Louisiana Tech

Ashoalu has been on the top end of many school recruiting lists since he was a high school sophomore in Atlanta. He chose to follow the coach that recruited him to Louisiana Tech and got lost in the mix somehow. He was expected to play a big role in the team’s turnaround but red shirted his first year. Last year he showed flashes of what he could do averaging 5.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg playing in all 33 games. This year he will be asked to shoulder more of the load on both ends and should finally begin to play the way many predicted he would at this level.

Remember Me – William Archambault, F - Davidson

If you’re not aware of whom Archambault is you’ll know by the end of this season. With Stephen Curry starting in the NBA and taking with him much of the experienced outside shooting from last year’s team, the sweet shot forward will be the Wildcats’ primary outside gunner. He was the third leading scorer for the team despite starting only nine games and can light it up in a hurry. He is selected as a pre season SoCon All Conference selection, by the coaches no less, so we should all expect a big senior season from Archambault.

Diamond in the Rough - Max Boudreau, F - Buffalo

There seems to be something in the Quebec water that has the province producing seemingly unathletic yet highly efficient basketball players. Max Boudreau can arguably be the most underrated player on any team. He only averaged 13.8 minutes per but quietly put up 6.1 points and 3.3 rebounds playing in all 33 contests. He managed to lead the team in scoring four times and rebounding six times last years, with two of those feats coming in the post season. This year may be the year for him to finally play more and potentially be a starter, finally.

Fab Five All Canadian First Team:

Andrew Nicholson, F/C - St Bonaventure

Harouna Mutumbo, G – Western Carolina

Andy Rautins, G - Syracuse

William Archambault, G/F - Davidson

Rob Sacre, C - Gonzaga

Ten Players to Watch:

Alex Johnson, G – Cal State-Bakersfield

Kai Williams, F – South Dakota State

Jon House, G – Belmont

Bol Kong, F – Gonzaga

Devoe Joseph, G – Minnesota

Hernst Laroche, G – New Mexico State

Tyrone Watson, G – New Mexico State

Marc Trasolini, F – Santa Clara

Francis Cedric-Martel, G/F – Richmond

Alwayne Bigby, G/F – Northeastern

Poll

Who will have the best season this year in the NCAA?

Andy Rautins - Syracuse

34 votes

Andrew Nicholson - St. Bonaventure

11 votes

Manny Arop - Gonzaga

144 votes

Harouna Mutombo - Western Carolina

16 votes

Other

12 votes

217 votes | Poll has closed

BtB 2009-10 Atlantic 10 Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:58:39 -0000

Xavier was the team of the 00s in the A-10, reaching the NCAAs under the late Skip Prosser, current Ohio State boss Thad Matta, and new Arizona head coach Sean Miller. Matta guided the Musketeers to the Elite Eight in 2004, and Miller did the same in 2008, then guided them to the Sweet Sixteen last season. Now, it's Chris Mack's turn to keep things going, albeit with a retooled roster.

But if you're looking for an A-10 favorite this season, you need to travel 49 miles up I-75. Brian Gregory's Dayton Flyers, led by Chris Wright and Marcus Johnson, is loaded and ready to take the A-10 crown away from their Southwestern Ohio rival, and maybe even plant the seeds to being the conference's team of the 10s.

However, there are a few other teams in the Atlantic 10 who are ready to make some noise this season. Chris Mooney's Princeton-style offense will be humming more efficiently at Richmond now that center Dan Geriot is back from a knee injury. Ron Everhart's Duquesne and John Giannini's La Salle both have squads that could end long tournament droughts. And you can't sleep on traditional tournament fixtures Temple, St. Joe's, and Charlotte, even if each has challenges to figure out this season.

It should be another interesting season in the league of 14, but the big question is whether the A-10 will match the three bids earned each of the last two seasons. More on each team after the jump.

Let's first take a look at the 2008-09 Atlantic 10 standings.

Atlantic 10 Conference Standings

(updated 3.26.2009 at 10:49 PM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Xavier Musketeers	12	4	27	8
Dayton Flyers	11	5	27	8
Rhode Island Rams	11	5	23	11
Temple Owls	11	5	22	12
Duquesne Dukes	9	7	21	13
Richmond Spiders	9	7	20	16
La Salle Explorers	9	7	18	13
St. Joseph's Hawks	9	7	17	15
Saint Louis Billikens	8	8	18	14
UMass Minutemen	7	9	12	18
St. Bonaventure Bonnies	6	10	15	15
Charlotte 49ers	5	11	11	20
George Washington Colonials	4	12	10	18
Fordham Rams	1	15	3	25

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order.

