The Richmond Spiders (5-5) will play the Clemson Tigers (8-3) on a neutral court in Greenville, South Carolina, on Saturday night. Richmond is eyeing their first three-game winning streak since taking care of Fairleigh Dickinson 77-48 on Tuesday.
Leading scorer and 2021-22 All-A-10 forward Tyler Burton had 12 points and nine rebounds in the blowout victory. Wofford transfer Isaiah Bigelow has a team-high 17 points in only 15 minutes off the bench.
The Richmond defense was suffocating on defense, forcing FDU to finish 19-of-61 from the field and 25% from deep. The 2021-22 All-Patriot honoree and former Lafayette Leopard Neal Quinn went a perfect 4-of-4 from the field while adding five rebounds and three blocks.
The Spiders will look to return to the NCAA Tournament after securing their first bid in ten seasons last year.
Clemson vs. Richmond Match Details
Fixture: Clemson vs Richmond
Date & Time: Saturday, December 17, 2022; 7 pm EDT
Venue: Secours Wellness Arena
Clemson vs. Richmond Betting Odds
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Clemson was embarrassed last time out 76-58 against a struggling Loyola Chicago team on a neutral court. Leading scorer Chase Hunter dropped a team-high 13 points in the win, although he finished 5-of-13 from the field.
Fifth-year senior Hunter Tyson and former Boston College Eagle and College of Charleston Cougar Brevin Galloway also sat in double-figure points. The Tigers won the turnover and rebound battle, but shot an abysmal 21-of54 from the field and 14% from deep.
ShotQuality Tale of the Tape
Below, we will highlight essential ShotQuality data for this matchup, including Adjusted Offensive and Defensive SQ, strengths, weaknesses, and frequency. SQppp is a player's average ShotQuality points per possession.
Thus, SQppp = Total SQpoints/Total No. of Possessions.
The Clemson Tigers own a 1.01 AdjOFF SQ this season, good for 109th in the nation. Richmond has the 138th-best AdjDEF SQ at 0.99. Clemson does well in all key stats, but open three rate where they are in the 239th (19%). Unfortunately, the Spiders' key stat information is unavailable at this time.
The Tigers own high-frequency numbers in catch & shoot 3PT, cut, half-court, midrange, off-screen, P&R ball screen, and post-up shot types. They are in the top 60 in all those shot types except with the half-court, with a 1.00 SQ PPP (113th in the country), 0.99 SQ PPP in P&R ball screen (138th), and 0.88 SQ PPP in post-up (188th). Conversely, the Spiders are in the top 150 in all those categories except 188th in post-up shots (0.88 SQ PPP).
The Richmond Spiders have a 1.00 AdjOFF SQ, the 147th-best mark in the country. Clemson has posted a 0.96 AdjDEF SQ this season, clocking in at 85th in the country. Unfortunately, the Spiders' key stat percentages and rankings are unavailable.
Richmond is in the country's top half in frequency regarding the following shot types: catch & shoot 3PT, half court, off the dribble 3PT, off-screen, and post-up. In all those shot types, the Spiders are in the top 150 in SQ PPP.
On the other hand, Clemson is in the top 75 in defending all those shot types except post-up and catch & shoot 3PT, where they own a 0.88 SQ PPP (199th) and 1.04 SQ PPP (289th).
Clemson vs. Richmond Prediction
Both these teams should have tourney aspirations after returning their core from last season. The Spiders are eyeing a resume-building win on a neutral court, while Clemson looks to stack wins before jumping into conference play.
The line is nearly identical to what SQ projects, so I will rock with the Spiders in a game that possesses more significance for them in the long run.
Prediction: Richmond +2.5 (-110)
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