The MAAC has been a solid conference so far this year, but Rider basketball has the been the early surprise out of the gate.
We will forgive you if you don’t know where Rider is located. The program sits in Lawrenceville, NJ as part of the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference. The Broncs have only reached three NCAA Tournaments, with the last one coming in 1994.
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However, Rider is off to a terrific start this season with a 4-1 conference record and an 11-5 overall record. They take that record to Manhattan for a road date with the Jaspers on Friday.
Their most impressive win to date was a recent victory over conference favorite Monmouth in West Long Branch in OT. The Hawks had scored non-conference wins over potential NCAA Tournament teams in Memphis and Princeton, while Rider’s best win was at NEC contender Wagner. The fact that Rider took a game off the preseason favorite on the road makes their hot start that much more impressive.
Jimmie Taylor III leads the Broncs with 13.4 points per game. The senior from Branford, FL is having a nice overall year and is getting some solid help.
Fellow seniors Kahlil Thomas and Xavier Lundy average 13.4 points and 12.1, respectively. Freshman point Stevie Jordan looks set for the future at 11.6 points and 5.6 assists per game, but one shouldn’t overlook Southern Miss transfer Norville Carey and his 9.9 points and 6.8 boards per game.
Rider has some fascinating advanced numbers backing up their balanced scoring. They are 30th in adjusted tempo, but a respectable 112th in defense and a poor 264th on offense. Teams that run as much as Rider usually have those numbers reversed. I really want to see if Kevin Baggett’s team can keep this up in a deep conference.
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Most of the MAAC’s exposure comes during March Madness, but that might have to change if the Broncs keep up the good play. Baggett is producing big in his fifth year after being picked 7th in the 11-team league.