Fordham (last NCAA: 1992) Derek Whittenburg hasn't exactly gotten the Rams back to national prominence, as Fordham has only claimed 68 wins in his 6 seasons at Rose Hill. However, they completely bottomed out with last year's 3 win campaign. Adding insult to injury, Whittenburg lost two key players over the offseason, both of whom transferred. 6-5 swingman Mike Moore went over to Hofstra, and G Trey Blue left for Illinois State. The good news for the Rams is sophomore PG Jio Fontan (15.3 ppg, 4.7 apg), the team's leading scorer didn't leave, and 6-2 soph Brenton Butler (9.6 ppg) will join him in the backcourt after missing much of last season with an ankle injury, They'll be joined by 6-3 Alberto Estwick (7.1 ppg) and 5-11 Ryan Hage, who returns from a shoulder injury of his own. In the frontcourt, 6-9 junior Jacob Green (6.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg) is the anchor, and he'll be joined by athletic 6-7 freshman Chris Gaston, a high school teammate of Fontan and Estwick, and 6-10 Bosnian Fahro Alihodzic, another of Whittenburg's five newcomers. The Rams should struggle with all of their youth, despite a manageable schedule that includes a game at St. John's and a matchup with Villanova at the Meadowlands.

George Washington (last NCAA: 2007) Karl Hobbs' already warm seat could be completely on fire with another miserable season at the Foggy Bottom. Unfortunately, with leading scorer Rob Diggs gone and six freshmen on the roster, it looks to be another long season for the Colonials. 6-8 senior Damian Hollis (13.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg) is back, as are two capable, if inconsistent point guards--6-2 junior Travis King (6.2 ppg, 2.4 apg) and 6-1 sophomore Tony Taylor (6.6 ppg, 2.8 apg). Otherwise, there are a whole lot of new faces and returnees, like the frontcourt trio of 6-11 Joseph Katuka, 6-10 Jabari Edwards, and 609 Hermann Opoku, who have a lot to prove. GW welcomes Oregon State, Providence, and George Mason to the Smith Center, while they'll play Navy in the BB&T Classic.

St. Louis (last NCAA: 2000) Rick Majerus is facing the very definition of a rebuilding year, as his roster features eight freshmen, one junior, and no seniors. While 5-10 sophomore G Kwamain Mitchell--the Billikens' leading scorer (11 ppg)--is back, and soph F Brian Conklin (6.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and C Willie Reed (7.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.3 bpg) give SLU some punch inside, expect the newcomers to see a lot of action. Two Aussies, 6-4 shooter Christian Salecich and 6-8 F Cody Ellis, lead the freshmen. The highlight of the Billikens' schedule is the Chicago Invitational Challenge, where they open with Iowa State before facing either Notre Dame or Northwestern.

St. Bonaventure (last NCAA: 2000) Mark Schmidt's Bonnies actually finished with a .500 mark last season, but will have a hard time matching or surpassing that feat with the departure of starting F Maurice Thomas and G Ray Blackburn. However, there's enough returning talent in place, led by team's three leading scorers, to complete another stage in a long rebuilding process. 6-4 senior three-point specialist Chris Matthews averaged more than 12 points per contest in his first season after transferring from Washington State. 6-foot junior Ogo Adegbonye arrives will take over at the point, freeing up junior Malcolm Eleby (7 ppg) to spend more time at off guard. 6-5 senior Jonathan Hall (12.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg) is a swingman who can really drive to the hoop, while 6-9 Andrew Nicholson (12.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 2.7 bpg) is a force inside. If 6-8 freshman Marquise Simmons or 6-9 reserve Da'Quan Cook can come close to replacing Thomas' production, the Bonnies could continue their rise up the standings. The schedule will include some challenges as SBU visits Syracuse, Mississippi State, Niagara, and Illinois State for a tournament.

St. Joseph's (last NCAA: 2008) The Hawks return to the newly-christened Hagan Arena after spending the bulk of last season at the Palestra. The problem is, two of the best recent Hawks--Ahmad Nivins and Tasheed Carr--have moved on. 6-1 senior G Darren Govens (12.5 ppg, 2.6 apg) is back to provide more scoring, while defensive stalwart Garrett Williamson, a tall 6-5 PG who averaged 6.1 points and 4.5 assists a contest, will create a lot of problems for opponents, especially if he decides to be more offensively-minded. In the frontcourt, 6-7 Idris Hilliard could have a breakout junior season after averaging more than 9 points and 5.5 boards a game as a soph. 6-8 freshman Carl Baptiste could see a lot of minutes right off the bat, as could guards Justin Crosgile and Carl Jones. The Hawks travel to the Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam, where they'll open with Boston College before facing Purdue or South Dakota State on day 2. SJU reopens their arena with visits from Drexel and Holy Cross, and naturally has a full Big Five slate to contend with.

