Richmond pulls first upset of NCAA Tournament

Richmond Spiders guard Jacob Gilyard. Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Richmond provides first big upset of 2022 NCAA Tournament by eliminating Iowa

By Adam Stites | Last updated 3/17/22

The 12th seeded Richmond Spiders busted many brackets Thursday when they pulled off a 67-63 upset win over the fifth seeded Iowa Hawkeyes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Richmond finished the regular season 19-12 and only earned a spot in the tournament by winning four straight games in the Atlantic-10 Tournament last week as a six seed. The Spiders carried that momentum into the NCAA Tournament where they made 42.1 percent of their field goals compared to the Hawkeyes' 36.4 percent.

THE 12-SEED RICHMOND SPIDERS ARE DANCING ON! @SpiderMBB #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/U7O8BDcHzk
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 17, 2022

Fifth-year senior Jacob Gilyard led the way for Richmond with 24 points, six assists, and six rebounds in the win.

Iowa's Keegan Murray, who led the Big Ten in scoring this season, finished with 21 points and nine rebounds. He missed all three of his three-point tries in the loss.

Richmond will advance to face the fourth seeded Providence Friars on Saturday.

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