The Richmond Spiders will enter the postseason as a one seed in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), hosting St. Francis (N.Y.) on Wednesday night at the Robins Center. The game will be aired on ESPN3, and fans can reserve their tickets online by clicking here.
Richmond (19-13) surged into the postseason picture in February thanks to a six-game winning streak, which included three road wins. Five of the six wins came against 2014 NCAA Tournament participants.
The strong finish gave the Spiders a four seed in the ultra-competitive Atlantic 10 Tournament and put Richmond on every NCAA Tournament bubble watch. A strong non-conference strength of schedule played well with the national selection committee, allowing the Spiders to earn a top seed in the NIT.
“We are pleased with the opportunity to continue our season in the NIT and to host a postseason home game as a top seed in the Robins Center,” head coach Chris Mooney said. “This group of players fought hard throughout this entire season, and they deserve the chance to compete for a championship in New York City. We take that opportunity seriously and are looking forward to playing St. Francis on Wednesday night.”
Richmond is led by All-Atlantic 10 First Teamer Kendall Anthony, who averages 16.6 points and 2.4 assists per game. Forwards Terry Allen (12.4 ppg) and T.J. Cline (11.4 ppg) each average in double figures, while A-10 Sixth Man of the Year ShawnDre’ Jones has scored 10.2 ppg off the bench, tying with Anthony for the team lead in assists (78).
This year marks the sixth postseason appearance in head coach Chris Mooney’s 10-year tenure. He directed the Spiders to the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and 2011, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2011.
UR will be making its eighth program appearance in the NIT and first since 2003. UR has hosted nine NIT games in the Robins Center for a home record of 5-4. Richmond’s deepest run came in 2002 when the Spiders won three games, including a road victory at Minnesota, before falling to Syracuse at home in the quarterfinals. The Spiders have an overall record of 6-7 in the NIT, making their first appearance in 1982.
Tickets for the game are on sale now for $22.00 in the premium sections and $12.00 in the priority sections. Season ticket holders have the opportunity to purchase the same great seats they have had all season long. Tickets for all Richmond students will be free of charge.
You may reserve your seats online now by clicking here and logging in to your account. Your tickets can also be purchased by calling the ticket office at 1-877-SPIDER-1 or by visiting the Robins Center Ticket Office starting 9 AM on Monday morning.
The 7,201-seat Robins Center has hosted five sellouts in 2015, and Richmond ranks fourth in the A-10 in average attendance at 5,749.
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