
The University of Richmond's basketball team, the Spiders, compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). The conference was founded in 1975 as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League and began play in 1976 with eight members. After adding new sports and members, it changed its name to the Eastern Athletic Association in 1982, but it was popularly known as the Atlantic 10 Conference due to its expanded membership. Richmond's basketball team has a long-standing rivalry with VCU, known as the Capital City Classic, which became a conference rivalry when VCU joined the A-10.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the Conference | Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) |
| Year of Foundation | 1975 |
| Former Name | Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (ECBL) |
| Year of Name Change | 1976 |
| Former Name | Eastern Athletic Association |
| Popular Name | Eastern 8 |
| Year of Official Name Change | 1982 |
| Current Number of Members | 15 full members |
| Additional Members | Lock Haven and Saint Francis (field hockey) |
| Number of Sports Sponsored | 10 men's and 13 women's NCAA-sanctioned sports |
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What You'll Learn

Richmond Spiders
The Richmond Spiders are the basketball team of the University of Richmond. The team has appeared in three College Basketball Invitational tournaments, with a combined record of 3–3.
The Spiders are part of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), which was founded in 1975 as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (ECBL). The conference began play in 1976 with basketball as its only sport. After its first season, it expanded to include other sports and changed its name to the Eastern Athletic Association, although it was popularly known as the Eastern 8.
In the 1997-98 to 2006-07 school years, Richmond, along with Massachusetts and Rhode Island, played football within the A-10 after the Yankee Conference was absorbed. However, Richmond's primary conference until the 2000-01 school year was the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The Spiders have a long-standing crosstown basketball rivalry with VCU, which became a conference rivalry when VCU joined the A-10.
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Richmond's conference history
The Richmond Spiders—the nickname of the University of Richmond's athletic teams—have a long and varied conference history. The Spiders have competed in several conferences over the years, including the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10), and the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (ECBL).
The University of Richmond's basketball team, the Spiders, has a long history in collegiate athletics. From 1983 to 2001, Richmond was a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) for all sports, including basketball. In 1997, Richmond also began playing football within the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) until the 2006 fall season. The A-10 was founded in 1975 as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League and began conference play in 1976 with basketball as its only sport. After its first season, it expanded and changed its name to the Eastern Athletic Association, although it was popularly known as the Eastern 8 due to its eight members. Over time, membership changes led to the adoption of the Atlantic 10 name in 1982.
The Spiders' primary conference affiliation until the 2000-01 school year was the CAA. However, beginning in 1997, Richmond also competed in the A-10 for football alongside other sports. The university's long-standing rivalry with VCU, known as the Capital City Classic, became a conference rivalry when VCU joined the A-10.
In summary, the University of Richmond's basketball team, the Spiders, has competed in various conferences, including the CAA and the A-10. The A-10, originally known as the ECBL, has undergone expansions and name changes since its founding in 1975. Richmond's involvement in multiple conferences reflects the dynamic nature of collegiate athletics and conference realignment.
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Atlantic 10 Conference
The Richmond Spiders men's basketball team competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). The A-10 is a collegiate athletic conference whose member schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The conference was founded in 1975 as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (ECBL) and adopted its current name in 1982.
The A-10's member schools are located mostly on the East Coast and Midwest of the United States, including Illinois, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The conference has a mix of state-funded and private, Catholic institutions as its members. Despite the name, there are currently 14 full-time members in the A-10, with three affiliate members participating in women's field hockey and men's lacrosse.
The University of Richmond's basketball team has a long-standing crosstown rivalry with VCU, now known as the Capital City Classic, which became a conference rivalry when VCU joined the A-10. Other notable rivalries within the A-10 include those between Saint Joseph's, La Salle, and Temple (now in the American Athletic Conference), as well as URI and UMass, and St. Bonaventure and Duquesne.
The A-10 has seen changes in membership over the years, with charter members Villanova and Pittsburgh leaving in the 1980s and new members joining, such as St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, Saint Joseph's, and Temple. In 2012, Butler joined the conference after leaving the Horizon League, and VCU joined after leaving the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). The conference has also recently added men's lacrosse to its sports offerings, with Richmond being one of the full members sponsoring the sport.
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College Basketball Invitational tournaments
The Richmond Spiders, a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I basketball team, compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a postseason tournament that began in 2008. These tournaments offer teams the opportunity to extend their season. However, they are often viewed unfavourably by prominent teams due to the stigma associated with participating in a tertiary tournament. The 2008 College Basketball Invitational was the first new postseason tournament in 34 years, with the opening round taking place on March 18 and 19, 2008, and the second round on March 24, 2008. The semifinals occurred two days later, and the championship was a best-of-three series, with games played on March 31 and April 2 and 4, 2008. Tulsa emerged as the champion of the inaugural tournament.
In its inaugural edition, the games were broadcast on local markets via DirecTV and Fox Sports Net, as well as on the official website. From 2009 to 2013, HDNet (later renamed AXS) televised the tournament, including four first-round games, two quarterfinal games, both semifinal games, and all three championship games. CBS Sports Network secured the broadcasting rights for the 2014 and 2015 tournaments. On February 1, 2016, the CBI announced an exclusive deal with ESPN to broadcast the Championship Series, and ESPNU televised the best-of-three Championship Series from 2016 to 2019.
The Gazelle Group, the organiser of the CBI, offers a range of event sponsorship opportunities for businesses of all sizes.
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Richmond's basketball rivals
The University of Richmond's basketball team is called the Richmond Spiders. They are part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
While I cannot find specific rivals for the Richmond Spiders, they compete against several other universities in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Some of these include Villanova, Connecticut, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Dayton, and many others.
The Spiders have a dedicated fan community called SpiderNation, where fans can connect, discuss the team, and even "spy on [their] rivals." This community offers extensive athlete data, rankings, and predictions to its subscribers.
The Richmond Spiders basketball team has a strong online presence, with a website and fan forums where fans can discuss the team's performance, upcoming games, and more. The team also has a presence on Fox Sports, where fans can follow their conference standings and performance in the NCAA.
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Frequently asked questions
Richmond Spiders men's basketball team is part of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10).
The conference was founded in 1975 as the Eastern Collegiate Basketball League (ECBL) and began conference play in 1976.
The conference sponsors championship competition in ten men's and thirteen women's NCAA-sanctioned sports, including lacrosse and women's golf.
Richmond's primary conference until the 2000-01 school year was the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).











































