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No. 11 WVU Faces Quick Turnaround Against Experienced No. 19 Richmond

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(photo: Dale Sparks/WVU Athletic Communications)

No. 11 West Virginia will host No. 19 Richmond at 1 p.m. (ESPN) on Sunday afternoon —  just 50 hours after tipping off against North Texas on Friday.

The Mountaineers’ quick turnaround is the result of hasty scheduling to replace the team’s game against Robert Morris that was canceled due to COVID.

The RMU game, originally scheduled for Wednesday, would have given WVU (5-1) a couple of full days to prepare for the Spiders, but as things are now the Mountaineers have just one day in between games. Following Friday’s 62-50 victory over the Mean Green, junior guard Sean McNeil said the team spent some time on Richmond after they learned the RMU game was off but admitted that they had not yet fully scouted them.

“We’ve got into them a little bit,” McNeil said. “They’re really talented, they beat Kentucky. They’ve got a lot of guys, they’re deep, they play well together. Definitely, a lot of preparation going forward is going to be on them.”

WATCH: Derek Culver, Sean McNeil Recap WVU’s Home Opener Against North Texas

If there was ever a team to not scrimp on preparing for, Richmond might be it. The No. 19 Spiders (4-0) return four of their five starters and six of their top seven scorers from a team that finished 24-7 overall and 14-4 in Atlantic 10 play last season.

“Richmond’s one of the better teams in the country because their guys stayed, they know what they’re doing,” WVU coach Bob Huggins said last week. “They run offense probably better than anybody in the country.”

Richmond was forced to pause team activities earlier this season due to COVID but are 4-0, scoring at least 76 points in all four games. They defeated Morehead State and No. 10 Kentucky on Nov. 27 and 29 and, most recently, Wofford and Northern Iowa on Dec. 7 and 9. The Spiders have five players averaging more than 12 points over the team’s first four games, led by graduate forward Grant Golden’s 15.3.

“Their big is very good,” Huggins said of the 6-foot-10 Golden. “He can make threes, he’s got really good physical size and strength and passes the ball extremely well.”

WATCH: Bob Huggins Explains WVU’s Slow Start, Second-Half Turnaround Vs North Texas

Golden is also averaging 6.5 rebounds per game, has made 3-5 three-pointers and is second on the team with 15 assists. Before the season started, he was named to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list along with WVU’s Derek Culver, given to the nation’s top center. Huggins also had high praise for Richmond point guard, senior Jacob Gilyard.

“Their point guard’s terrific, Huggins said. “Their point guard is probably going to be as good a point guard as we’re going to play against all year. He does a lot, a lot of things for him.”

Gilyard averages 12.3 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, seven assists, and 2.8 steals. Gilyard was named to the Bob Cousy Award watch list before the season, given to the best point guard in the country. Along with Golden and Gilyard, Richmond also has Nathan Cayo (14.5 points per game), Blake Francis (13.8) and Tyler Burton (12.8).

Huggins said the Spiders’ biggest strength on offense is their passing. They have a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio this season with 62 assists and 44 turnovers.

“If there was one thing I could say about what’s made them a really good offensive team, they all can pass,” Huggins said. “You saw how many we got deflected, they don’t get deflected. They don’t throw them at people’s feet, they don’t throw them over their heads, they generally throw it to them in the shooting pocket.”

WVU and Richmond will tip-off at 1 p.m. Sunday from the WVU Coliseum and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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