Rider faces Canisius in MAAC tourney opener
The Rider men’s basketball team is headed to Atlantic City for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament in an unfamiliar position.
The Broncs (5-16, 5-13) are playing on the tournament’s opening night for the first time in four years after they slumped to a last-place finish in the league for just the second time in program history.
It’s been a down season in Lawrenceville, with 11 new players entering a program that had four 1,000-point scorers depart after averaging 18.3 wins over a threeyear period. Add in the disruptions caused by the lingering impact of COVID-19 and it’s been the perfect storm for Rider’s worst season since that 2005-06 year.
The Broncs haven’t won consecutive games all season, so though the likelihood of an unexpected run in AC is extremely low. However, Rider has played pretty well in its last three games even though the result is a 1-2 record. It lost the two games to Monmouth by a combined six points.
“We just got to clean up some turnovers and breakdowns defensively, but we can compete with anybody in this league,” coach Kevin Baggett said. “I think we’re whole again with Dontrell (McQuarter) being back and getting into the groove of things. He makes a difference for us, especially on the defensive end, and I think we can go into the conference tournament and stay there and play against anybody.”
The first-round opponent is Canisius (7-5, 7-5), which navigated around multiple COVID-related pauses that limited it to 12 total games. The Golden Griffins clinched the No. 6 seed on the final day of the regular season when they rallied to beat Siena by a point.
Rider and Canisius did not meet in the regular season, the only opponent the Broncs did not play.
Griffs coach Reggie Witherspoon estimated he’s had players who have spent up 140 days in quarantine since the summer.
“It’s an extreme challenge,” Witherspoon said during last week’s MAAC Zoom call. “...One of the biggest struggles is you’re able to solve some of the issues that arise during the course of the season and COVID does not fit into that category.”
Canisius played eight of its 12 games on the road, including the last six, but still ran off a five-game winning streak before splitting its final two sets.
The Griffs are led in scoring by junior Malek Green (13.3 points), who has hit the 20-point mark in two of the last four game, including a career-best 29 in 25 minutes in a win over Fairfield. Senior Majesty Brandon is shooting a career-low 28.1% from 3, but still averaging
12.4 points.
Interestingly, both Green and Brandon come off the bench.
“I’ve never been real big on the importance of who starts a basketball game, particularly in college,” Witherspoon said. “In high school, sometimes you can win the game in the first couple of
minutes if the other team realizes a certain level of inferiority. In college, when the game starts it’s 40 minutes left. It’s not like a pitcher or a quarterback, you’re going to make substitutions.”
Rider is 14-22 all-time in the MAAC Tournament, although
RIDER GAMEDAY
Who: Rider (5-16) vs. Canisius (7-5)
When: Monday, 7 p.m., Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City TV: ESPN+
Last Time Out: Rider lost to Monmouth, 65-62; Canisius def. Siena, 76-75 Streak: Rider L2; Canisius W1
Series History: Rider leads, 37-15
KenPom Rank: Rider 313; Canisius 231
KenPom Says: Canisius 77, Rider 72 it is 6-2 in first-round games.
The trouble, lately, has come in the quarterfinal round where the Broncs haven’t won since 2010-11. Coach Kevin Baggett is 3-7 overall and 0-7 in the quarterfinals since taking charge ahead of the 2012-13 season.
Rider is 3-1 all-time against Canisius in the MAAC Tournament, with this being the first meeting since the Broncs won a 201011 quarterfinal.