Inside the Stats is a series on Hoop Ten Harbor that looks at some of the most interesting statistics regarding games in the Atlantic 10 conference. Our site uses Kenpom to look at some of the intricacies of the games across the A10. This week, we’ll take a look at VCU’s win over Richmond. Both teams fought tooth and nail for the entire game, but the Rams were able to edge the Spiders in overtime 94-89. Following the game, here are some of the interesting numbers (1-10), regarding the contest.
1
1 is the position in the conference that VCU remains in after getting the win over Richmond. Now 5-0 in A10 play, the Rams are off to a red-hot start and look as if they can’t be stopped. As of right now, the Rams hold the top spot by themselves. St. Bonaventure fell to Duquesne later in the day.
2
2 is the number of games that Kenpom projects VCU to lose moving forward in the regular season. The Rams are projected to finish 16-2 in the conference, a record that would undoubtedly get them back into the NCAA Tournament. The two games that VCU is projected to lose are road matchups against Dayton and George Washington.
3
3 is the number of three pointers that Richmond was able to connect on against VCU. Despite hitting 24 of them in their previous two contests, the Spiders struggled immensely, shooting just 3-18 (16.7%) from behind the arc. No Richmond player was able to hit more than one attempt from downtown.
4
4 is the number of offensive rebounds that VCU guard Korey Billbury pulled down on Saturday afternoon. This total marks the third highest of the season for the Rams’ senior. His season-high came when he had 6 against American. He’s proving himself as a dynamic guard both scoring and rebounding the basketball.
5
5 is the number of blocks that Mo Alie-Cox recorded against Richmond on Saturday. The senior was an animal on the defensive end, swatting away anything that was coming near the rim. This marks a season-high for Mo Alie-Cox. His previous high was 4 against Prairie View A&M at the beginning of the season.
6
6 is the number of Richmond players that were on the floor at one point in the game. Oops. Late in the contest, the Spiders had a huge mental lapse that cost them a point. In a midst of confusion, they failed to get their 6th man off the court in time. A technical foul ensued; Melvin Johnson would go ahead and make the free throw for the Rams.
7
7 is the number of steals that each team had on Saturday. VCU ranks third in the nation in that category at 10.4 per contest, so the Rams were actually slightly below average against Richmond. The Spiders on the other hand rank 141st in the nation with 6.5 per contest, so they did slightly better than average.
8
8 is the number of consecutive games that VCU has now won. It’s hard to believe that the Rams’ last loss was on December 19th when they fell to Cincinnati at home. Since then, they’ve come a long way. The Rams are beginning to legitimize their chances of competing in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The question is: how many more can they win?
9
9 is the number of games this season where the Spiders have allowed their opponent to score 76 points or more. Richmond ranks 243rd in the nation in defensive efficiency and 316th in defensive three point field goal percentage. The Spiders will need to sharpen up on that side of the ball moving forward in the Atlantic 10.
10
10 is the number of field goals that Richmond’s leading scorers ShawnDre’ Jones and T.J. Cline each had against VCU on Saturday. They went for 26 and 22 points respectively. Despite great offensive production from the two Spiders, Richmond was unable to squeak out a victory over its crosstown rival.
