NC State basketball opponent scouting report: Richmond

NC State basketball will play its last neutral court game until the ACC Tournament when it tips off in Charlotte Friday evening against Richmond. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on ACC Network.

The Wolfpack is 7-3 for the season after dropping an overtime game in Brooklyn against then top-ranked Purdue on Sunday.

Here is a rundown of what to expect from Richmond.

Richmond Overview

The Spiders entered this season with expectations of being a NCAA Tournament team. Richmond was picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 and were returning four double-digit scorers off a team that just missed the bubble a season ago and made it to the second round of the NIT as a two seed.

Yet for long-time head coach Chris Mooney, who is in his 17th season at the helm for Richmond and has a 294-235 record there, Friday night is shaping up as an important game. An ambitious non-conference schedule has yet to pay dividends.

Richmond is 1-3 in quad one/two games, its lone victory coming at Wofford (NET 100), and has a quad three defeat on a neutral court to Maryland (NET 133).

However, the Spiders are not far from probably being ranked in the top 25. The only loss it had by double digits was a neutral court defeat to Utah State (NET 31) that was tied with about five minutes remaining.

Richmond lost by three at Drake (NET 111), in overtime on a neutral court to Mississippi State (NET 47) and to the Terrapins by six in a what was a one-possession game with 30 seconds left.

Rankings

NET: Richmond is ranked No. 94 (out of 358 teams). NC State basketball is No. 129.

ESPN’s BPI: The Spiders checks in at No. 49. The Wolfpack is No. 83.

KenPom.com: Richmond is No. 64. The Pack is No. 79.

Three Richmond Players To Watch Against NC State Basketball

Junior forward Tyler Burton: On the preseason Atlantic 10 teams, Richmond had a pair selected for the first team. Burton was not one of them. He was chosen preseason second team.

Thus far this year, Burton has been the one playing at a first-team level. He leads Richmond in averaging 18.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.

Burton is scoring from all levels. The 6-foot-7, 215-pounder has made 25 of 55 threes (45.5 percent) and is shooting 52.9 percent overall from the floor. He is also a career 78.4 percent free throw shooter.

Senior guard Jacob Gilyard: Richmond’s chances this year received a boost when Gilyard decided he would use a Super Senior season. He is likely to be remembered as one of the best guards in Richmond history.

Gilyard is now a five-year starter who has a career scoring average of 13.1 points per game. He is averaging 12.0 points per game this year, putting him on pace to average double digits all five years.

The point guard is more than a scorer, however. He has career averages of 5.0 assists compared to 1.9 turnovers and is one of the top defenders in the Atlantic 10. He is averaging 3.3 steals per game this year and is a three-time A-10 All-Defensive Team selection. He was the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year two seasons ago, and was selected preseason first-team all-conference before this year.

Senior center Grant Golden: Golden joins Gilyard in experience and credentials.

Golden may be one of the most experienced players in college basketball. He too is a Super Senior, and since he played nine games as a true freshman before redshirting, this is actually his sixth season of college basketball.

He needs 106 more points to reach 2,000 for his career, and like Gilyard is on pace to have five straight years averaging double digits in scoring. Thus far this season, the 6-foot-10, 255-pounder is averaging 15.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 55.5 percent from the field.

Golden, who can make a three if left open, was also selected preseason first-team all-conference.

Three Things NC State Basketball Should Expect From Richmond

1. A dangerous three-point shooting team: The Spiders are shooting 38.2 percent on three-pointers this season, 30th best in the country. They also are not afraid to let it fly from long range. Only 15 teams have attempted more treys than Richmond, and nine of those squads have played more games than the Spiders.

Among its traditional eight-player rotation, seven of them have made multiple threes this year, and four of them have made at least 13.

2. A team that struggles in rebounding: It’s no secret that NC State basketball is not a strong rebounding team. In 10 games, it is on average being out-rebounded by one board per game.

Richmond has struggled even more. The Spiders are tied for 311th in rebounding margin at negative-4.3.

3. A real challenge: Make no mistake, Richmond will be one of the better non-conference opponents for NC State. The Spiders are not that far from having a record and tournament resume that would put it into the field of 68, but the Spiders have come up a little short.

That said, it has experience and track record of success. Two seasons ago, the Spiders went 24-7 and were a lock to make the NCAA Tournament had it not been canceled. Richmond knows it needs this game and comes in on a three-game winning streak. That includes solid wins at Wofford and home against Toledo (NET 101).

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