Rhode Island

[spider23]

Huge game on Sunday. This is one of four games I have circled as key games for our chances to battle for an at large and top 3 spot in the A10. The other three are Dayton, VCU and VCU. Win 3 out of 4 of those games, and I think we are in great shape. To me this is a rubber meets road (or Rhode ) game. We have not been great on the road, and Rhody has been pretty good at home.

Also, I think Rhody mimics some of our SEC foes in the length/athleticism department 2-4. Dowtin (6'3) and Martin (6'6') are tall guards. This will be a great game for Francis to show his stuff and be our "Gonzo" to Gilly's KA. Huge match up in this game. I have seen some folks down grade Gilyard's efforts on our board - essentially pointing out all the L's he has taken in first two years, and then pointing to KA's success getting to NCAA's last two years. If that is how he will be judged, then this is the game to start building his legacy. Great opportunity going up against the number two PG in the league.

Similar to Burton, URI has an athletic freshman forward in Jacob Toppin (Obi's brother) who has been an energy guy off the bench. Rhody has a pretty formidable front line with Langevine (though not a ton of offense), Antwan Walker (recently eligible transfer from Georgetown), and Jermaine Harris - all listed at 230 lbs. Cayo, Burton, and Grant will need to hold their own on the boards in this one.

Ultimately I think this will come down to the battle of the back courts. Would be great if Woj can remain hot and Gus will be a factor against their size and athleticism at the 2-3 spots.

 

[97spiderfan]

I think Rhode Island is always a bad match-up for us with their physicality. Plus, they are coming off getting whipped by Brown, so I would suspect they are going to be mad about that and looking to take it out on someone.
I hope Mooney has some adjustments in store. We will need to play a much more consistent 40 minutes of basketball than we did last night to get the W up there.

 

[spiderman]

our main perimeter shooters have been cold from 3 lately and that changes everything. the offense is getting us wide open looks. Blake, Jacob and Nick will heat up again for sure.

 

[CH_Spider]

Rhode Island can be exposed and they showed that last night where they lost to Brown. I agree with 97 that they will be mad and will come out with some fire on Sunday, but if we can keep getting buckets from Woj off the bench, we are going to be a serious threat to everybody in the conference.

 

[97spiderfan]

our main perimeter shooters have been cold from 3 lately and that changes everything. the offense is getting us wide open looks. Blake, Jacob and Nick will heat up again for sure.

Hopefully, Mooney designs some plays to get Nick some easier shots and demands Gilyard take the ball to the hole and finish more often to get his game going. You have to be proactive in getting players out of shooting slumps, Mooney really doesn't do that.

Plus, we are a much better team when we are looking to score inside vs. being reliant upon the 3. It is how we beat Wisconsin. I hate seeing comments like this because the 3 ball is such a live or die shot. If you are executing all aspects of your offense well and getting your players good looks inside the 3 balls will fall, if you are hoping to have the 3 ball carry you, it will some nights but many nights it will let you down. Far too often, Mooney's reason for when we lose (see Alabama), is that our shots didn't fall. That is not a reason but rather a symptom for why we lost. I wish he and some of our fans would understand that difference.

 

[Spider B]

This is the start of a brutal stretch. We are in good position to make some noise. Winning @ Rhody would be huge. Even after the Brown loss, URI is a top 100 team (90 NET). Road wins over top 100 are big. Great opportunity here. Mooney best have the team ready to go Sunday.

 

[spiderman]

You have to be proactive in getting players out of shooting slumps.

lol. is that what you think broke Woj out of his slump? Coach designed a play to get him an easy look and viola ... slump over?
ask Nick if he thinks he needs someone to get him an easier shot than a wide open 3 to get him out of a slump.
Jacob is getting to the rim plenty. but that's not making the shots that he usually makes go down.
these guy are really good shooters. they'll get back on track. and it won't be due to a special play call. I wish some of our fans would understand that.

 

[97spiderfan]

lol. is that what you think broke Woj out of his slump? Coach designed a play to get him an easy look and viola ... slump over?
ask Nick if he thinks he needs someone to get him an easier shot than a wide open 3 to get him out of a slump.
Jacob is getting to the rim plenty. but that's not making the shots that he usually makes go down.
these guy are really good shooters. they'll get back on track. and it won't be due to a special play call. I wish some of our fans would understand that.

