Richmond (26-7)
COACH: Chris Mooney, five years at Richmond, first year in NCAA Tournament
HOW THEY GOT IN: At-large bid
MATCHUP BREAKDOWN: Richmond's matchup zone has held up against a number of top-notch offenses this year -- most notably in resume-building, non-league wins over Florida, Missouri, Mississippi State and Old Dominion. The Spiders' defensive prowess will be tested both inside and outside by Saint Mary's, the West Coast Conference tourney champ. Randy Bennett's team features a powerful low-post operator in 6-foot-11, 260-pound Omar Samhan (20.9 points per game, 11 rebounds per game). The challenge for Richmond will be sliding quickly enough in their zone to cover Samhan on the low blocks, while still being able to sprint out to cover Saint Mary's cadre of 3-point shooters, including Mickey McConnell (13.7 points per game) and Matthew Dellavedova (12.5 points per game).
GO-TO GUYS: He's often the tiniest player on the floor, but point guard Kevin Anderson (5-11, 175) is unquestionably the man who makes the Spiders go. Anderson, the 2010 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, ranked fifth in the league in scoring (17.8 ppg) during the regular season, and led the Spiders in assists (3.4 apg) and steals (1.8 spg). He's already ninth of the school's all-time scoring list with 1,482 points and still has a full season to play. Anderson teams with David Gonzalvez (14.3 ppg), a 6-4, 205-pound senior who is fifth on Richmond's all-time scoring list with 1,659 points and was a second-team all-league choice, to comprise the A-10's best backcourt. Junior forward Justin Harper (6-10, 225) has evolved in the second half of the season, scoring in double figures in 14 of the Spiders' final 18 regular season games.
THEY'LL KEEP WINNING IF: Their defense doesn't rest. Name a defensive category and chances are that the Spiders were near the top of the A-10 charts. During the regular season, the Spiders lead the A-10 in steals (8.5 per game), were third in scoring defense (61.4 ppg allowed), second in field goal percentage defense (.390) and fourth in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.291).
STRENGTHS: Richmond was once an NCAA Tournament darling; it was the first program to win first-round games as a 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th seed. This season, the Spiders have earned a much more favorable seeding by beating the likes of Temple, Missouri, Florida and Old Dominion during the regular season and could be primed to win a game or two in the Big Dance. Richmond sports one of the best starting guard tandems in the Atlantic 10 in Kevin Anderson and David Gonzalvez. In addition, Richmond is home to a rising star in the college coaching business in 37-year-old Chris Mooney, who demands that his team shoots the 3-pointer well and defends it well. His charges listen as they make 35.0 percent of their 3-point tries as a team and hold opponents to just .291 shooting from beyond the arc.
WEAKNESSES: Richmond has two glaring weaknesses and they are both tied to the lack of an in-the-paint stud. Despite a great guard tandem, Richmond struggles to score points because post-up points are rare as lunar eclipses for the Spiders. As a result, Richmond finished the regular season as the No.11 scoring team in the 14-team Atlantic 10 at 69.0 ppg. But, the Spiders' single biggest wart is rebounding, a fatal flaw that figures to haunt them at some point in the NCAA Tournament. On the season, Richmond was second-to-last in the A-10 in rebounding margin (-5.1 per game).
