Spiders won't creep up on Flyers in NIT
A-10 newcomer Richmond plays UD today
By Bucky Albers
Dayton Daily News
DAYTON | While a constant stream of reporters covering the NCAA doubleheader walked past in a hallway in the Donoher Basketball Center Sunday afternoon, Josh Postorino's mind was far from the court where Illinois and Syracuse were playing.
Postorino, coordinator of basketball operations on the University of Dayton staff, was alone in the videotape room analyzing a tape of one of the University of Richmond's recent basketball games.
"I hope our players realize how good these guys are," Postorino said.
It wasn't a matter of whether the UD players would be told, but whether the information would sink in. Before practice Sunday night, senior guard Tony Stanley said it has.
"We're not sleeping on them at all," Stanley said. "They were a highly considered bubble team, too, so we know what we've got coming in here."
Richmond (22-6) makes its first Ohio appearance in 30 years tonight when the Spiders visit UD Arena for a second round National Invitation Tournament game against the Flyers (20-12). Game time is 8 p.m. ESPN owns the television rights, but is not planning to show the game. If it is to be televised, it will be on WHIO-TV.
The winner plays Detroit (24-10) in a third-round game later this week. Detroit defeated Connecticut, 67-61, Sunday night in Storrs, Conn.
The Dayton-Richmond game will afford Dayton fans an advance look at the newest member of the Atlantic 10 Conference because Richmond has joined the A-10, filling the void created by the departure of Virginia Tech after the 1999-2000 season. Dayton has never faced Richmond.
Richmond roundball surfaced on a national scale in 1988 when the Spiders, under coach Dick Tarrant, upset Indiana in the NCAA Tournament. Three years later they knocked off Syracuse in the first round. Tarrant had eight 20-victory seasons, including five straight from 1987-88 to 1991-92.
John Beilein has been coaching the Spiders for the last four years, and his winning percentage (.672) is even better than Tarrant's (655).
This year Richmond, a charter member of the Colonial Athletic Association, won the CAA championship with a 12-4 record but was not permitted to compete in the league's post-season tournament. So the Spiders went 17 days without a game before facing West Virginia Friday night in Richmond. If West Virginia expected Richmond to be rusty, the Mountaineers got a surprise. The Spiders scratched out the largest margin of victory in the NIT's first round by mauling the Mountaineers, 79-56.
Winner of six in a row and 11 of its last 12, Richmond is led by Greg Stevenson, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward from Fayetteville, N.C., who is averaging 19.6 points and 7.8 rebounds. One of the nation's best 3-point shooters, Stevenson has made exactly 50 percent (48-96).
Unlike his teammates, Stevenson is no stranger to UD Arena. Three years ago he was a member of the Penn State team that defeated Dayton, 77-74. He expects to have a bigger impact this time. For Penn State he played three uneventful minutes.
Richmond is very active on both ends of the court, taking good care of the basketball while running a lot of motion in its offense and getting after it on the defensive end. Only three teams in the nation have made fewer turnovers than Richmond's 10.8, and the Spiders' defensive web has been so strong that three opponents ? James Madison, UNC-Wilmington and American ? failed to score 40 points.
Richmond and Dayton have four common opponents. The Spiders defeated Old Dominion and UNC-Wilmington twice. They also beat Massachusetts and George Washington of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Dayton split with UMass, defeated George Washington and UNC-Wilmington and lost to Old Dominion.
A-10 newcomer Richmond plays UD today
By Bucky Albers
Dayton Daily News
DAYTON | While a constant stream of reporters covering the NCAA doubleheader walked past in a hallway in the Donoher Basketball Center Sunday afternoon, Josh Postorino's mind was far from the court where Illinois and Syracuse were playing.
Postorino, coordinator of basketball operations on the University of Dayton staff, was alone in the videotape room analyzing a tape of one of the University of Richmond's recent basketball games.
"I hope our players realize how good these guys are," Postorino said.
It wasn't a matter of whether the UD players would be told, but whether the information would sink in. Before practice Sunday night, senior guard Tony Stanley said it has.
"We're not sleeping on them at all," Stanley said. "They were a highly considered bubble team, too, so we know what we've got coming in here."
Richmond (22-6) makes its first Ohio appearance in 30 years tonight when the Spiders visit UD Arena for a second round National Invitation Tournament game against the Flyers (20-12). Game time is 8 p.m. ESPN owns the television rights, but is not planning to show the game. If it is to be televised, it will be on WHIO-TV.
The winner plays Detroit (24-10) in a third-round game later this week. Detroit defeated Connecticut, 67-61, Sunday night in Storrs, Conn.
The Dayton-Richmond game will afford Dayton fans an advance look at the newest member of the Atlantic 10 Conference because Richmond has joined the A-10, filling the void created by the departure of Virginia Tech after the 1999-2000 season. Dayton has never faced Richmond.
Richmond roundball surfaced on a national scale in 1988 when the Spiders, under coach Dick Tarrant, upset Indiana in the NCAA Tournament. Three years later they knocked off Syracuse in the first round. Tarrant had eight 20-victory seasons, including five straight from 1987-88 to 1991-92.
John Beilein has been coaching the Spiders for the last four years, and his winning percentage (.672) is even better than Tarrant's (655).
This year Richmond, a charter member of the Colonial Athletic Association, won the CAA championship with a 12-4 record but was not permitted to compete in the league's post-season tournament. So the Spiders went 17 days without a game before facing West Virginia Friday night in Richmond. If West Virginia expected Richmond to be rusty, the Mountaineers got a surprise. The Spiders scratched out the largest margin of victory in the NIT's first round by mauling the Mountaineers, 79-56.
Winner of six in a row and 11 of its last 12, Richmond is led by Greg Stevenson, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound forward from Fayetteville, N.C., who is averaging 19.6 points and 7.8 rebounds. One of the nation's best 3-point shooters, Stevenson has made exactly 50 percent (48-96).
Unlike his teammates, Stevenson is no stranger to UD Arena. Three years ago he was a member of the Penn State team that defeated Dayton, 77-74. He expects to have a bigger impact this time. For Penn State he played three uneventful minutes.
Richmond is very active on both ends of the court, taking good care of the basketball while running a lot of motion in its offense and getting after it on the defensive end. Only three teams in the nation have made fewer turnovers than Richmond's 10.8, and the Spiders' defensive web has been so strong that three opponents ? James Madison, UNC-Wilmington and American ? failed to score 40 points.
Richmond and Dayton have four common opponents. The Spiders defeated Old Dominion and UNC-Wilmington twice. They also beat Massachusetts and George Washington of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Dayton split with UMass, defeated George Washington and UNC-Wilmington and lost to Old Dominion.
