Bracketology 2024: Green Bay and Richmond among surprise title contenders

Richmond Spiders 17-7, 9-2 in Atlantic 10

Dayton was the clear favorite to win the Atlantic 10 in the preseason, but post-Valentine’s Day they find themselves in a race with the team picked to finish 11th, the Richmond Spiders. After losing to UMass on Valentine’s Day, the Spiders are now 17-7 and a half-game behind both Dayton and Loyola-Chicago having already won their only meeting with both teams this season.

Unlike every other coach on this list, Chris Mooney is in his 19th season at the school, has been to three NCAA Tournaments including a sweet sixteen, and is the all-time winningest coach at the school. The Spiders are aiming for their first regular season title in the A10 and unexpectedly to some, their second conference tournament title in three seasons.

Richmond is another team that likes to play at a slower pace scoring 72 per game. They have four averaging double figures led by senior Jordan King and his 18.5 points and scorching 42.4% from behind the arc. Richmond is one of the best defensive teams in the country ranking 26th in defensive efficiency and 13th in effective field goal percentage defense.

The Spiders shoot the three well and defend it even better, knocking down 36% while their opponents shoot 29.8%. They are the No. 1 team in the sport in turnover percentage, committing just 8.5 per game, and are getting 13 points off of their opponents' 11.8 turnovers thanks to seven steals per game. Which is to say, one of the keys to beating Richmond is being efficient in the half-court because the Spiders are unlikely to let you get out and run.