Richmond returns four starters from last year’s 13-8 squad, which is off to a 6-4 start this season.
The big three of center Grant Golden, forward Tyler Burton and point guard Jacob Gilyard lead the way. Wing Nick Sherod is a former three-year starter, who missed last year with an ACL injury.
NC State is one of four games being played Friday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout. The Wolfpack face Richmond at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C. The game will be on the ACC Network.
Overview
Richmond, who was picked second in the preseason Atlantic-10 media poll, is still seeking a signature non-conference victory.
Richmond has played a pair of high major opponents, falling 86-80 to Maryland on Nov. 25, and losing 82-71 in overtime against Mississippi State on Nov. 27. The Spiders have also lost to Utah State and at Drake.
Rankings
Richmond is No. 99 in the NET rankings this season.
ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) has the Spiders currently ranked No. 44 overall, and NC State is No. 83.
KenPom.com has Richmond at No. 66, and NCSU checks in at No. 79.
RealtimeRPI.com has NC State ranked No. 119 in the country, and Richmond is No. 60.
Shooting
Richmond is shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 38.2 percent on three-pointers and 63.0 percent on free throws. Four players have made at least 13 three-pointers this season, with Gilyard making a team-high 28.
Forward Tyler Burton has gone 25 of 55 from three-point land for 45.5 percent, and Grant Golden is the rare stretch five, shooting 13 of 29 from beyond the arc for 44.8 percent. Nick Sherod off the bench has 205 career three-pointers and shooting 39.0 percent from three-point land.
Rebounding
Richmond is averaging 31.5 rebounds per game, and has been out-rebounded this season — 35.8 rebounds by its opponents. The Spiders have 71 offensive rebounds in 10 games.
Burton leads the squad with 6.6 rebounds per game, with Golden right behind at 5.7.
Defense
Opposing teams are shooting 46.4 percent from the field, 36.4 percent on three-pointers and 70.0 percent on free throws.
Gilyard has a staggering 391 career steels, which is the all-time mark NCAA history, and is averaging 3.3 steals per game this season. Richmond doesn’t have a shot-blocker, with Burton pacing the Spiders with seven blocked shots.
Depth
Richmond counts on three players off the bench — junior small forward Connor Crabtree, senior shooting guard Nick Sherod and senior post player Matt Grace, who is 6-9and 230 pounds.
The 6-4, 220-pound Sherod was a three-year starter in the past, but was out last year with an ACL tear. He is now coming off the bench. He averaged 12.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, and shot 43.8 percent on three-pointers in 2019-20. He has dipped to 7.1 points and 2.8 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game, and he’s shooting 32.4 percent from the field and 36.0 percent on three-pointers.
Grace is averaging 3.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game this season. Crabtree is from Hillsborough (N.C.) Orange High, and spent a post-graduate year at Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy. He is averaging 3.4 points in 11.9 minutes per game.
Star Watch
The 6-foot-7, 215-pound Tyler Burton has improved each year at Richmond.
Burton broke into the starting lineup last year and averaged 12.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and shot 36.3 percent from beyond the arc. He had improved to 18.4 points and 6.6 rebounds a contest this season, and shooting an impressive 45.5 percent from three-point land.
Burton poured in a season-high 30 points and went 4 of 6 on three-pointers in a 73-70 loss at Drake on Nov. 20. He also had 26 points and went 5 of 9 on three-pointers in a 60-52 win over Northern Iowa on Dec. 5. Burton has scored at least 20 points in five games.
Burton had double-doubles in six games last year. He had a season-high 25 points in a 79-56 win over St. Joseph’s on Jan. 26, 2021. He had 14 points and 10 boards in a 87-71 loss at West Virginia on Dec. 13.
Burton picked Richmond over offers from Quinnipiac, Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, UMass, Iona, San Diego, Siena and Northeastern. The Uxbridge, Mass., native attended Marianapolis Prep in Thompson, Conn.
Likely Starters
NC State
PG — 3 Cam Hayes (6-3, 180, Soph., 11.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.3 apg)
SG — 0 Terquavion Smith (6-4, 160, Fr., 12.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.0 spg)
SF — 1 Dereon Seabron (6-7, 180, R-Soph., 19.7 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.2 spg)
PF — 4 Jericole Hellems (6-7, 200, Sr., 14.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.3 spg)
C — 21 Ebenezer Dowuona (6-11, 225, Soph., 4.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 0.0 apg, 2.7 bpg)
Richmond
PG — 0 Jacob Gilyard (5-9, 160, Sr., 12.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.5 apg, 2.3 spg)
SG — 21 Isaiah Wilson (6-0, 165, Soph., 3.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.1 apg)
SF — 3 Tyler Burston (6-7, 215, Jr., 18.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 0.8 apg, 1.5 spg)
PF — 4 Nathan Cayo (6-7, 225, Sr., 7.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.3 apg)
C — 33 Grant Golden (6-10, 255, Sr., 15.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.9 apg)
Numbers Of Note
5: Senior center Grant Golden ranks in the top 10 in school history in five categories — points, rebounds, assists, blocks and field goals made.
10.1 Turnovers per game this season for the Spiders. Richmond has 170 assists in 10 games this season.
100: Richmond has finished in the top 100 nationally in KenPom’s defensive efficiency rankings the last two years, after switching from zone defense to man-to-man. Richmond was No. 54 in 2019-20 and No. 99 in 2020-21.
Game Within The Game: Richmond’s Jacob Gilyard vs. NC State’s Cam Hayes
Richmond point guard Jacob Gilyard became the all-time leader in steals after getting one against Northern Iowa on Dec. 5. He topped Providence’s John Linehan (385).
The 5-9, 160-pounder from Kansas City, Mo., will be a five-year starter for the Spiders. He is averaging 13.1 points, 5.0 assists and 3.1 steals per game in 127 career games (all starts).
Gilyard is right on par with his career numbers this season, with 12.0 points, 5.5 assists and 3.3 steals per game. He has cracked double figures in seven games. He had a season-high seven steals, with 14 points and six assists in a 70-60 win over North Carolina Central on Nov. 9. He tied his season-high with 17 points, plus six assists and six steals in the loss against Mississippi State.
Gilyard was named second-team All-Atlantic 10 last year, and had a spot on the league’s all-defensive team. He was one of 10 semifinalists for Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year. He led the nation in steals in both 2020-21 and 2019-20.
NC State sophomore point guard Cam Hayes had 12 points, five rebounds and two assists in the 82-72 overtime loss to Purdue last Sunday in Brooklyn, N.Y. Hayes is averaging 11.6 points and 2.3 assists per game this season.
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