"A lot of schools across the country have added pieces that are older and really talented, but we've been able to do it with our guys. I think it's a great story.”
Hear from both coaches, and players for Providence and Richmond as they prepare to meet with the Sweet 16 on the line.
When Providence faces Richmond with the Sweet 16 on the line on Saturday night they may feel as though they are looking in the mirror in some ways.
The Spiders are led by a dynamic, undersized point guard, were on their way to the NCAA Tournament in 2020 behind a 24-7 record (before the postseason was canceled), and they returned a roster this season with players who had started over 500 games combined in their careers.
Richmond was expected to compete for the Atlantic-10 regular season title heading into this season, but a 10-8 record in conference play landed them sixth in the standings. As a result, they needed to win the A10 Tournament to reach this point.
That’s just what they did, with wins over Rhode Island (64-59), VCU (75-64), Dayton (68-64), and Davidson (64-62) in a very impressive four day stretch.
Chris Mooney’s club rode that momentum into Buffalo, knocking off fifth seeded Iowa, 67-63, in a game that they largely controlled in the second half.
The headliner is super senior Jacob Gilyard. The 5’9 point guard is dynamic on both ends of the floor. He broke former Friar John Linehan’s NCAA record for career steals earlier this year, but he’s just as likely to torch teams on the offensive end.