2020–21 Richmond Spiders men's basketball team

2020–21 Richmond Spiders men's basketball
NIT, Quarterfinals
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record14–9 (6–5 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Rob Jones
  • Marcus Jenkins
  • Steve Thomas
Home arenaRobins Center
Seasons
2020–21 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
St. Bonaventure† 11 – 4   .733 16 – 5   .762
VCU 10 – 4   .714 19 – 7   .731
Davidson 7 – 4   .636 13 – 9   .591
Saint Louis 6 – 4   .600 14 – 7   .667
UMass 6 – 4   .600 8 – 7   .533
George Mason 8 – 6   .571 13 – 9   .591
Dayton 9 – 7   .563 14 – 10   .583
Richmond 6 – 5   .545 14 – 9   .609
Duquesne 7 – 7   .500 9 – 9   .500
Rhode Island 7 – 10   .412 10 – 15   .400
George Washington 3 – 5   .375 5 – 12   .294
La Salle 6 – 11   .353 9 – 16   .360
Saint Joseph's 3 – 9   .250 5 – 15   .250
Fordham 2 – 11   .154 2 – 12   .143
† 2021 A10 Tournament winner

The 2020–21 Richmond Spiders men's basketball team represented the University of Richmond during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by 16th-year head coach Chris Mooney and played their home games at the Robins Center as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 14–9, 6–5 in A-10 play to finish in 8th place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament to Duquesne. They received an invitation to the NIT where they defeated Toledo in the first round before losing in the quarterfinals to Mississippi State.

Previous season

The Spiders finished the 2019–20 season 24–7, 14–4 in A-10 play to finish in second place. Their season ended when the A-10 tournament and all other postseason tournaments were canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Jake Wojcik 11 G 6'4" 190 Sophomore San Jose, CA Transfer to Fairfield
Tomas Verbinskis 21 F 6'7" 210 Redshirt Sophomore Klaipeda, Lithuania Transfer to Lafayette in December 2019

In addition, guard Nick Sherod suffered a season-ending knee injury during preseason practice in October 2020.[1]

Incoming transfer

Guard Connor Crabtree transferred to Richmond from Tulane prior to the 2019–20 season and sat out due to NCAA transfer rules. He will become eligible to play for the Spiders in the 2020–21 season.[2]

2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Isaiah Wilson
G 		Pittsburgh, PA First Love Academy 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sep 9, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 0
Andre Weir
F 		Hollywood, FL Chaminade-Madonna 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 265 lb (120 kg)  
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 0
Dji Bailey
G 		Wilson, NC Greenfield School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) May 11, 2020 
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 0
Quentin Southall
G 		Alexandria, VA Georgetown Prep (MD) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg)  
Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 0
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Rivals.com 2020 Richmond Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  • "Scout.com 2020 Richmond Commitments". Scout.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  • "ESPN 2020 Richmond Commitments". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.

Weir left the program in December 2020 before he played in any games for the Spiders.[3]

Preseason

In a preseason poll of league head coaches and select media members, Richmond was chosen as the favorite to win the Atlantic 10 Conference in 2020–21, taking 19 out of 28 first-place votes. Jacob Gilyard was selected to both the preseason all-conference first team and the preseason all-defensive team, while Blake Francis and Grant Golden were both selected to the preseason all-conference second team.[4]

Roster

2020–21 Richmond Spiders men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Jacob Gilyard 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sr The Barstow School Kansas City, Missouri
G 1 Blake Francis 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Westfield High School
Wagner 		Herndon, Virginia
F 2 Souleymane Koureissi 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Iona Prep Harlem, New York
F 3 Tyler Burton 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Marianapolis Prep Uxbridge, Massachusetts
F 4 Nathan Cayo 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Sr Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf Montreal, Quebec
G 5 Nick Sherod Injured 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 230 lb (104 kg) GS St. Christopher's School Richmond, Virginia
F 10 Sullivan Kulju (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Eisenhower Middle/High School New Berlin, Wisconsin
G 12 Gabe Arizin (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So St. Joseph's Prep West Chester, Pennsylvania
G 13 Connor Crabtree 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS So Hargrave Military Academy
Tulane 		Hillsborough, North Carolina
F 15 Matt Grace 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr TRC Academy Hamilton, Ontario
G 21 Isaiah Wilson 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Fr First Love Academy Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
G 22 Andre Gustavson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Helsinki Basketball Academy Helsinki, Finland
G 24 Dji Bailey 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Greenfield School Wilson, North Carolina
G 25 Quentin Southall (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Georgetown Prep Alexandria, Virginia
G 31 Jordan Gaitley (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) GS Fordham Preparatory School Haverford, Pennsylvania
F 33 Grant Golden 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 255 lb (116 kg) GS St. James School Winchester, Virginia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: January 1, 2021

