Richmond Wins Atlantic-10 Championship, Steals NCAA Tournament Bid

The Spiders are going dancing, and have made life on the bubble a lot more uncomfortable for several teams heading into Sunday evening.

Jacob Gilyard scored a game-high 26 points and Tyler Burton added 16 of his own as Richmond defeated Davidson 64–62 in Sunday’s Atlantic-10 title game to steal a bid to the NCAA tournament.

The Spiders, who entered play on Sunday afternoon needing a win to clinch a spot in the Big Dance, won their fourth game in as many days to send reverberations through the tournament bubble with the selection decisions just hours away.

Despite the loss, Davidson remains safely in the NCAA tournament, according to Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney.

So which at-large candidates could be affected by Richmond’s unexpected automatic bid?

Notre Dame is certainly one candidate. The Irish lost in the ACC quarterfinals to eventual champion Virginia Tech, and finished the season with only two Quadrant I victories, the least out of any bubble team heading into Sunday evening. 

Indiana, Oklahoma, Texas A&M and Wyoming all have four such wins. Fellow bubble candidates Michigan and Xavier have five, while Rutgers has six.

After a strong week at the SEC tournament that included victories over Florida, top-seeded Auburn and Arkansas, Texas A&M appeared to be right on the cusp of a tournament berth. The Aggies could certainly make the field still, even with their 15-point loss on Sunday afternoon to Tennessee in the SEC championship. If the Aggies were to make the field, it would be their first appearance under head coach Buzz Williams. They’ll be another one of the teams sweating it out now with the Richmond bid-steal.

Much like A&M, Oklahoma also made themselves a strong case during the last few weeks of the season. Under first-year head coach Porter Moser, the Sooners won their final three regular season games against Oklahoma State, West Virginia, and Kansas State, before upsetting AP No. 3 Baylor in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinal. 

Will the Quadrant I victory over a soon-to-be 1-seed in the NCAA tournament be enough to get the Sooners in the field?

There are questions abound heading into Sunday evening’s selections, but one thing’s for certain, Richmond just made things a lot more uncomfortable for teams sitting on the bubble.