Massachusetts (last NCAA: 1998) Derek Kellogg's Minutemen lost three key players off a team that only managed to win 12 games, guard Chris Lowe and centers Tony Gaffney and Luke Bonner. UMass' strength will be its backcourt, led by 6-2 senior Ricky Harris (18.2 ppg) and 6-3 junior Anthony Gurley (11.2 ppg). 6-5 freshman sharpshooter Freddie Riley comes aboard to provide them with needed support. There will be a lot of new blood in the frontcourt, as 6-9 Oregon State transfer Sean Carter and 6-10 Memphis transfer Hashim Bailey will push 6-9 soph Tyrell Lynch (3.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg) for minutes. The Minutemen face former conference-mate Rutgers at the Legends Classic in Atlantic City, with a game against either Florida or Michigan State to follow. They'll also visit Seton Hall, Davidson, and Boston College, and host Memphis.

Rhode Island (last NCAA: 1999) One of the biggest issues confronting Jim Baron this season is finding someone who can shoot the 3 as well as his son, Jimmy. He also has to find someone to replace Kahiem Seawright, who also graduated after last season. Point guard is also an issue, as both 6-1 junior (6.1 ppg, 4 apg) and 5-9 sophomore Stevie Mejia (2.5 ppg, 2.1 apg) battled inconsistency last season. Those are big issues to resolve, and they may keep the Rams from being too competitive this year. However, some things are certain, such as the performance of 6-4 senior SG Keith Cothran (13.2 ppg) and the fact that URI has a solid frontcourt, featuring 7-0 C Will Martell (5.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg), the athletic 6-6 F Lamonte Ulmer (7.7 ppg, 5 rpg), and 6-8 senior Delroy James (9.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg). The Rams visit Davidson, VCU, Boston College, and Akron; host Northeastern and Providence; and face Oklahoma State at the Mohegan Sun Casino.

Temple (last NCAA: 2009) Christmas has come and gone for the Owls, now Fran Dunphy has to figure out how to replace Dionte's 19.5 points a game. He also has a big hole in the middle after 7-footer Sergio Olmos' departure. Temple does have two good building blocks back--6-9 junior F LaVoy Allen (10.9 ppg, 9 rpg) and 6-4 G Ryan Brooks (10.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg), a shooter who must have ice water in his veins--and a whole bunch of guys who could be good if they get a little more time, including 6-9 junior Craig Williams (5.3 ppg, 3 rpg), 6-11 senior Micheal Eric (2.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg), and 6-4 soph Juan Fernandez, who could see some time at the point because of his passing skills and court vision. Dunphy's squad faces a typically tough schedule that includes the Big Five; a home game with Siena in the Philly Hoop Group Classic; games with St. John's and Virginia Tech in the same event; a trip to Seton Hall; and home tilts with Penn State and Kansas.

Charlotte (last NCAA: 2005) The 49ers lost two key frontcourt players, Charley Coley III and leading scorer Lamont Mack, but get 6-3 freshman guard Shamarr Bowden back from a broken kneecap. His return and the presence of solid 5-9 senior PG DaJuan Harris (9 ppg, 7.2 apg) , 6-5 senior RaShad Coleman (8 ppg), and 6-4 senior 3-point ace Ian Anderson (9.7 ppg) means the strength of Charlotte's squad shifts to the backcourt. But there's still talent upfront, as 6-10 senior Phil Jones (7.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and 6-6 junior An'Juan Williams (7.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg) are capable of stepping up in Coley and Mack' absence, and 6-6 BC transfer Shamani Spears and 6-7 frosh K.J. Sherrill will provide an immediate interior boost. Bobby Lutz's team will face Elon in the NIT Season Tip-Off, with a matchup with Duke likely to follow. They'll also host Georgia Tech, and visit Louisville, Old Dominion, and Tennessee.

La Salle (last NCAA: 1992) John Giannini has a team that could make some noise after an 18-win campaign. If 6-9 F Vernon Goodridge, a solid defensive performer, wouldn't have left last in the offseason, all five senior Explorer starters from a season ago would have been back. Giannini could slide in 6-8 junior Jarrell Williams (6.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg as a part-time starter) into Goodridge's slot in the lineup. The backcourt will be led 6-5 Rodney Green (17.8 ppg, 3.4 apg), who needs to work on taking care of the ball after turning it over an average of 3.2 times per contest, and 6-6 3-point ace Ruben Guillandeaux (10.1 ppg, 3 apg). In the frontcourt, 6-6 Kimmani Barrett (11.8 ppg, 5 rpg) and 6-7 Yves Mekongo (10.4 ppg, 6 rpg) will be joined by highly-touted 6-10 center prospect Aaric Murray and 6-8 redshirt frosh Devon White. Naturally, La Salle will be tested by Big Five games, but they'll also take part in the Charleston Classic where they'll face South Carolina in their opener. They will also face two Big 12 schools in semi-away games, Kansas in Kansas City and Oklahoma State in the All-College Classic in Oklahoma City.

