Holiday update: Men's basketball

University of Richmond's men’s basketball team limped into its conference schedule on Saturday with little momentum and lost a blowout to Davidson to extend the Spiders’ losing streak to three.

The Spiders are 7-7 and have been a streaky team so far. Before losing the last three games, Richmond had won four in a row and had appeared to be formidable. That has since changed.

Richmond’s last three opponents – Wake Forest, Northeastern and Davidson – are all above .500, which demonstrates the strength of Richmond’s recent schedule. But if the Spiders can’t beat good teams then they’ll be hard pressed to compete in the Atlantic 10.

The loss to Wake Forest, 8-7, came by just two points but ended the four-game winning streak and crushed the Spiders’ momentum. Three days later, Richmond lost another heartbreaker at home, as 9-5 Northeastern won 58-57.

Although the Spiders have been competitive, they have not consistently played well late in games to win close contests. Also, they have won just one game away from the Robins Center, and that came against Pepperdine at Madison Square Garden, a neutral site.

The Spiders’ scoring offense has been the Achilles’ heal of the team this season. Despite shooting nearly 46 percent from the field, the team is in the bottom three in the Atlantic 10 with about 62 points per game. The two leading teams, Davidson and VCU, are scoring 86 and 76 points per game, respectively.

Scoring aside, the Spiders have been solid statistically. The team is second in the Atlantic 10 in turnover margin, which means the defense is actively forcing turnovers and the offense is protecting the ball and valuing each possession.

The strength of the Spiders is their defense, and to no surprise. Alonzo Nelson-Ododa, Richmond’s big man in the paint, easily leads the team with 1.6 blocks per game and has become a force defensively. Opposing offenses have consistently had trouble driving and shooting layups because of Nelson-Ododa's presence.

Despite his defensive presence as a shot-blocker, Nelson-Ododa and his fellow frontcourt players have had trouble winning the rebounding battle. Terry Allen leads the team with just 5.6 rebounds per game, and Nelson-Ododa is second with 5.2. The Spiders are last in the conference with 28 rebounds per game, which is not surprising considering the team’s two leaders combine for just about 11 each game.

If the Spiders want to stay in the hunt in the conference, they must improve their rebounding and score more points. Their next test will be on Thursday against George Mason, another 7-7 team figuring itself out.

Thursday’s game will begin at 7 p.m. in the Robins Center.