.png&width=16&height=16&type=webp)
University of Richmond Athletics
University of Richmond
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
UNC Asheville
11/01/2026 | Men's Basketball
RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond men's basketball will open its 114th season Monday when the Spiders welcome UNC Asheville to the Robins Center for a 7 p.m. tipoff. Richmond is beginning its 22nd season under head coach Chris Mooney and looking for its eighth straight season-opening victory. The Spiders feature a program-record 10 newcomers, including sophomore guard Aiden Argabright, who earned Preseason Third Team All-Atlantic 10 honors last month.
UNC Asheville was picked fifth in the Big South preseason poll. Monday will be just the second meeting between Richmond and UNC Asheville and the first in nearly 29 years. The Spiders won the only previous matchup 71-55 at the Chattanooga Classic on Dec. 29, 1997. Richmond is 10-4 against current Big South programs under Mooney.
WHITE OUT THE ROBINS CENTER
Spider fans are encouraged to wear white Monday as Richmond opens the home schedule with a White Out at the Robins Center. Single-game tickets remain available through the Richmond Athletics Ticket Office. Fans can purchase tickets online through the official game link, by calling 1-877-SPIDER-1 or in person at the Robins Center Ticket Office.
SOUNDS AND GIVEAWAYS
The national anthem will be sung by the University's own Richmond Chords. It will also be the first chance for all fans to pick up their official 2026-27 men's basketball schedule poster.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Tipoff: 7 p.m.
Location: Robins Center
TV: ESPN+ and MASN — Bob Black (play-by-play) and Scott Ungerer (analyst)
Radio: ESPN Richmond 106.1 FM
Live Audio: LISTEN LIVE
Live Stats: FOLLOW LIVE STATS
Watch: ESPN+
Digital Program: Issue 1
Media Notes: 01 - UNC Asheville
A NEW-LOOK SPIDERS TEAM
Fans will see a dramatically different Richmond roster Monday. The Spiders' 10 newcomers are the most in any of Mooney's 22 seasons at Richmond, while their six returning players are his fewest. The newcomers include six transfers and four freshmen.
Among the additions is Amon Dörries, a 6-foot-11 center who earned Second Team All-Patriot League and All-Rookie honors at Bucknell last season. Dörries averaged 16.2 points while shooting 54% from the field and produced the highest-scoring freshman season in Bucknell history.
Derin Saran arrives after earning Honorable Mention All-Big West honors at UC Irvine, where he averaged at least 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season. Dominick Stewart joins the Spiders after starting 24 games at Penn State, while Andrew Ball arrives from a Monmouth team that reached the CAA championship game. Richmond also added former Butler teammates Jamie Kaiser Jr. and Jack McCaffery.
ARGABRIGHT'S ENCORE
Argabright headlines Richmond's returning group after one of the best freshman seasons in recent program history. He averaged 10.8 points last season, second on the team, and led all A10 freshmen with 1.2 steals per game while ranking second among league freshmen with 2.0 assists per game.
His 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio ranked fifth in the A10 and was the best ever by a Richmond freshman with at least 50 assists. Argabright became the first Spider since Grant Golden in 2018 to earn A10 All-Rookie Team honors and enters this season as just the fourth Richmond sophomore to earn preseason All-A10 recognition.
Senior Collin Tanner also returns after starting 22 games last season and averaging 5.9 points and 3.2 rebounds, while sophomore Will Harper III is back after appearing in 14 games during an injury- and illness-shortened freshman season.
OPENING STRONG
Richmond has won seven consecutive season openers and is 18-3 in openers under Mooney. A win Monday would give the Spiders eight straight opening-day victories and improve Mooney's record in season openers to 19-3.
The Spiders have also won six straight November home games and are 22-3 in their last 25 November home contests dating back to 2018. Richmond went 11-7 at the Robins Center last season and averaged 4,724 fans per home game, fourth most in the Atlantic 10.
Monday begins a busy opening week for Spider basketball at the Robins Center. Richmond will remain home Thursday to face Southern Virginia at 7 p.m. before traveling to Philadelphia to face Temple Sunday at The Palestra.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
