Richmond Basketball: 3 takeaways from stunning blowout to No. 11 West Virginia

1. West Virginia’s defense feasted on Richmond in the first half, particularly through their press

One of the keys behind West Virginia’s dominant first-half run was their press – and Richmond’s inability to break it.  To provide a bigger picture, Richmond committed 16 turnovers for the game – and 12 came in the first half.  The Spiders committed seven of those turnovers during WVU’s 29-10 run – one coming on an offensive foul, and the other six from errant passes.

It is even more bizarre considering West Virginia’s defense forced 13.3 turnovers a game leading up to this showdown – and nearly matched that in the first half alone.  Additionally, Richmond turns the ball over on just 15.0% of their possessions – and averaged 11.0 turnovers a game entering this showdown.

It was not just a singular issue, either. Of the seven turnovers in that 29-10 stretch, six different Spiders committed turnovers as a result of West Virginia’s press.  For the game, Grant Golden was the worst, handing the ball over six times.

Subsequently, those turnovers turned into points for West Virginia.  The Mountaineers maintained a dominant 19-9 advantage in points off turnovers for the game – 11 of those came in the midst of West Virginia’s dominant run.

For the first half, Richmond turned the ball over on 32.4% of their possessions – and scored on just 40.5%.  The Mountaineers held them to 0.81 points per possession in the opening stanza while recording 1.37 themselves.

The Spiders should not meet a defense quite as staunch as West Virginia’s during A-10 play – but they have given teams a blueprint on how to make them uncomfortable in the fullcourt.  If Richmond can get out and run in transition, they have a shot – but they have to be successful in fullcourt situations.