Auburn @ Richmond preview

Richmond knocked off one power conference team to begin its run at the Legends Classic and will try to make it two in a row when it meets No. 17 Auburn in the championship game Tuesday night in Brooklyn, N.Y. The Spiders held Wisconsin to 34 percent shooting in a 62-52 victory in the semifinals at the Barclays Center to improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1985.

"Just had a strong will and a toughness about us that really enabled us to win the game," coach Chris Mooney told reporters after his team also forced the Badgers into 15 turnovers. Guard Blake Francis, one of three Spiders who entered Monday averaging at least 18.5 points per game, led his team with 19 points and a career-high six assists. The Tigers scored 16 straight points in a first-half run and never looked back in an 84-59 victory over New Mexico in the other semifinal. Richmond and Auburn have not met since the 1984 NCAA Tournament, when the 12th-seeded Spiders upset the No. 5 seed Tigers in the first round.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT AUBURN (6-0): Senior guard Samir Doughty entered the event leading the Tigers in scoring at 18.8 and he was right on the mark with a team-high 19 points in the rout of the Lobos. Senior center Austin Wiley recorded his second straight double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, and the big man has at least nine boards in five of six games on the season. Guard J'Von McCormick, another senior, recorded six assists Monday and has 30 over his last three games.

ABOUT RICHMOND (5-0): Forward Grant Golden notched his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds versus Wisconsin. Fellow junior Nathan Cayo chipped in 10 points on 5-of-6 from the field, improving to 19-of-29 on the season. Guards Nick Sherod and Jacob Gilyard entered Monday tied atop the Spiders' scoring list with 20.8 per game, but were held to a total of 13 points on 4-of-14 from the floor.

TIP-INS

1. Richmond took only 25 free throws over the last three games and made 20.

2. Doughty is 15-for-26 from beyond the arc over a three-game stretch.

3. Auburn was 8-for-20 from the foul line Monday.

PREDICTION: Auburn 86, Richmond 78