Spiders’ Tradition Rekindled

Men’s NCAA East

Not long before leaving Tuesday for the NCAA Tournament, the Richmond basketball team received a visit from Dick Tarrant, who coached the Spiders from 1981-93. He regaled them with tales of Richmond’s NCAA upsets of the past, including a shocker over Syracuse in 1991, a run to the Sweet 16 in 1988 and an unexpectedly long weekend in 1984 when the team ran out of socks and underwear after a first-round win over Auburn.

The players listened politely, but truth be told, they were beginning to grow weary of alumni, fans and reporters focusing on the past. To a man, they said before Thursday’s first-round game against South Carolina, it was time to make history of their own.

Then Richmond, the 14th seed in the East Regional, took the floor in Washington, D.C., against No. 3 South Carolina and won 62-61.

“When the media guide comes out next year and years after that, our names will be in there, and the score of this game will be in there, so it’s a proud accomplishment for us,” said forward Jarod Stevenson, who scored 24 points.

It was Richmond’s first NCAA appearance since 1991, when as a No. 15 seed it beat Syracuse, 73-69. Saturday, the Spiders meet another underdog that won in a wild afternoon session. No. 11 seed Washington eliminated No. 6 Xavier 69-68 for its first NCAA victory since 1984.

Richmond (23-7) did not secure its victory until the final horn. Trailing by one, South Carolina (23-8) inbounded with 7.8 seconds remaining and tried to give star guard BJ McKie a chance to drive the lane. He got close, but with the 6-foot-7 Stevenson in his face, McKie’s shot rolled off the rim. Darnell Williams tipped the rebound toward the basket, but it fell harmlessly.

Indiana 94, Oklahoma 87 (OT)

After blowing a 19-point second-half lead, the Hoosiers (20-11) scored the first six points in the extra period and went on to defeat the Sooners (22-11) in Washington.

The Hoosiers, who will play Connecticut on Saturday, led 65-46 with 13 minutes to play, but Oklahoma eventually tied it on Corey Brewer’s three-point play with 29.7 seconds left.

UConn 93, Fairleigh Dickinson 85

At Washington, Elijah Allen scored 43 points for the Knights (23-7), but the Huskies (30-4) won behind the tandem of Richard Hamilton and Khalid El-Amin, who scored 30 apiece.

Princeton 69, UNLV 57

The Tigers (27-1), the team with the best regular-season record in Division I, used the 3-pointer, a few backdoor cuts and some pretty good defense to defeat the Rebels in Hartford, Conn.

Michigan St. 83, E. Mich. 71

Mateen Cleaves, called for three fouls in the first half while guarding 5-foot-5 phenom Earl Boykins, played without fear in the second half to lead the Spartans (21-7) past the Eagles (20-10) in Hartford.

Cleaves finished with 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting and stayed out of foul trouble in the final 20 minutes.

Derrick Dial led the Eagles with 29 points. Boykins finished with 18 but missed nine of his 10 3-point shots and was 6 for 21 from the floor. He had one assist.

Michigan State will play Princeton on Saturday.

North Carolina 88, Navy 52

All-America Antawn Jamison had 17 points and 14 rebounds to lead the top-ranked Tar Heels (31-3) past the Midshipmen (19-11) in Hartford.

Hassan Booker led Navy with 10 points.

UNCC 77, Illinois-Chicago 62

Seniors DeMarco Johnson and Sean Colson led the 49ers (20-10) past the Flames (22-6) in Hartford.

Johnson scored 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Colson scored 18 points and had 13 assists.

NC Charlotte plays North Carolina on Saturday.