Richmond (last NCAA: 2004) While the Spiders, who made the CBI last season, lost 6-9 Jarhon Giddings graduation, they get back junior C Dan Geriot, who missed last season with an ACL tear. Giddings averaged more than 14 points and 5.5 boards a game in 2007-08 and his return adds another dimension to Chris Mooney's Princeton offense. Add in the fact that UR already features two guards who can score from anywhere on the floor, 6-4 senior David Gonzalvez (16 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and 6-0 junior Kevin Anderson (16.6 ppg, 2.8 apg), and another solid interior presence in 6-10 F Justin Harper (9.2 ppg, 4.6 rpg), and it's no wonder people are expecting big things out of the Spiders this year. Richmond will play Mississippi State at the Padre Island Invitational, then either Missouri or Old Dominion. They'll face the Monarchs at home right after the Texas trip, then VCU. Richmond also travels to South Carolina, face Florida in the Orange Bowl Classic, and visit Wake Forest on New Year's Eve.

Duquesne (last NCAA: 1977) The Dukes were oh, so close last season--first falling to Temple by 6 in the A-10 final, missing out on their first NCAA trip in 32 seasons. Then, they fell to Virginia Tech in a thrilling double OT first round NIT matchup. And while leading scorer Aaron Jackson, a point guard who averaged over 19 points and nearly 6 assists a game is gone, the Dukes have their next eight top scorers back for another crack at ending the drought. 6-7 junior F Damian Saunders (13.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and 6-5 soph swingman Bill Clark (12.9 ppg, 5 rpg) will lead the way, but watch out for one of the stars of the Dukes' postseason run, 6-4 sophomore G/F Melquan Bolding (9.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg), to build on those performances. 6-1 senior Jason Duty joins Clark as a three-point threat (7.4 ppg, 41.4% from 3), while 5-11 Eric Evans (9.8 ppg, 2.2 apg) will take over for Jackson at the point. Ron Everhart also gets a ton of help on the frontline to help Saunders, as 7-0 Kentucky transfer Morakinyo Williams is now eligible and 6-8 Rodrigo Peggau returns from a knee injury. The Dukes will travel to Iowa, a team that should fancy their chances against, for a game in the CBE Classic. Unfortunately a win in Iowa City won't advance them to Kansas City, so they will play in a weak "subregional" at West Carolina instead--featuring decimated Binghamton and D2 Arkansas-Monticello. The Dukes will also look to shock Pitt in their final meeting at Mellon Arena. Trips to Old Dominion and West Virginia will also be challenging.

Xavier (last NCAA: 2009) The Musketeers have a new coach, Chris Mack, and a whole bunch of new faces. But don't expect the X-Men to fall off the face of the earth after the departure of Derrick Brown, B.J. Raymond, and C.J. Anderson. Xavier's backcourt features 6-5 junior guard Dante Jackson, who averaged 6.5 ppg and 2.7 apg, but is capable of doing a lot more. So is his backcourt-mate, 6-0 soph Terrell Holloway (5.5 ppg), but he needs to really improve his 2.2/1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio. But the star among the guards is sure to be Indiana transfer Jordan Crawford, a 6-4 sophomore who averaged almost 10 points and 2.3 assists per contest during his freshman season and, oh, dunked on LeBron James in a now infamous video. 6-foot guard Brad Redford should also sese time thanks to his shooting ability (5.1 ppg, but 45.1% from 3). In the frontcourt, Mack will need to get a lot out of 6-9 senior Jason Love (6.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg), and two guys who need to work on their foul shooting--6-8 Jamel McLean (4.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 46.5% from the stripe) and 7-0 soph Kenny Frease (5.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 48.4% FTs). The Musketeers face a typically tough schedule. They travel to Disney World for the Old Spice Classic where they open with Marquette, then face Creighton or Michigan. Xavier travels to Kansas State, Butler, and Wake Forest (for the inaugural Skip Prosser Classic), while they host Cincinnati and LSU
.

Dayton (last NCAA: 2009) Unlike their archrivals, the Flyers have virtually everyone back from their NCAA team, led by electric 6-8 junior F Chris Wright (13.6 ppg), who will challenge for national honors this season. Brian Gregory will have two guards capable of running his offense as 6-0 senior London Warren (4.1 ppg, 4.4 apg), while earning all-A10 defensive honors) is back and 6-3 senior Rob Lowery (7.5 ppg, 3.4 apg) returns from a knee injury. 6-3 senior SG Marcus Johnson (11.8 ppg) is one of the biggest offensive threats on the team, and that's good as he'll get a lot of looks with team's keying on Wright. In the frontcourt, 6-10 senior Kurt Huelsman (3.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg) will man the post, but he'll get support from 6-10 junior Devin Searcy and 6-9 frosh Matt Kavanaugh. 6-6 Chris Johnson (6.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and 6-9 soph Luke Fabrizius (4.3 ppg)--a threat both inside outside--are capable of providing support to Wright as well. The Flyers face a tough schedule, opening with Creighton at home; taking on Georgia Tech at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, visiting potential Puerto Rico opponent George Mason and New Mexico; and hosting another potential opponent in PR, Boston University, and Old Dominion.

