24 HOURS OF BASKETBALL MAIN THREAD!!!

[The Posse]

From a preview I found:

The Broncs come home to play for the third time in an 85-hour span after going winless in a Steel city two-step.

Following a listless 26-point loss to Robert Morris in the opener, Rider came back with a valiant effort in an eight-point loss to No. 11 Pitt. The Broncs led with five minutes to go but were unable to finish the upset.

The biggest difference for Rider was limiting turnovers. It coughed the ball up 25 times Friday but committed only five against the Panthers.

Limiting turnovers is important for the Broncs because they struggle on the boards. In the two games last weekend, they allowed 36 offensive rebounds. That led to 23 second-chance pints for Robert Morris and 19 for Pittsburgh.

Prior to the weekend in Pittsburgh, coach Tommy Dempsey worried it could be a tough stretch because his team is shorthanded. There were eight scholarship players available for the weekend and the starting five had to log a lot of minutes.

Dempsey gets junior point guard Jon Thompson back from suspension for this morning’s game. Anthony Myles, who started at point in the first two games, scored 20 points in both contests so don’t be surprised if Dempsey keeps him in the starting lineup and goes with a three-guard set. Senior Brandon Penn could then come off the bench.

Dera Nd-Ezuma is likely to miss the game as he continues to recover from a concussion suffered during practice.

Rider and Drexel met last season in Philadelphia with the Dragons winning in overtime.

Drexel is among the preseason favorites in the Colonial Athletic Association and features Trenton Catholic Academy grad Franzt Massenat.

The Ewing native is one of four returning starters for the Dragons. Sammie Givens, the team’s lone senior, averaged a double-double (12.1 points, 10.1 rebounds) and leading scorer Chris Fouch (14.9 ppg) are back.

Rider returned from its trip early Monday morning and stayed off campus Monday night.