Spiders nationally ranked for first time since 1986

The University of Richmond men's basketball team is ranked No. 25 in the latest Associated Press college basketball poll, the first time the Spiders have been ranked since 1986.

The Spiders, who are 20-6 this season and are leading the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 9-2 record, received 101 votes, which was enough to hold off Northern Iowa University for the last spot. Texas A&M University is ahead of Richmond with 231 votes.

In last week's poll, Richmond received five votes. But road wins over the University of Rhode Island and Saint Bonaventure University were good enough to get the Spiders ranked.

Richmond becomes the third A-10 team to be ranked this season. Dayton University started the year ranked No. 21 and got as high as No. 18 during the first week of the season. Currently, Temple University is ranked No. 21 in the AP poll, but was ranked as high as No. 15 earlier this year. Richmond convincingly defeated the Owls 71-54, on Feb. 6.

In the other major college basketball poll, the ESPN/USA Today poll, Richmond received 29 votes but fell two places shy of the No. 25 spot. Wake Forest University, a team that the Spiders lost to 74-68 in overtime on Dec. 31, holds that spot with 58 votes.

This is just the second time that Richmond has been ranked since 1958. On Dec. 24, 1958, the Spiders held the No. 17 ranking in the AP poll and on Jan. 28 1986, the Spiders got the No. 20 ranking in the AP poll.

Richmond starts a three-game home stand with Fordham University at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17. The Rams currently sit at the bottom of the A-10 standings with a 2-21 record and are 0-11 in conference play.

Contact staff writer Andrew Prezioso at andrew.prezioso@richmond.edu