Yes, just let the players get themselves out of their own slumps, seems like a sound coaching strategy. Why even have a coach if that is your approach, we can just play YMCA street ball. Gilyard was not getting involved nearly enough in the ODU-Radford, Bama games. He took it to the rim more last night, but sometimes he passed back out when really he should have just layed the shot up himself. Coach needs to instruct him to finish those shots in practice and ingrain that in his head and the rest of the team needs to be prepared for him to finish. You do this through adjustments and through repetition and practice.

So, yes, Mooney needs to be proactive here and just not let players, play their games, when their games are not fully on. Gilyard and Sherod games are not fully on right now, hence coach needs to make some tweaks to our offensive sets to get them back in a better groove. Good coaches due that all of the time.

 

[GKiller]

23 is right this is a pivotal game. I hate that URI had the killer loss to Brown, much worse than ours to Radford, and we have to face them in the next game. But no excuses.

It is past due Mooney wins a big game like this. 10 year 1.25 milly a year contract, dig in here Mooney bags.

URI is our part of internal comp for top 3 A10, possibly bubble etc. The NET liked our St Joes blasting last night. Got to take advantage.

Statement game for our program. 4 1000 pt scorers, really athletic very good players right by them in Cayo, Goose & Burton. Woj coming on.

Hard game but we're a better team than URI. This could really give us momentum into a tough A10 stretch pending.

NCAA or bust.

 

[Eight Legger]

Yeah, that Brown debacle last night worries me. But let's hope it is the start of a two-game losing streak for them. Feels like we are due for a win up there. When is the last time we got one?

 

[spider23]

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=320070227

Play every other year at URI, and I believe this is the last win, with Darien Brothers having a good game, thought he thoroughly outplayed Baron in this one.

 

[spider23]

https://www.yurview.com/uri-rams-basketball/rams-look-to-reset-as-atlantic-10-play-begins/

 

[GKiller]

If Ohio St can lose 2 games in a row URI certainly can. The Wisco win tonight over OSU makes this game even bigger imo. Mooney u r in year 9 of an original 10 year deal w no ncaas to show for it. It’s there for the taking. Show me game Sunday.

 

[RichmondNative]

Watched parts of the URI vs Brown game on ESPN+ (replay). Other than the fact that URI lost, another issue is that Brown runs the same sort of offense as the Spiders. So the Rams are going to be well prepared even though there is a short amount of time between games. Surprisingly, Brown has some good athletes - what they lack is facilities. Their gym is high school like.

Not surprising that the Rams overlooked the Bears, but I am sure they will be more motivated at home in an A10 contest.

 

[urfan1]

locally looks like ESPN+ -- anyway to get this on regular TV?

 

[spider23]

If you can get ESPN+ app on your TV you can watch.

 

[Eight Legger]

ESPN+ is the best $5 a month you will spend on anything all year, trust me.

 

[SouthJerseySpiderFan]

I believe any chance (slim IMO) of at-large bid starts with a win today. Early in the year game but possibly like Jerry's team that beat KU back in the day, the NY's eve win at Colorado got them in the Dance.

Three-man-weave had this to say at end of #4 RI and #5 UR previews .....

Bottom Line: Rhode Island will Sharpied into the 4-spot in nearly every publication’s A-10 preseason rankings. The Rams have the talent to compete with VCU, Davidson, and Dayton but they must improve their shot selection and efficiency on offense and regain the defensive dominance of recent history.

Bottom Line: Like the four squads ranked ahead of them, the Spiders have a ton of talent returning from last year with which to compete for an A-10 crown. Mooney’s offense will be a site to behold under the direction of Golden and Gilyard and a healthy Sherod. If he can improve his defense back to 2014 / 2015 levels, Richmond has a good shot at an at-large bid in March.

Rhody has improved their O-eff and defense more like teams of the past. Spider's D has improved but not to the level of 14-15. Brown did shoot 46% while hitting 13 3PTers. Mooney's team is more than capable of doing that! Of course we hope RI doesn't perform well inside and make Mooney's team reminiscent of past soft and passive experiences against the P5/6.