I expect the Flyers to make it back to the Tournament this year, this time as A-10 champions. They'll appear in my final preseason bracket, which I'll release on Monday, November 9. Several Atlantic 10 teams should be at-large threats this season, so look for more than one team to appear in my projection.

To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-A-10 team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-A-10 Team

Player of the Year: Chris Wright, 6-8 F, Jr. (Dayton)

Remainder of the Team
Kevin Anderson, 6-0 G, Jr. (Richmond)
Rodney Green, 6-5 G, Sr. (La Salle)
Ricky Harris, 6-2 G, Sr. (Massachusetts)
Andrew Nicholson, 6-9 F, So. (St. Bonaventure)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the A10 this season?

Charlotte

0 votes

Dayton

6 votes

Duquesne

0 votes

Fordham

0 votes

George Washington

1 votes

La Salle

2 votes

Massachusetts

0 votes

Rhode Island

2 votes

Richmond

1 votes

St. Bonaventure

0 votes

St. Joseph's

0 votes

Saint Louis

0 votes

Temple

3 votes

Xavier

1 votes

16 votes | Poll has closed

2009 MMM Richmond Spiders Preview

umass09 — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:00:15 -0000

For the first time in school history, the Spiders will have ended a season and began a season ranked first in the nation in the FCS. Coming off a season where the Spiders took home the Division I Football National Championship, Richmond looks to continue their success entering the 2009 season.

Second year head coach Mike London is returning 18 of 24 starters with a handful being named to the FCS Preseason All-American team. Back at quarterback is newly elected captain, Eric Ward who led the fourth best scoring offense in the CAA. Ward averaged 175.5 passing yards with a 141.5 passing efficiency. Jordan Mitchell and Kevin Grayson return at wide out and bring with them 86 combined receptions from last season. They both found the end zone three times last season and combined for over 1,000 yards receiving. Grayson has led the Spiders in receiving his first two seasons at Richmond. Look for red shirt sophomore, Tre Gray, to make a huge impact as he played in all 16 games last year and was tied for the team lead in touchdown catches as a rookie.

As of now red shirt senior, Justin Forte is listed at the starting running back for the Spiders. He had solid production in the first four games last season, before suffering a season-ending broken leg injury. Sophomore Garrett Wilkins also might see some time at running back. He is a true athlete who can run as well as catch out of the back field and posses as a dual threat for the Spiders.

The offensive line returns four starters in Jared Decker, Drew Lachenmayer, matt McCracken and Michael Silva. They all bring a lot of experience and as a unit are regarded as one of the most deep and talented lines in the FCS. As long as the Spiders can find a fifth addition to the already dominant line.

As a unit, the defense will be returning nine starters. They ranked No.1 in the CAA in total defense, allowing only 268.8 yards per game and were in the top five in rushing and passing defense. The position where the defense might lack the inexperience is on the line. Parker Miles and Martin Parker return with over 40 solo tackles and six sacks combined. Eric McBride returns as a third year starter at Linebacker where he has led the Spiders in tackles his first two seasons. Patrick Weldon joins McBride who finished second on the team behind McBride in total tackles and two sacks.

The secondary might be the most experienced bunch returning Derek Hatcher, David Horton, Michael Ireland, and Justin Rogers. Rogers is coming off a season where he led the Spiders with seven interceptions, which helped the defense set a single-season team record for 29 interceptions. In addition to the interceptions, Rogers also returned two of those picks for touchdowns and a fumble for a score.

The Spiders have all the tools in place to make a run at defending their title. They are stacked with talent, depth and plenty of experience that should bowed well for them during the 2009 campaign.

’09 Prediction: 9-2

Tuesday News and Notes: NCAA Violations, Thoughts on Spurrier, and Basketball Scheduling

Gamecock Man — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:12:34 -0000

A few tidbits for today:

USC athletics reports 14 secondary violations committed over the past six months. Most of these are of the run-of-the-mill, picky NCAA variety. How, as I happen to like mocking Lane Kiffin when his coaches send recruits illegal text messages, I would prefer that we not do the same. Get it together, guys!

Check out what Leftover Hot Dog has to say about Steve Spurrier .

Seth Emerson on Basketball OOC opponents in 2009-10. So far, we know we'll be playing at Wofford, hosting Baylor, hosting Richmond, and, of course, playing at Clemson. We also have a trip to the Charleston Classic. We also know that the old SC State series will not be renewed for this season. As Emerson points out here, this slate is already looking tougher than last year's, which should equal a better RPI unless we lose a bunch of these games.

