By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
BUFFALO – Pulling off one NCAA Tournament upset as the No. 12 seed is a difficult task. Achieving a second is even tougher, although 12s have experienced a resurgence over the last decade.
No. 12 seeds are 10-13 in the second round since the 2012 Tourney, with just one of those wins occurring against a team seeded worse than fifth in their region. Most recently, Oregon State continued its surprise run to last year’s Elite Eight with an 80-70 triumph over No. 4 Oklahoma State.
Richmond has become a comfortable underdog, solely conducting upsets since it tipped off against cross-city rival Virginia Commonwealth in last Friday’s Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinal. The Spiders could have worn white jerseys as the favorite for Saturday’s second round contest at KeyBank Center (6:10 p.m., TNT) had popular upset pick South Dakota State vanquished No. 4 seed Providence, but the 26-5 Friars are indeed their opponent.
“We were picked preseason second (in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll),” Spiders guard Jacob Gilyard acknowledged. “We didn’t look at ourselves as an average six-seed in the A-10; we didn’t look at ourselves as an average 12-seed coming into the tournament. So we think a lot of people are gonna underestimate us and that’s fine, but we’re excited to be here.”
Like Gilyard, Providence is frequently quarterbacked by an undersized point guard capable of a big game. Jared Bynum is listed at 5-foot-10, an inch taller than Gilyard, and is nonetheless averaging 18 points per game and shooting 47.5 percent from 3-point range since the beginning of February. Gilyard is averaging 23.3 points in the five games since the A-10 Tournament began.
Bynum, the Big East’s Sixth Man of the Year, plays nearly 28 minutes a night off the bench and factors into over a quarter of the Friars’ possessions. The redshirt junior, who transferred to Providence after totaling the third-most points at A-10 member Saint Joseph’s in 2018-19, tallied nine of his 12 points in the second half on Thursday. He also stands 35th nationally in assist rate, though he did not register an assist against the Jackrabbits.
Bynum expressed anticipation for his first meeting with the Spiders since Jan. 23, 2019, when he was fouled by Gilyard and converted the winning free throws with a second remaining in a 74-70 victory. Gilyard missed seven of his 11 field goal tries that night, held to just nine points while Grant Golden and Nathan Cayo combined for 45.
The more things change, with Bynum in a Providence uniform and former La Salle Explorer Ed Croswell in the Friars’ frontcourt, the more they stay the same.
“A lot has changed,” Bynum noted, “but I just think it’s gonna be kind of cool playing another A-10 team in the tournament, coming from the A-10 and having played against some of those guys while we were there. Definitely an experience and opportunity I’m looking forward to and I’m grateful for.”
Richmond star Tyler Burton has the strongest full-circle connection to the matchup, however. Burton’s father Quinton played for the Friars from 1986-1990 and was a freshman on the 1986-87 Final Four team coached by Rick Pitino.
Providence coach Ed Cooley recruited Burton in high school and shared an embrace when he saw the all-league second team honoree at the arena before the tournament began.
“Quinton being a Friar, I’m pretty sure blood is a little bit thicker than water in this game for him,” Cooley acknowledged with a smile. “But it’s been a real pleasure to see his growth, to see how much he’s improved, to see how physical, to see how tough, I’m very, very proud of him. … Hopefully he can have a really bad game tomorrow, but he’s definitely earned the right to be here. He’s been one of the leaders of that team.”
The sides mirror each other with their deliberate offensive styles, each ranking sub-200 nationally in average possession length but top 100 in adjusted efficiency according to KenPom.com. Each team presents a defense built to withstand a shooting slump; the Friars are now 5-3 when they shoot under 40 percent from the field this season, while Richmond is 8-7 when it shoots worse than 30 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.
Cooley’s group is deep, featuring five players who average at least nine points a game and eight who play at least 13 minutes. Six Friars climbed to the dais for their pregame media availability on Friday, a sign of the balance they carry. Nate Watson and Al Durham each produce at least 13 points a night, with the 6-foot-10 Watson converting 55 percent of his shots.
Each group is experienced enough- Providence sixth in KenPom’s experience metric, Richmond tied for 15th- that there is no panic, little fluster in these games. That composure is what has maneuvered the Spiders through five losses by three points or fewer this season, guided them through four games in four days in Washington, D.C. when many teams with disappointing regular seasons had long mailed it in.
“We lost at the buzzer a couple of times, whether we missed a shot or the other team made a shot,” Mooney recalled, “and I would tell the guys at that point that as much as you don’t want to hear this, that’s part of the reason you came back. … We weren’t going to go undefeated. It wasn’t going to be all perfect, like their careers haven’t been perfect.
“I said this is part of the reason you came back, is to handle that adversity, handle those losses and to rebound, to show perseverance, to come through. And the guys certainly have done that in a great way all season, but especially this last week.”
The Spiders have won seven times when trailing by 10 or more points this season, erasing 15-point deficits against both Rhode Island and Dayton in the conference tournament. If Providence builds an early lead, Richmond cannot be counted out.
Providence is, however, 11-1 in games decided by five points or fewer. Each team has thrived when closing games after the last media timeout, which Mooney attributed to the ball being in the hands of a senior or graduate student in those crucial moments. Golden watched when the Friars played Butler, as his brother Bryce plays for the Bulldogs, and understands what his team has to prepare for.
“Nate Watson is a really good player. I’m sure he’ll be at the top of the scouting report for us,” Golden said. “But they have really good players all over. Bynum, coming off the bench, plays like a leading scorer. To have that amount of scoring coming off the bench, that’s huge for any team.
“They have shooters all around, so it’ll certainly be a good matchup. And we’re looking forward to it.”
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