Kenny, Sagarin, and Massey have Rams winning by 4 while BartT has by 4.6. Line at Spiders +2. Expected greater but linesmakers know with the public recent games stick too much in bettor's minds.

 

[VT4700]

So, we have to win today to have any chance for a bid? In game 2 of an 18 game conference schedule with plenty of chances for good wins? What if we lose today, but go 3-1 against Dayton, SLU, and VCU? Rhode IsIand might finish around Davidson, Duquesne, and Mason. So, maybe we lose today, but beat those three teams on the road. I think we just need to win more of these big games than we lose, and avoid bad losses to the lesser teams.

 

[SouthJerseySpiderFan]

So, we have to win today to have any chance for a bid?

YES!

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

Rhode Island is a 2.5 point favorite.
I like our chances, but to paraphrase the recent A10 preview....."Mooney is still here....so idk?"

 

[whampas]

So, we have to win today to have any chance for a bid? In game 2 of an 18 game conference schedule with plenty of chances for good wins? What if we lose today, but go 3-1 against Dayton, SLU, and VCU? Rhode IsIand might finish around Davidson, Duquesne, and Mason. So, maybe we lose today, but beat those three teams on the road. I think we just need to win more of these big games than we lose, and avoid bad losses to the lesser teams.

If we lose today, I don't like our chances to go 3 and 1 against that trio. You can play the what if game all day. Play and win the game immediately in front of you.

 

[urmite]

If we lose today, I don't like our chances to go 3 and 1 against that trio. You can play the what if game all day. Play and win the game immediately in front of you.

How about, today may be the toughest of the next five, so let’s just win today to prove we have a chance at 5-0.

 

[whampas]

How about we get just 1 rebound today.

 

[SpiderK]

Out rebounded 12-4 in less than 5 minutes

 

[SpiderRick]

Mooney has to win games that we are not suppose to win, this is the best team EVER. First 4 minutes Rhode Island has 5 offensive rebounds. Richmond has to be one of the worst rebounding teams in America.

AND WHY IS CAYO TAKING ALL THE SHOTS? He has missed two wide open short jumpers, Rhody isn't even covering him. Two made shots in the first 7 minutes isn't going to win this game.

 

[SpiderRick]

Golden can dunk?? Who knew..

 

[SpiderK]

Sherod is a no show again.

 

[SpiderRick]

This would be a great game for Gilyard to break out of his slump. He really needs to assert himself in the first half, it's like he doesn't even look to shoot until the second half rolls around.

 

[whampas]

Sherod is a no show again.

Currently there are better options. Come on coach.

 

[SpiderRick]

Please bench Cayo

 

[Ferrum Spider]

Judging by this thread we’re losing by a lot. Nope actually up 25-17.

 

[whampas]

Judging by this thread we’re losing by a lot. Nope actually up 25-17.

You just committed a big ole jinx. Take it back.

 

[urfan1]

30-19 at half Gilly sitting the bench due to fouls for 1/2 of first

 

[SpiderRick]

It's so nice to see that we can compete and lead even when we are having an off day offensively. Very solid defense after a sour start. Need to keep the pressure up when we come out of the locker room!

 

[Spider2020]

I wouldn’t expect URI to stay this ice cold all day. Hopefully our guys can come out and push the lead more

 

[SouthJerseySpiderFan]

Judging by this thread we’re losing by a lot. Nope actually up 25-17.

If you're an astute basketball observer YOU would know more of RI's complete ineptness is responsible for that lead rather than great play by UR. Astute scenario postings being made of what could happen if RI took advantages of UR miscues.

That being said before the Mooney shill posting in reference to my above statement, still impressed that UR took advantage of it to have a 11 point lead. Not playing their best but giving their best effort! How about the D by Blake on Fattsless! Plus his offense!

 

[Spider2020]

Love the start to this half. Keep pushing

 

[whampas]

Spiders' foot is up, can they. Will they step on the Rams neck.

 

[SpiderRick]

This does not feel comfortable at all, not a good time to be taking poor shots.This is what Mooney has done to me over the years, when I am uneasy with a 17 point lead in the second half. How many offensive rebounds does Rhody have anyway?