Thrill a Minute Thursday Review/Friday Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:26:56 -0000

From start to finish, yesterday was one of the craziest conference tournament days I've ever experienced. If today is one-tenth as exciting and surprising, it will still be well worth it. Let's get to the recap/preview.

One tourney bid is on the line, and it will be decided in my vicinity. (I will indeed be there.) The top two seeds in the Patriot League American University and College of the Holy Cross meet up at Bender Arena (ESPN2, 4:45 EDT). The Eagles are looking for their second straight conference crown, while the Crusaders look to get back to the Dance for the first time since 2007.

There is an almost excessive amount of non-championship conference tournament action going on today.

ACC Quarterfinals (all games on ESPN2 outside of ACC country and Raycom inside it)

Virginia Tech vs. North Carolina (12 EDT) - The Hokies probably knocked Miami out of the conversation yesterday. They can make their case a lot stronger by knocking off the Tar Heels today. UNC, meanwhile, has to like the carnage that took place among the potential #1 seeds yesterday.
Georgia Tech vs. Florida State (2:30 EDT*) - The Yellow Jackets next step in replicating Georgia's run through the SEC tournament last year, knocking out a Seminole team that's now fighting for a top four seed.
Maryland vs. Wake Forest (7 EDT) - The Terps did what they had to do last night. Now they look to get another big win for their resume against a Demon Deacon team who is now very much back in the two seed conversation.
Boston College vs. Duke (9:30 EDT*) - The Eagles are looking good for a bid. They now look to improve their seeding with a second win over the Blue Devils this season.

A-10 Semifinals (FS Ohio/MASN/Cox RI/Comcast Network)

Xavier vs. Temple (6:30 EDT) - After making it five in a row over St. Joe's, the Owls could make the A10 a three-bid league if they can beat the Musketeers.
Dayton vs. Duquesne (9 EDT*) - The Dukes pretty much ended URI's at-large hopes last night, but they probably need to win the auto bid to get in. The Flyers should be safe after defeating Richmond.

Big East Semifinals (all games on ESPN)

Louisville vs. Villanova (7 EDT) - Dwayne Anderson gave the Wildcats a win over a plucky Marquette side yesterday afternoon. Now they have to face a Cardinal team who all but ended Providence's hopes and probably has a better shot at holding on to a #1 seed than previously thought, thanks to the upsets in the night session.
West Virginia vs. Syracuse (9:30 EDT*) - How much do the Orange have left after winning that historic battle against UConn last night? While SU defeated the Mountaineers by 13 back on February 4, they had a full week off before that game. WVU, confident off a thumping of Pitt, should be fresher. But the Orange's momentum can't be discounted.

Big Ten Quarterfinals

Minnesota vs. Michigan State (ESPN, 12 EDT) - The Gophers should be safe after bursting Northwestern's bubble yesterday, but a win over Sparty would almost surely lock up a bid.
Wisconsin vs. Ohio State (ESPN, 2:30 EDT*) - The 4/5 quarterfinal features two teams who have to feel much better about their chances right now.
Michigan vs. Illinois (Big Ten, 6:30 EDT) - The Wolverines had little trouble with Iowa yesterday. Next, they look to win the rubber match against an Illini team who has dropped two straight..
Penn State vs. Purdue (Big Ten, 9 EDT*) - The Nittany Lions made sure they took care of Indiana. Like Michigan, they look to win the rubber match against their opposition, a Boilermaker team that's dropped two in a row.

Big 12 Semifinals (Games on Big 12/Altitude/Full Court)

Baylor vs. Texas (7 EDT) - While the Bears defeated Kansas yesterday, they're still on the fringe of consideration. The Longhorns ended Kansas State's hopes and now look to do the same to their in-state rivals, all while pushing to a conference title that may boost their seed.
Oklahoma State vs. Missouri (9:30 EDT*) - It was a sweet victory for the Cowboys last night. Not only did they probably lock up a bid, they closed the door on archrival Oklahoma's chances for a #1 seed. The Tigers stopped Texas Tech's attempt at a Cinderella run, pulling away in the second half. If MU can consistently do that at a neutral site, that should boost their seeding.

Big West Semifinals (all games on ESPNU)

Cal State-Northridge vs. UC Santa Barbara (8:30 EDT) and Long Beach State vs. Pacific (11 EDT*) - The top 4 seeds are still alive for the auto bid. Northridge swept UCSB and Long Beach swept the UOP during the regular season.

Conference USA Semifinals (all games on CBS CS)

Memphis vs. Houston (4 EDT) - The Cougars had a late night, defeating UTEP in OT. Now they have to face a Tiger team with aspirations for the top line on their home court.
UAB vs. Tulsa (6:30 EDT*) - The Blazers look to keep their at-large hopes alive by avenging a one-point loss at the Reynolds Center on January 28.

