Richmond aims to stay hot –

The Richmond Spiders (7-1) take on the South Alabama Jaguars (5-3) at the Robins Center this afternoon (2:00/ESPN+).  The Spiders are coming off a victory in Hampton (80-63) last Wednesday, and will have to worry about the health status of Grant Golden (ankle) & Nathan Cayo (ankle).  Grant & Nathan will both be game-time decisions once again, which will lead to role players stepping up once again.  Matt Grace had his best game of the year vs Hampton, so if Golden & Cayo are both out, Richmond would love for Grace to step up and hit some clutch shots.

Scouting South Alabama:

The Jaguars are 5-3 and are in the Sun-Belt Conference.  South Alabama are currently ranked 124th in the latest Kenpom rankings.  The Jaguars have defeated Southern Miss, Spring Hill, Northeastern, & Miami (OH).  They are most recently coming off a lost to La Salle in OT (81-76) on 11/27.  The Jags are lead by Andre Fox who is averaging 17.8 ppg, leading the team.  He also has taken 18 more 3’s than anyone else on the roster.  Josh Ajayi leads the Jaguars in rebounds with 8.0 rpg, with 64 total rebounds this season.  South Alabama is coached by Richie Riley who is in his 4th full season, and his 2nd as head coach for the Jaguars.  They are averaging 78.5 ppg while giving up 70.8 ppg through 8 contests in the 2019-2020 season.

Prediction:

With or without Grant Golden and/or Nathan Cayo, the Spiders will win this contest and move to 8-1 on the year.  They will once again rely on strong perimeter shooting, and I expect Tyler Burton to continue to provide his energy off of the bench.  I’m going to go with Richmond 82 – South Alabama – 71.  See you this afternoon Spider Nation!