# 2021–22 Richmond Spiders men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Richmond Spiders men's basketball team represented the University of Richmond during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by 17th-year head coach Chris Mooney and played their home games at the Robins Center as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They finished the season 24–13, 10–8 in Atlantic 10 play to finish in sixth place. As the No. 6 seed, they defeated Rhode Island, VCU, Dayton, and Davidson to win the Atlantic 10 tournament. They received the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 12 seed in the Midwest Region, where they upset Iowa in the First Round before losing to Providence in the Second Round.
On December 5, 2021, senior guard Jacob Gilyard set the new all-time NCAA Division I career steals record, securing his 386th steal to surpass Providence's John Linehan (385), whose record had stood since 2002. Gilyard ultimately finished his career with a total of 466 steals.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Spiders finished the 2020–21 season 14–9, 6–5 in A-10 play to finish in eighth place. They lost to Duquesne in the second round of the A-10 tournament. The Spiders received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated Toledo in the first round before losing to Mississippi State.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Blake Francis | 1 | G | 6'0" | 175 | Graduate Student | Herndon, VA | Graduated |

### Returning players

With the NCAA granting student-athletes an extra year of eligibility due to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, three scholarship Spiders who would have otherwise exhausted their eligibility elected to return for the 2021–22 season: Jacob Gilyard, Nathan Cayo, and Grant Golden. Nick Sherod also elected to return despite having already spent five years in the Richmond program, including missing the entire 2020–21 season and all but six games of the 2018–19 season due to injuries.

### 2021 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jason Nelson G | Richmond, VA | John Marshall High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jun 25, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Malcolm Dread G | Detroit, MI | Gonzaga College High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jun 7, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Marcus Randolph G | Willingboro, NJ | Archbishop Wood High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Sep 25, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Aidan Noyes F | Cincinnati, OH | Archbishop Moeller High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Oct 24, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Liam Weaver G | Kansas City, MO | Pembroke Hill School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Dec 19, 2020 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Rivals.com 2021 Richmond Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021. "Scout.com 2021 Richmond Commitments". Scout.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021. "ESPN 2021 Richmond Commitments". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 10, 2021. ||||||