MWC Semifinals (all games on the mtn./CBS CS)

BYU vs. San Diego State (9 EDT) - That's three wins in three tries for the Aztecs over UNLV, with two of those coming at the Thomas & Mack Center. That fact should be enough to get SDSU in. A win over the Cougars today would really give them some breathing room.
Utah vs. Wyoming (11:30 EDT*) - The Utes escaped TCU thanks to a Lawrence Borha 3 in the dying seconds. They next take on the sixth-seeded Cowboys, who seriously dented New Mexico's at-large hopes last night, 75-67.

Pac-10 Semifinals (all games on (FSN/selected CSN outlets)

Arizona State vs. Washington (9 EDT) - The Sun Devils may have snapped their archrival Arizona's tourney streak. They could give their seed a boost by continuing their run in this tournament. The Huskies started their run at the title by defeating Stanford, 85-73.
UCLA vs. USC (11:30 EDT) - The Trojans upended California thanks in part to an errant inbound pass in the last throes. Now they find themselves back in the discussion and facing a cross-town semifinal. The rival Bruins beat Washington State by 11 in their quarterfinal.

SEC Quarterfinals (all games on Raycom/Full Court/FS South/Sun Sports)

Kentucky vs. LSU (1 EDT) - The Wildcats got by Ole Miss pretty easily. Next up is a Tiger team looking to snap a two-game skid and who beat UK by 3 at Rupp two weeks ago.
Mississippi State vs. South Carolina (3:30 EDT*) - MSU won the battle of the Bulldogs yesterday. Now they have a chance to knock the Gamecocks out.
Alabama vs. Tennessee (7:30 EDT) - So much for Vanderbilt's viability as an at-large candidate, as the Tide took care of them last night. Now they take on a Vol team they just stunned on Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling.
Florida vs. Auburn (10 EDT*) - The Gators pulled away from Arkansas in the second half. This one is a straight-up elimination game now.

Southland Semifinals (all games on Full Court)

Second-seeded Nicholls State takes on 6 seed Texas-San Antonio (7 EDT*), while top seed Stephen F. Austin faces fourth-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (9:30 EDT*). The Colonels lost their only meeting with the Roadrunners (at home), while the Lumberjacks won their only meeting with the Islanders (on the road).

WAC Semifinals

Utah State vs. New Mexico State (no TV, 9;30 EDT) and Nevada vs. Louisiana Tech (ESPN2, 11;59 EDT) - The favorites remain on course to meet for the title tomorrow night.

The MAC semifinals (Ball State vs. Buffalo (7:30 EDT) and Akron vs. Bowling Green (10 EDT) will also be on FS Ohio and FS Detroit.

Spiders Get Caught In Orangey Web (What?)

Sean Keeley — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:14:16 -0000

Sorry, all the good spider-related puns were taken already. I had to get creative.

SU defeated Richmond 76-71 in a game that was a little too close for comfort. The good news, besides SU winning, is that this is probably a game that last year's Syracuse team would have lost. Take solace in that for now.

Devo and Flynn led the way for the Orange with 22 and 27 points respectively. Still, the Orange trailed at halftime by seven. Jim Boeheim needed to do something drastic. He needed Eric Devendorf to come, as the kids say, correct:

"Show me the Eric Devendorf that I saw last year," Boeheim told Devendorf. "The swagger."

The swagger returned minutes into the second half as Devendorf scored 11 consecutive points, turning a 40-33 deficit into a 44-33 Syracuse lead all by himself.

Of course, it would be unwise to discount the performance of Arinze Onuaku, who finished with 17 & 6. Arinze has been playing with an intensity that the Orange are going to need all season long:

"I love when he plays like that," SU guard Jonny Flynn said, "because that just fires me up out there. When AO's playing beast it just rubs off on everybody."

C'mon Arinze, keep rubbing one out! Wait...

Kristof! has taken his role as Energy Guy and run with it. Literally. He might not always do it right but according to Orange44, the crowd loves him:

Kristof! had a fine game in terms of intangibles and rebounding. He had zero points and some stupid fouls, but he did end up with nine rebounds and a steal. He had an excellent look at the basket in the second half, but overshot it. He did have a simply amazing block though, which got the Dome rocking.

Cuse Country thinks we haven't yet begun to see the real Orange. They're just getting warmed up:

For much of the game, SU seemed to lack the killer instinct. They were giving up rebounds and failing to finish plays. The Syracusan stated below that if Syracuse came out of this game smelling like roses, then it could be a sign that “SU might have something special this year.” While we showed we could beat a solid team from a mid-major, we basically just won a game, the consequences of which would have been much greater in the event of a loss than they are now that we’ve won. I don’t think we smell exactly like roses. Maybe like rose-scented room freshener, but we haven’t been shown we’re the real thing yet.

