ATHENS, Ohio - Richmond plays at Ohio Saturday at 2 p.m. in a match-up of programs that have been to the Sweet 16 in the last two years.
The Spiders (4-1) are playing their second road game in the last week, having lost at Minnesota on Sunday. Richmond led by nine in the first half and seven with 10 minutes to go before Minnesota came back for the win.
The Bobcats (4-0) return their top nine players off of last year's Sweet 16 team. Head coach Jim Christian is in his first year in Athens after stints at TCU and Kent State. Ivo Baltic leads five Bobcats averaging double-figures at 13.8 points per game and D.J. Cooper is averaging 13.5 points per game.
THE LATEST
- The Spiders hit the road for the second time this season to play Ohio for the Nation of Coaches' Classic title. Both teams are 3-0 in the tournament having each defeated UNCW, Hampton and Wofford. Richmond is 14-1 in regular-season tournament play over the last four seasons with the one loss coming to Illinois in the Cancun Challenge last season. Richmond won the 2009 South Padre Island Invitational with wins over Mississippi St. and Missouri and the 2010 Chicago Invitational with a win over No. 8 ranked Purdue.
- The Spiders will play without starting point guard Cedrick Lindsay for the 2nd-straight game. Lindsay suffered a concussion when his head hit the court on a drive to the basket late in the Spiders' loss at Minnesota on Sunday. He was not cleared by a neurologist on Friday and will be evaluated again on Monday. Kendall Anthony will get his 3rd career start Saturday. Anthony had a career-high 24 points in the win over Wofford on Tuesday.
- The Spiders are off to their 3rd 4-1 start in the last 4 seasons and the 30th start of 4-1 or better in 100 seasons of Richmond Basketball. Richmond is looking to start 5-1 for the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons and going for the 19th start of 5-1 or better in school history.
- Richmond is forcing 17.8 turnovers per game and scoring 25.0 points per game off turnovers. The Spiders are averaging 12.0 steals per game.
- The Spiders have held the opposition to 60 points or less 104 times in 236 games under Chris Mooney, including all 4 wins this season. Richmond is holding the opposition to 37.8 percent shooting from the field and just 30.0 percent from three.
- Richmond shot 49.7 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from 3 through its first three games, but the Spiders have shot just 35.9 percent from the field and 21.1 percent from 3 in the last two games.
- Senior Darien Brothers has made 134 career three-pointers, needing 14 treys to crack Richmond's top-10 career list. He made 68 three-pointers last season, which was just outside the Spiders' top-10 single-season list for threes.
- The Spiders won their opener over Liberty by 42 points and the second game against UNCW by 43 points, matching the 1955-56 team for the largest margin of victory (42.5) through 2 games in 100 seasons of Richmond basketball. The Spiders margin of victory through three games was 31.7 points, the second largest in school history.
Quick Hitters
Chris Mooney picked up his 150th Division I coaching victory on Tuesday against Wofford...Bleacher Report rated Richmond's non-conference schedule the 10th toughest in the nation...this year's senior class needs 12 wins to tie the 2011 and 2012 classes as the winningest in Richmond basketball history...the Spiders won their opener over Liberty by 42 points and the second game against UNCW by 43 points, matching the 1955-56 team for the largest margin of victory (42.5) through 2 games in 100 seasons of Richmond basketball...Darien Brothers ranked 15th in the nation in free throw pct. last season at 89.1 percent...Richmond is 82-39 (.677) in its last 121 games.
