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

2. The Spiders failed in getting West Virginia’s posts in foul trouble – and as a result, WVU’s frontcourt dominated

Part of Richmond’s issues with physicality comes from Chris Mooney’s reliance on Princeton offense – and the necessity of having posts that compliment that style of play.  Having those types of mobile – yet not the most physical – posts ailed the Spiders against West Virginia.

I wrote in my keys for Richmond article prior to this game that the Spiders needed to get West Virginia’s bigs in foul trouble in order to have a shot in this game – and, although doing that has not been one of Richmond’s strengths this season, doing that has allowed most teams to hang around with the Mountaineers.

Except, the Spiders did not do that – at all.  Between West Virginia’s premier posts in Derek Culver, Oscar Tshiebwe, and Gabe Osabuohien, the trio accumulated a combined five fouls for the entire game – Culver had the most with two, while Tshiebwe and Osabuohien had one apiece.

The inability of Richmond’s starting posts – Grant Golden, Tyler Burton, and Nathan Cayo – to get West Virginia’s big men in foul trouble ailed the Spiders.  Culver recorded a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Tshiebwe went 6-8 inside the arc to finish with 12 points.

Richmond’s posts, offensively, exceeded West Virginia’s – the trio of Golden, Burton, and Cayo scored a combined 37 points.  But the Mountaineers, in addition to their stellar outside shooting, outscored the Spiders in the paint, maintaining a 36-28 edge for the game.

This would not nearly be as notable of an issue if the Spiders could find their stroke from outside – but until they do, their play inside the arc is as critical as ever.  If they cannot physically match up with stronger posts, then the Spiders will struggle to outscore opponents.