March to Madness?

I would like to encourage the University of Richmond student body and university community in general to join Chris Mooney's men's basketball Spiders on what could be a "March to Madness."

In early season play, the Spiders have posted a 14-6 record (3-2 in Atlantic-10 play) with important wins against the University of Florida, Mississippi State University, the University of Missouri and Old Dominion University. Those wins, coupled with an extremely difficult non-conference schedule, have resulted in a high RPI (Ratings Power Index) ranking in the low 20s, depending on which index

is examined.

What this means is that your Spiders have put themselves in a position to go to the NCAA tournament.

I was a student for the Richmond NCAA at-large bid in 1986 and NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1988. Then I became a Richmond staff member and witnessed another conference championship and NCAA appearance in 1990, the victory against Syracuse University (first No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2 seed) in the 1991 NCAA tournament, the 1998 conference championship and NCAA win against the University of South Carolina and the win at University of Kansas and 2004 NCAA bid.

So, I can personally attest to what a blast March Madness is for the Spider basketball team, Richmond students, alumni and the Richmond community in general. In fact, the Spiders have a name brand synonymous with success in the NCAAs.

In order for the Spiders to hear their name called on Selection Sunday, they must continue to play great during the A-10 season. There are at least four other teams from the A-10 in that NCAA hunt, including Temple University, the University of Dayton, Xavier University and the University of Rhode Island. So it is imperative that Richmond can count on a decisive home Robins Center advantage in continuing to win and build that NCAA postseason resume.

As most of you know, Coach Mooney's Spiders are a special group of student-athletes who deserve our support. If you have seen the on-court exploits of Kevin Anderson, Darrius Garrett and the rest of the Spiders during the first few games of the semester, you know the excitement that lies ahead.

So I ask Spider students to take the lead in creating a winning atmosphere in the Robins Center. Come early, wear red, be loud, stand up and set the tone for the rest of Spider Nation to join you!

Trust me, you will enjoy making a huge difference as you join the Spiders on their March to Madness!