Final Score: Richmond 77, Wofford 72 (Richmond -12.5)
Wofford travelled to Richmond in a game that was added to the schedule just two days before tip-off due to COVID reshuffling. Richmond came into the game ranked #19 in the AP poll after easily defeating Kentucky – the Spiders’ first appearance in the top 25 since the 2009-10 season. Wofford lost their top two scorers from a year ago, but return the rest of their top-5 bucket getters. The Terriers entered the game 2-0 but untested, with easy wins over two non-D1 programs. I love these kinds of games. Two smaller schools, both well-coached, with talented players that the college basketball world will get to know throughout the season. A Monday afternoon game is also a great way to start the week.
Richmond came in as a 12.5 point favorite, but that clearly proved to be way too many points. Wofford looked efficient on offense with multiple guys who can hit tough shots. Senior guards Storm Murphy and Tray Hallowell consistently hit three pointers over the shorter Spider guards, they finished with 21 and 15 points respectively at a combined 43% shooting clip. Messiah Jones also put in a strong performance with 20 points on 9-11 shooting, including 1-2 from three and adding 3 offensive rebounds.
Offensive rebounding was one weakness of Richmond’s that Wofford exposed, winning that battle 12-6. Burton and Cayo, the two 6’7″ forwards did combine for 12 defensive rebounds, but center Grant Golden needs more help cleaning limiting second chance opportunities. The 6’10” senior grabbed just one defensive rebound.
The Richmond offense was at its best in transition. The senior guards Gilyard and Francis can turn defense to offense, finishing off steals, blocks, and rebounds at the other end. The much-praised defense of Richmond left something to be desired in their half-court rotations and shot contesting. They were overaggressive at times tending to reach-in, overplay off-ball, and go for too many steals. They do generate turnovers, as Wofford turned it over on 20% of their possessions, but the half-court team defense could use improvement.
The most impressive part of Richmond is how many shot creators they have on an A-10 team. They have four guys that can really take you off the bounce in Gilyard, Francis, Cayo, and 6th man Gustavson. They also have two bigger guys with touch at three levels in Golden and Burton. Junior guard Gustavson was a surprise contributor who caught my attention. He’s a bigger guard than Richmond’s starting pair at 6’4″ and impressed getting into the lane where he was 4-4 on 2PTs. The offense seemed to spin the ball well when he was initiating.
Takeaways
Richmond is a dangerous team with a turnover generating defense, many shot makers, and dynamic senior guards. Their questions will come against teams that can hammer them in the post and on the offensive glass, teams with efficient half-court offenses, or with bigger experienced guards that take care of the ball (The last two points likely being why Wofford was able to keep this close).
Wofford will have a solid season with their own pair of senior guards, Messiah Jones, and a solid offensive system. Their question lays in their depth, with only six players logging more than 10 minutes, and only seven players seeing any time at all. The big 3 of Murphy, Hallowell, and Jones combined for 56/72 points. The Terriers will need more scoring and more minutes from the bench to make it through the season.
Eye Test Sports 