Of course, what happened on the court isn't quite as compelling as what ALLEDGEDLY happened off the court. As noted yesterday, Eric Devendorf has been accused of punching a woman in the face for, well, does it really matter? Bud Poliquin notes a few of the particulars:

On the matter of the alleged assault -- officially, a second-degree harassment -- this is troubling, to say the least. First of all, it supposedly took place about 3 a.m. on Nov. 1 . . . and we all know that not much good generally happens out there on the streets after midnight. And, secondly, if true, it would be just another case in an awful national trend of men's violence against women.

National trend? How bout a Syracuse basketball player trend? Excuse me, ALLEDGED trend.

Brent Axe took a look at the new reports that came out last night however and noticed some discrepencies in the story. In the WSYR story, it states that:

The victim's attorney said she recognized five people that night; all of them are allegedly SU men's basketball players.

But in the Post-Standard story, it says:

Smith told police she couldn't identify the people kicking her car but that she could identify Devendorf, whom she knew.

Wait, did she or did she not know who the others were kicking her car.? Her attorney says they were all SU Basketball players. Her report to the police says the only one she recognized was Devendorf.

So, which one is it?

Probably part of the reason this isn't going to trail but is instead going in front of the SU Judicial Board...where the law doesn't matter and he-said-she-said rules the day!

The only only concern on the day? The crowd. The Three Idiots, who live-blogged the game, took note:

Weak ass crowd tonight. I don't care if it is a 6 pm game, show up people. It's not like there's anything else going on. Happy hour at the Chili's on Route 31 in Clay isn't that interesting on a Tuesday, trust me, I know.

We've got attendance records to break, people. Get on it.

Insert Spider Web-Related Pun Here

Sean Keeley — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:18:53 -0000

The Richmond Spiders (or, if you were a Syracuse fan in 1991, The Motherf***ing Richmond Spiders) come to town tonight for the 2nd game in the CBE Classic. The good news for the Orange is that, win or lose, they move on to the next round. The bad news is, well, if they lose they still lose.

The Orange are coming off a shellacking of Le Moyne that really proved nothing other than that SU is a team consisting of Division 1-A athletes who can defeat a team consisting of Division 2 athletes. Good. Grand. Great.

The Spiders are actually on our level so this is technically the real start to the season. Donna Ditota previews our foe:

The Richmond team that visits the Dome is coming off an 81-57 mauling of Division III Randolph-Macon last Saturday. The team returns several key ingredients from last year's 16-15 campaign, though it lost its leading scorer, 6-foot-9 center Dan Geriot, to summer knee surgery.

And the Spiders can shoot. Richmond shot 39 percent from 3-point range against Randolph-Macon. Last season, the Spiders made 35 percent of their 3-point shots. Their best marksman, David Gonzalvez, shot 42 percent from beyond the arc and is back this season. And in reigning Atlantic 10 rookie of the year Kevin Anderson, Richmond owns a versatile young player who can score inside and out.

No sir, I don't like it. If Syracuse basketball has a Kryptonite, other than goofy big white guys, it's teams that excel at three-point shooting. Once the threes start raining down, it almost always spells doom for the Orange.

But the Spiders also bring a Princeton-style backdoor cut set that puts the fear of God into major conference teams. What the hell are we to do??? If you're Jim Boeheim, you mix things up:

Boeheim has said he will employ both man-to-man and zone defenses, though the Orange has gone man almost exclusively before tonight, if only to emphasize the importance of individual defensive skills.

TNIAAM gatekeeper Jameson Fleming also has a preview of tonight's contest up over on Bleacher Report. He breaks down the history of this series as well as the Richmond offense which has quite a bit of weapons on the floor but little behind it:

After Richmond's core of players, the Spiders don't have a lot of depth or talent. On its home court, in front of a group of fans ready to see SU square off against a Division I team, the Orange should be able to pull away and knock off the Spiders.

The game will be televised on ESPN at 6pm EST as part of their 24 assault on college basketball fans nationwide. Be there.

While we're discussing Orange Hoops, it is with great shame that I realize I'm only now getting around to letting you know about updates over at, um, OrangeHoops. The #1 source for Syracuse basketball stats and history, Ray doesn't update as often as other SU blogs but when he does it's always something interesting. Like this post, where he runs down all of the major milestone SU players are in line to pass this season.

Also, if you see Jim Boeheim today make sure you wish him a Happy Birthday! The Grand Inquisitor of SU Hoops turns 64 today. And he doesn't look a day over 59. I'd had known this sooner if Jim had a Facebook page but since he hasn't mastered the fine art of texting yet, something tells me a Facebook page is still a ways away.