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The Richmond Spiders begin the 2024-25 college basketball season, looking to successfully defend the 2023-24 Atlantic 10 regular season title and qualify to the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Chris Mooney returns for his 20th season as coach, raring to resume the breakthrough he had last season.
Richmond improved from 15-18 (7-11 in A-10) in the 2022-23 season to 23-10 (15-3 in A-10) last year. The exceptional performance in the regular season handed the Spiders a share of the 2023-24 A-10 regular season title with Loyola Chicago and the top seed in the A-10 Tournament.
However, they were upset by No. 9 seed Saint Joseph's, squandering a chance to secure an automatic NCAA Tournament bid given to the tournament winners. The selection committee didn't credit Richmond's showing in the regular season, booting them out of March Madness and relegating them to the NIT.
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They competed in the NIT and were ousted in the first round by third seed Virginia Tech in the Wake Forest Bracket. Here's an inside look into the Spiders' 2024-25 campaign, from its biggest games to the key players to watch out for.
Richmond's biggest games of the 2024-25 season
Richmond opens its non-conference schedule at home against Mount Olive on Nov. 6 and Marist on Nov. 9. After this, the Spiders will head to a stretch where they'll play six of their next seven games on the road or neutral arenas.
They will first visit Charlotte on Nov. 13 and Bucknell on Nov. 16. Richmond heads back to Robins Center on Nov. 20 to take on Maine, then travel to Fort Myers, Florida for the Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 25-27.
The Spiders will have its first test of the season against SEC team Auburn on Dec. 8. The Tigers made it to the 2024 NCAA Tournament but were ousted by Yale in the first round. They will host three of its last four matches before going to its Atlantic-10 regular season games.
Coach Chris Mooney and his men will play 18 games against conference mates beginning in January. They will have four home-and-away games against Davidson, George Mason, George Washington and VCU.
Richmond will visit Dayton, La Salle, Massachusetts, Saint Joseph's and St. Bonaventure and will host defending A-10 Tournament champions Duquesne, Fordham, and co-A-10 regular season winners Loyola Chicago and Saint Louis at the Robins Center.
Top Richmond players to watch out for in the 2024-25 season
#1. DeLonnie Hunt
DeLonnie Hunt returns after a good first season with Richmond, where he averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Hunt, who played for three seasons with Wagner before transferring to the Spiders last season, will be one of Chris Mooney's main scorers in offense due to his ability to thread the needle in penetration plays.
#2. Jonathan Beagle
Jonathan Beagle is coming off two excellent seasons with Albany, where he tallied 12.4 ppg, 8.3 rpg and 1.9 apg. The 6-10 incoming junior shot 53.6% from the field and 64.7 from the free throw line in 53 games for the Great Danes.
Beagle will pair with fellow transfer Dusan Neskovic in manning the paint for the Spiders in the coming season.
#3. Dusan Neskovic
Dusan Neskovic transferred to Richmond after playing three seasons with Dartmouth. The Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina native appeared in 63 games for the Big Green and averaged 10.9 ppg and 3.1 rpg.
The six-foot-eight Neskovic shot 45.2% from the field and made 75.3% of his free throws during his time with Dartmouth.
Predictions for Richmond's 2024-25 season
Richmond will still contend for the Atlantic-10 Conference title due to its balanced roster consisting of eight returnees, six transfers and three freshmen. It's now up to Spiders' coach Chris Mooney if he can guide them to a March Madness stint this coming season.
Richmond could be one of the surprise teams of the 2025 NCAA Tournament due to its deep rotation and balanced offense. Expect the Spiders to win at least 24 games and pick up a March Madness bid after missing it last year.
Will Richmond make the 2025 NCAA Tournament? Let us know your views in the comments section.
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