by Griffin Wright
Conference Recap
The Richmond Spiders entered Atlantic 10 play with strong momentum after opening the season 8–0, highlighted by a Quad 1 road win over the Belmont Bruins. That hot start pushed Richmond to 10–3 heading into its first A-10 matchup against the George Washington Revolutionaries. However, Richmond quickly ran into one of its biggest challenges of the season: size and physicality. In the loss to George Washington that dropped them to 10–4, the Revs simply looked bigger and stronger inside. That became a common theme throughout conference play, as Richmond’s guard-heavy lineup struggled at times to match up with bigger frontcourts.
Still, Richmond showed resilience early in league play by winning three of its next four games, picking up victories over Fordham, St. Bonaventure, and La Salle while narrowly losing by two points to Saint Joseph’s. At that point, Richmond looked competitive in the middle of the conference standings and capable of staying in the A-10 race.
The season began to unravel during a difficult six-game losing streak that included blowout losses to Saint Louis, George Washington, and Davidson. Many of those games exposed the same issue: Richmond struggled to defend the paint and rebound against more physical teams. Still, there were bright spots, including a dominant win over the George Mason Patriots where Richmond built a lead as large as 25 points. Close games defined the second half of the season, as Richmond battled tough opponents like the VCU Rams and Davidson, but often came up just short.
The season’s frustrations were perhaps best captured in the finale against the Duquesne Dukes, where Richmond jumped out to a massive 40–10 lead but ultimately lost on a buzzer-beater. It summed up Richmond’s season: when the offense was flowing and the tempo was controlled, they could compete with anyone, but inconsistency, size disadvantages, and difficulty closing games ultimately limited their success in Atlantic 10 play.
Tournament Path
Richmond faces 14-seeded Loyola Chicago, who’ve a tough season, but still were able to out last the Spiders 69-66. Richmond led once in that game…it was 3-2. After that, the Ramblers took control and really didn’t look back. Richmond did not shoot the ball well, only shooting 30% from the field 25% from 3. Miles Rubin used his size and had 19 points vs Richmond. The Spiders offense thrives when the ball moves quickly around the perimeter and when guards can create spacing for three-point opportunities. If the Spiders are hitting outside shots early, they will become one of the more difficult opponents for Loyola. Defensively, Richmond must focus on limiting transition opportunities and protecting the defensive glass. Rebound rebounds….
If Richmond can get past Loyola Chicago in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, there is reason to believe the Spiders could build momentum. Richmond has shown throughout the season that when their offense is clicking, they can compete with nearly anyone in the conference. The potential second matchup against Davidson would be challenging, but not impossible. Richmond played Davidson close the last time the two teams met, and historically, it is difficult to beat the same opponent three times in a season. Tournament environments also tend to favor experienced backcourts, something Richmond relies on heavily in Chris Mooney’s system. If Richmond can control the tempo, limit turnovers, and hit perimeter shots particularly from three-point range, they could find a way to upset a talented Davidson squad and advance further in the bracket.
A key player in that scenario is guard Mikkel Tyne, one of Richmond’s most experienced perimeter scorers. Tyne’s ability to stretch the floor with three-point shooting while also attacking off the dribble against bigger defenders gives Richmond a chance to neutralize some of the size disadvantages they face against other A-10 teams. If Tyne can have a strong scoring performance, Richmond could potentially advance to face Saint Joseph’s, a team the Spiders narrowly lost to by two points earlier in conference play. That close game should give Richmond confidence that they can compete with the Hawks.
Beyond that point, however, the road becomes extremely difficult, with a potential matchup against VCU looming. Richmond would need to win four games in four days to reach the championship, which is a tall order for a team that struggled with consistency during the regular season. Realistically, the Spiders’ ceiling in the tournament is a semifinal appearance. Richmond has shown it can compete with most teams in the conference, but depth, size, and the physical toll of multiple tournament games make a deep championship run unlikely. A realistic outcome would be Richmond winning two games before falling to Saint Joseph’s in the later rounds.