Even though COVID-19 brought athletic events to a halt around the world, it didn’t stop our Spider men’s basketball team from having a monumental season. Not only were the numbers impressive, but the Spiders broke records along the way. And looking ahead to next year, ESPN has included UR in its top 25 preseason rankings.

The historic 2019-20 season included some impressive accomplishments. Here are some highlights:

1. The team posted 14 A-10 conference wins, setting a new school record.
2. They tied a school record by winning 24 regular season games, including victories over three Power Five conference opponents.
3. The Spiders landed a No. 2 seed in this year’s A-10 tournament, the highest in school history.
4. Richmond received a season-high six votes in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll of the season — our best showing in the poll in nine years.
5. In an ESPN tournament simulation run by bracketologist Joe Lunardi, the team received an at-large bid as one of the last four teams in the field of 68.

In addition to the team-wide achievements, Jacob Gilyard, ’21, led all Division 1 players in steals and has been named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. And Nick Sherod, ’21, was 10th in 3-point field goal percentage in the country.

The team is in a position to have another strong showing in 2021. The roster during this historic season did not include any seniors, and all five starters are slated to return next year.

Go Spiders!