Schedule and results

The Spiders' opening game of the season against Detroit Mercy as part of the Bluegrass Showcase was canceled due to COVID-19 issues within the Detroit Mercy program.[5] Two other non-conference games against Charleston and Furman were canceled due to a COVID-related pause by Richmond.[6][7]

Richmond experienced two additional COVID-related pauses during the season, resulting in multiple changes to the Atlantic 10 portion of the schedule, while adjustments to the schedule for the 2021 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament resulted in additional changes to several teams' schedules over the final two weeks of the regular season.[8][9][10][11][12][13]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
Nov 27, 2020*
6:00 p.m. 		vs. Morehead State
Bluegrass Showcase 		W 82–64  1–0
  23 – Cayo   12 – Burton   5 – Tied  Rupp Arena (261)
Lexington, KY
Nov 29, 2020*
1:00 p.m., ESPN 		at No. 10 Kentucky
Bluegrass Showcase 		W 76–64  2–0
  18 – Tied   7 – Golden   6 – Gilyard  Rupp Arena (3,075)
Lexington, KY
Dec 7, 2020*
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 19 Wofford W 77–72  3–0
  18 – Gilyard   7 – Burton   6 – Gilyard  Robins Center (0)
Richmond, VA
Dec 9, 2020*
6:00 p.m., NBCS WA/ESPN+ 		No. 19 Northern Iowa W 78–68  4–0
  21 – Burton   13 – Burton   11 – Gilyard  Robins Center (0)
Richmond, VA
Dec 13, 2020*
1:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 19 at No. 11 West Virginia L 71–87  4–1
  14 – Tied   10 – Burton   6 – Gilyard  WVU Coliseum (371)
Morgantown, WV
Dec 16, 2020*
1:00 p.m., SEC Network 		at Vanderbilt W 78–67  5–1
  21 – Francis   8 – Golden   5 – Gilyard  Memorial Gymnasium (0)
Nashville, TN
Dec 18, 2020*
6:00 p.m., NBCS WA/ESPN+ 		vs. Loyola–Chicago W 75–73  6–1
  27 – Francis   9 – Burton   3 – Gilyard  Indiana Convention Center (0)
Indianapolis, IN
Dec 22, 2020*
2:00 p.m., NBCS WA/ESPN+ 		Hofstra L 71–76  6–2
  15 – Tied   7 – Burton   6 – Gilyard  Robins Center 
Richmond, VA
Dec 30, 2020
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at Davidson W 80–74  7–2
(1–0) 		 22 – Golden   11 – Burton   5 – Tied  John M. Belk Arena 
Davidson, NC
Jan 2, 2021
5:00 p.m., CBSSN 		St. Bonaventure L 66–69  7–3
(1–1) 		 21 – Francis   10 – Cayo   6 – Golden  Robins Center 
Richmond, VA
Jan 6, 2021
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Rhode Island W 80–73  8–3
(2–1) 		 22 – Gilyard   9 – Golden   5 – Golden  Robins Center 
Richmond, VA
Jan 9, 2021
noon, CBSSN 		at George Mason W 77–57  9–3
(3–1) 		 18 – Golden   10 – Golden   5 – Gilyard  EagleBank Arena (250)
Fairfax, VA
Jan 23, 2021
2:30 p.m., NBCSN 		La Salle L 78–84  9–4
(3–2) 		 22 – Golden   12 – Burton   4 – Tied  Robins Center 
Richmond, VA
Jan 26, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Saint Joseph's W 79–56  10–4
(4–2) 		 25 – Burton   7 – Golden   7 – Gilyard  Hagan Arena 
Philadelphia, PA
Feb 14, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		St. Mary's College (MD) W 90–49  11–4
  17 – Francis   7 – Golden   4 – Golden  Robins Center 
Richmond, VA
Feb 17, 2021
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at VCU
Capital City Classic 		L 56–68  11–5
(4–3) 		 18 – Cayo   7 – Cayo   5 – Gilyard  Siegel Center (250)
Richmond, VA
Feb 20, 2021
4:30 p.m., NBCSN 		Duquesne W 79–72  12–5
(5–3) 		 17 – Tied   8 – Tied   8 – Golden  Robins Center 
Richmond, VA
Feb 23, 2021
6:00 p.m., NBCS WA+/ESPN+ 		Massachusetts W 79–65  13–5
(6–3) 		 20 – Francis   9 – Gilyard   6 – Gilyard  Robins Center 
Richmond, VA
Feb 26, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Saint Louis L 67–72  13–6
(6–4) 		 24 – Francis   7 – Burton   5 – Golden  Chaifetz Arena 
St. Louis, MO
Mar 1, 2021
6:00 p.m., NBCS WA/ESPN+ 		Saint Joseph's L 73–76  13–7
(6–5) 		 25 – Cayo   8 – Tied   3 – Cayo  Robins Center 
Richmond, VA
A-10 tournament
Mar 4, 2021
11:00 a.m., NBCSN 		(8) (9) Duquesne
Second Round 		L 62–67  13–8
  18 – Burton   11 – Burton   4 – Gilyard  Siegel Center 
Richmond, VA
NIT
Mar 17, 2021*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(2) vs. (3) Toledo
First Round – Saint Louis bracket 		W 76–66  14–8
  18 – Tied   10 – Burton   5 – Gilyard  UNT Coliseum (731)
Denton, TX
Mar 25, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(2) vs. (4) Mississippi State
Quarterfinals – Saint Louis bracket 		L 67–68  14–9
  22 – Gilyard   5 – Cayo   6 – Gilyard  UNT Coliseum 
Denton, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Sources:[14][15][16]