## Schedule and results

Richmond announced its 13-game non-conference schedule on August 9, 2021, consisting of six home games, three road games, and four neutral-site games. The non-conference schedule began on November 9 with a home game against North Carolina Central and concluded with a December 22 home game against Bucknell. The Atlantic 10 portion of Richmond's schedule was announced on September 9, 2021.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 p.m., NBCSWA/ESPN+ | | North Carolina Central | W 70–60 | 1–0 | 19 – Golden | 6 – Tied | 6 – Gilyard | Robins Center (6,173) Richmond, VA |
| November 12, 2021* 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Utah State Veterans Classic | L 74–85 | 1–1 | 24 – Golden | 8 – Golden | 6 – Gilyard | Alumni Hall (3,800) Annapolis, MD |
| November 16, 2021* 7:00 p.m., NBCSWA/ESPN+ | | Georgia State | W 94–78 | 2–1 | 20 – Burton | 8 – Tied | 6 – Tied | Robins Center (5,521) Richmond, VA |
| November 20, 2021* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Drake | L 70–73 | 2–2 | 30 – Burton | 9 – Burton | 5 – Tied | Knapp Center (3,347) Des Moines, IA |
| November 22, 2021* 7:00 p.m., NBCSWA+/ESPN+ | | Hofstra | W 81–68 | 3–2 | 22 – Burton | 7 – Tied | 6 – Gilyard | Robins Center (5,201) Richmond, VA |
| November 25, 2021* 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | vs. Maryland Bahamas Championship semifinal | L 80–86 | 3–3 | 18 – Golden | 8 – Cayo | 5 – Golden | Baha Mar Convention Center Nassau, Bahamas |
| November 27, 2021* 12:30 p.m., FloHoops | | vs. Mississippi State Bahamas Championship consolation | L 71–82 $^{OT}$ | 3–4 | 23 – Burton | 7 – Burton | 6 – Gilyard | Baha Mar Convention Center Nassau, Bahamas |
| December 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Wofford | W 73–64 | 4–4 | 21 – Golden | 7 – Gilyard | 4 – Tied | Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (1,576) Spartanburg, SC |
| December 5, 2021* 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Northern Iowa | W 60–52 | 5–4 | 26 – Burton | 8 – Sherod | 4 – Tied | McLeod Center (2,337) Cedar Falls, IA |
| December 11, 2021* 6:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | Toledo | W 72–69 | 6–4 | 17 – Burton | 9 – Burton | 7 – Gilyard | Robins Center (6,592) Richmond, VA |
| December 17, 2021* 6:30 p.m., ACCN | | vs. NC State Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout | W 83–74 | 7–4 | 19 – Golden | 8 – Burton | 10 – Gilyard | Spectrum Center Charlotte, NC |
| December 19, 2021* 4:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | Old Dominion | W 67–61 | 8–4 | 29 – Burton | 10 – Burton | 8 – Gilyard | Robins Center (6,884) Richmond, VA |
| December 22, 2021* 4:00 p.m., NBCSWA+/ESPN+ | | Bucknell | W 81–50 | 9–4 | 22 – Golden | 10 – Golden | 11 – Gilyard | Robins Center (5,037) Richmond, VA |
| A-10 regular season |||||||||
| December 30, 2021 7:00 p.m., NBCSWA+/ESPN+ | | Saint Joseph's | L 56–83 | 9–5 (0–1) | 14 – Golden | 7 – Golden | 6 – Gilyard | Robins Center (5,003) Richmond, VA |
| January 2, 2022 2:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Saint Louis | L 69–76 | 9–6 (0–2) | 24 – Burton | 12 – Burton | 4 – Tied | Chaifetz Arena (4,825) St. Louis, MO |
| January 5, 2022 7:00 p.m., NBCSWA+/ESPN+ | | Massachusetts | W 80–72 | 10–6 (1–2) | 17 – Gilyard | 13 – Burton | 10 – Gilyard | Robins Center (5,004) Richmond, VA |
| January 14, 2022 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | | Davidson | L 84–87 | 10–7 (1–3) | 28 – Gilyard | 5 – Golden | 5 – Gilyard | Robins Center (6,471) Richmond, VA |
| January 18, 2022 8:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | at Fordham Rescheduled from January 8 | W 83–70 | 11–7 (2–3) | 31 – Gilyard | 7 – Gustavson | 3 – Tied | Rose Hill Gym (0) Bronx, NY |
| January 22, 2022 4:30 p.m., USA | | at La Salle | W 64–56 | 12–7 (3–3) | 18 – Tied | 5 – Tied | 7 – Gilyard | Tom Gola Arena (2,137) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 25, 2022 6:30 p.m., CBSSN | | at Rhode Island | W 70–63 | 13–7 (4–3) | 15 – Tied | 13 – Burton | 6 – Gilyard | Ryan Center (6,259) Kingston, RI |
| January 29, 2022 4:00 p.m., CBSSN | | VCU Capital City Classic | L 62–64 | 13–8 (4–4) | 18 – Golden | 9 – Golden | 6 – Gilyard | Robins Center (7,201) Richmond, VA |
| February 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Duquesne | W 74–57 | 14–8 (5–4) | 18 – Burton | 12 – Burton | 4 – Golden | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,211) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 4, 2022 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | St. Bonaventure | W 71–61 | 15–8 (6–4) | 36 – Burton | 10 – Golden | 8 – Gilyard | Robins Center (5,803) Richmond, VA |
| February 7, 2022 7:00 p.m., MASN/ESPN+ | | George Mason Rescheduled from January 11 | W 62–59 | 16–8 (7–4) | 23 – Gilyard | 5 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Robins Center (5,354) Richmond, VA |
| February 9, 2022 7:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at George Mason | L 84–87 $^{OT}$ | 16–9 (7–5) | 23 – Golden | 8 – Tied | 11 – Gilyard | EagleBank Arena (3,842) Fairfax, VA |
| February 12, 2022 6:00 p.m., NBCSWA+/ESPN+ | | La Salle | W 77–63 | 17–9 (8–5) | 15 – Tied | 10 – Burton | 6 – Gustavson | Robins Center (6,801) Richmond, VA |
| February 18, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at VCU Capital City Classic | L 57–77 | 17–10 (8–6) | 13 – Burton | 11 – Burton | 4 – Gilyard | Siegel Center (7,637) Richmond, VA |
| February 22, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at George Washington | W 84–71 | 18–10 (9–6) | 19 – Cayo | 8 – Cayo | 6 – Golden | Charles E. Smith Center (1,254) Washington, D.C. |
| February 25, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Saint Louis | W 68–66 | 19–10 (10–6) | 23 – Burton | 10 – Burton | 2 – Tied | Robins Center (6,750) Richmond, VA |
| March 1, 2022 6:30 p.m., CBSSN | | Dayton | L 53–55 | 19–11 (10–7) | 15 – Golden | 10 – Golden | 3 – Gilyard | Robins Center (6,572) Richmond, VA |
| March 4, 2022 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at St. Bonaventure | L 65–72 | 19–12 (10–8) | 21 – Burton | 8 – Burton | 4 – Cayo | Reilly Center (4,860) St. Bonaventure, NY |
| A-10 tournament |||||||||
| March 10, 2022 8:30 p.m., USA/Peacock | (6) | vs. (11) Rhode Island Second Round | W 64–59 | 20–12 | 19 – Golden | 11 – Burton | 4 – Gilyard | Capital One Arena (6,543) Washington, D.C. |
| March 11, 2022 8:30 p.m., USA/Peacock | (6) | vs. (3) VCU Quarterfinals | W 75–64 | 21–12 | 32 – Gilyard | 8 – Burton | 3 – Gilyard | Capital One Arena (7,420) Washington, D.C. |
| March 12, 2022 3:30 p.m., CBSSN | (6) | vs. (2) Dayton Semifinals | W 68–64 | 22–12 | 18 – Golden | 9 – Golden | 5 – Gilyard | Capital One Arena (7,799) Washington, D.C. |
| March 13, 2022 1:00 p.m., CBS | (6) | vs. (1) Davidson Championship | W 64–62 | 23–12 | 26 – Gilyard | 12 – Burton | 3 – Cayo | Capital One Arena (8,452) Washington, D.C. |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 17, 2022 3:10 p.m., truTV | (12 MW) | vs. (5 MW) No. 16 Iowa First Round | W 67–63 | 24–12 | 24 – Gilyard | 11 – Burton | 6 – Gilyard | KeyBank Center (16,017) Buffalo, NY |
| March 19, 2022 6:10 p.m., TNT | (12 MW) | vs. (4 MW) No. 13 Providence Second Round | L 51–79 | 24–13 | 18 – Cayo | 6 – Burton | 5 – Golden | KeyBank Center Buffalo, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Sources