Yes, a lot of pundits were picking Iowa to make a deep run. The powers that be love the Big10, and they usually disappoint.

The interesting thing in terms of us, is that when I went on the Spider board as referred, before they beat us big time, there were still calls for Mooney's firing. Guess that stopped last weekend. 
  But it was interesting as the subject of coach replacement seemed almost seemed taboo here at the time, Meanwhile Richmond had a good record already then, before it's A-10 run. Their fan base was not as patient as ours, though that is a moot point right now.
In any case, congrats to Richmond. They play largely as a team, are tough and deserve it.
   

Joel Joseph wrote:

The good guys get the win. Mooney is a class act who ignores the loud few, even when they pay for their billboards. They have an administration that is knowledgeable and cares about D-1 athletics and supports the team. Makes me jealous. 

Agree that the infrastructure at Richmond is what we should aspire to be. No reason why we can’t. Similar size, student makeup etc. But that includes producing alumni who want to remain involved with the school. It’s become almost trendy with students to make fun of all things GW even while paying (well their parents at least) $70k to go there.

I was watching a video the other day called “the thing you wish you knew before coming to GW” and most of the students said how “individualistic” the culture is at the school. That does not lend itself to a sense of community that well supported programs all possess.

Last edited by GW0509 (3/17/2022 5:27 pm)

Mentzinger wrote:

Great support, longtime coach who builds culture, new facilities, not a single Top 100 recruit, no eye stabbing management. Good for UR. Reminds of the #15/#2 win over Syracuse back in the '80s.

I was at that game in Cole Fieldhouse (Six degrees-- GW had beaten Richmond at Richmond the night before in the 1st round of the women´s tournament at a game I had also attended and Richmond fans at Cole were begging me not to be a two-time bad luck charm).
Spiders have again bottled lightning at the right time.
 

Last edited by GW Alum Abroad (3/17/2022 5:47 pm)

GW Alum Abroad wrote:

Mentzinger wrote:

Great support, longtime coach who builds culture, new facilities, not a single Top 100 recruit, no eye stabbing management. Good for UR. Reminds of the #15/#2 win over Syracuse back in the '80s.

I was at that game in Cole Fieldhouse (Six degrees-- GW had beaten Richmond at Richmond the night before in the 1st round of the women´s tournament at a game I had also attended and Richmond fans at Cole were begging me not to be a two-time bad luck charm).
Spiders have again bottled lightning at the right time.
 

That 1991 Syracuse team was also expected to make a deep NCAA tournament run much like this Iowa team. Its funny how Boeheim's teams during that time period had a rep for being Choking Dogs in the NCAA Tournament but he pretty much reversed that over the past 25 years. 

Richmond has been a giant killer in a previous NCAA. Can anyone believe that GW could have duplicated this great win. The Spiders controll pace and tempo. Kudos to them. Hopefully, our next coach will copy this style.

GW73 wrote:

Long suffering GW fans remember too well being up by 16 with 8 minutes to go against Iowa in first round of NCAA and losing.

You are a blasphemer who has now sent me in to remission. May you finish last in your office pool.

Alum '04 wrote:

Why can't GW be New Mexico State? They're located out in the middle of nowhere in a garbage conference. GW should be twice as attractive with a better place to live. Yes, we might have to start allowing guys with face tattoos into the school, but as long as they keep their hands to themselves, who cares.

Like a great white in a guppy pond.  You can basically guarantee kids they'll play in the NCAA tournament if they come there. Sort of like a store brand Gonzaga from back in the day except w/o as many big wins in the tournament.

Also because they almost always get the autobid, even if they lose it's like a free $500k for the program every year.  Makes it easy to fund whatever the coach wants.

They are moving to Conference USA soon so it won’t be so easy anymore.

Last edited by GW0509 (3/17/2022 9:28 pm)

Gilyard has been outstanding for Richmond recently. He's a terrific player and showed it yesterday

Long Suffering Fan wrote:

Would be nice if both Davidson and Loyola Chicago get wins today and the conference can then be 3-0.  What a great get Loyola is for the conference, who in addition to Loyola has added in the 21st century Richmond, VCU, Davidson, St. Louis and for one season Butler.  All very solid programs with good histories, allowing a conference that has been pillaged by bigger conferences over the years to remain viable.
 

Yeah, of the top 6 teams in the conference this year, only the Bonnies were in the A10 when I went to school in the early 1990s. And of the bottom 7 teams, only George Mason wasn't in the A10 at that time. It's hard for me to admit, but the new teams are almost universally better than the holdovers...