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
APRV1919RVRVRV———————————Not released
CoachesRVRV*192523RV—RVRV—————————

*Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll

References

  1. ^ O'Connor, John (October 21, 2020). "Nick Sherod on Spiders experience: 'everything I could have hoped for and more'". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  2. ^ O'Connor, John (May 12, 2019). "Spiders hoops bringing in 6-6 transfer Connor Crabtree from Tulane". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  3. ^ O'Connor, John (December 21, 2020). "Andre Weir, 6-10 freshman, chooses to leave Spiders program". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  4. ^ "Richmond Chosen to Win A-10 Men's Basketball; League Honors 23 Student-Athletes". atlantic10.com. Atlantic 10 Conference. November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  5. ^ "Spiders Season Opener vs Detroit Mercy Canceled". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. November 23, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  6. ^ "Spiders Cancel Wednesday's Game at Charleston Due to COVID Testing Results". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. December 1, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  7. ^ "Richmond's Game Saturday vs Furman Will Not Be Played". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. December 3, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "Richmond Men's Basketball Pauses Team Activities Due to COVID Testing Results". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. January 12, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  9. ^ "Saturday's Men's Basketball Game Against VCU Postponed". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. January 13, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  10. ^ "Men's Basketball Game vs Saint Louis Postponed". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. January 29, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  11. ^ "Men's Basketball Pauses Team Activities Due to COVID-19 Testing Results". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. January 31, 2020. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "Men's Basketball Postpones Games Through February 12". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  13. ^ "Atlantic 10 Announces Schedule Changes For Remainder of Men's Basketball Regular Season". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  14. ^ "Men's Basketball Unveils Ambitious 2020-21 Schedule". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  15. ^ "Richmond Spiders 2020–21 Conference Men's Basketball Schedule" (PDF). atlantic10.com. Atlantic 10 Conference. November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  16. ^ "University of Richmond Athletics – Men's Basketball Schedule". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond Athletics. Retrieved March 22, 2021.