During the 2000–01 season, Richmond finished the regular season with a 21–6 record, finishing first in the CAA with a 12–4 record. The Spiders won ten of their final eleven games. However, since Richmond was going to change its athletic affiliation from the CAA to the Atlantic 10 the following season, it was ineligible for the 2001 CAA conference tournament. Only one team from the CAA had ever earned an at large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Spiders wound up playing in the 2001 NIT, where they defeated West Virginia before losing to Dayton. With one win and one loss Beilein stayed at .500 in the NIT, at 4–4. At the end of the season, Beilein declined an offer to coach at Rutgers. The victory over West Virginia is credited with being a large part of why Beilein was eventually hired at West Virginia.