Sweet 16: Richmond vs Kansas | Prediction & Pick

Spiders look to bite Kansas

The Spiders have continued crawling over the competition and have landed themselves in the round of 16 for the first time since 1988, where they will now face the top seeded Kansas Jayhawks at the Alamodome on Friday.

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#12 Richmond (29-7, 13-3 A-10) vs. #1 Kansas (34-2, 14-2 Big 12)

Date/Time: Friday, March 25, 7:27 PM ET
Venue: Alamodome in San Antonio, TX.
Broadcast: TBS

Money Line: Richmond +525, Kansas -725
Spread: Kansas -10 ½
Over/Under: 137 ½

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Reminiscent of the 1991 Richmond squad that became the first team seeded 15th to win a tournament game in history when they knocked off a stunned Syracuse, this year’s Spiders have impressed with two wins over quality opponents, including tournament darlings Vanderbilt in the round of 64 with a 69-66 victory.

However, they did catch a break in the round of 32 by escaping a possible bout with Louisville who was eliminated by eventual second round foe; Morehead State who the Spiders dispatched easily, 65-48.

Meanwhile, Kansas is one of three remaining top seeds, and advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 72-53 win over Boston University in the round of 64 and a 73-59 victory over Illinois in the round of 32. A big relief considering they were handed their tournament pink slip by darkhorse No. 9 seed Northern Iowa last season in the Round of 32. This year’s two tournament wins have given Kansas a 10-game winning streak.

However, the Jayhawks should know better than to overlook any of the three teams remaining in the region.

Northern Iowa’s victory should also provide Richmond with all the belief it needs to play with Kansas.

The Spiders have now won nine straight games, and are led by 6-foot-10 forward Justin Harper. He had 13 points and four rebounds against Vandy and 19 points and six boards against Morehead State. The Spiders will need Harper and 6-foot-9 center Dan Geriot to hold their own against the Morris twins.

Leading scorer Marcus Morris had 16 points and nine rebounds in the Jayhawks’ win over Boston and 17 points and 12 boards against Illinois. Leading rebounder Markieff Morris had 15 points and eight boards against Boston and 24 points and 12 rebounds against the Illini. They will no doubt be a handful for the Spiders.

The biggest key for Richmond will be its defense. The Spiders rank 18th in the country with only 60.8 points allowed per game. But Kansas finished fifth in the country in scoring (82.4 PPG), 19th in rebounding (38.6 RPG), second in assists (17.9 APG), and were the top shooting team in the nation with a field goal percentage of 51.4 percent.

The odds makers have the Kansas Jayhawks as a -10.5 point favorite with an over/under of 137.5.

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Prediction: Kansas will be focused here with the feeling it has some unfinished business following last year’s early exit, and I expect that attitude to carry them through to the Final Four.

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