Well, if you have paid any attention to my blog, you know that Rider is one of my five teams to surprise. The Broncs are seriously talented and went out and proved it at (19)Mississippi State on Friday night. They are very athletic and should not be overlooked by anybody, including Kentucky. I know the coaching staff and they are tireless workers and genuinely good guys. Look for them to give Kentucky all they can handle.
On another note, I’d like to congratulate my friend Matt Blue as he and the Lafayette staff engineered a season opening win for the Leopards. Blue is another guy who works tremendously hard and will do anything for his players. I fully expect him to have a long and successful coaching career.
Seton Hall, oh boy! Without the heroics of Eugene Harvey it may have been the start of a long season. First, its Keon Lawrence making stupid decisions to hurt his team off the court and then it was an awful performance by the heralded Pirates on the court. Thanks to the friendly folks of piratecrew.com, game details were easier to come by. Jeremy Hazell went 0 for 16 from the floor in a god-awful shooting performance. Another move making waves was Keon’s prescence on the bench and his apparently awful attire. Note to Keon: If you wanna make a good impression, don’t dress like a 17-year-old schoolboy trying to be the talk of everyone.
How about Rotnei Clarke?!!! The kid hits 13 threes as Arkansas steamrolled Alcorn Sate 130-68. Clarke’s 13 were an SEC record, as he also piled on the Braves with 51 points on the night.
I would really like to say how impressed I am with the MAAC after last nights games. Niagara and St. Peter’s played very tough on the road against quality opponents, while Rider took down a big dog at the Hump. Loyola,Iona, Fairfield and Siena all also won, giving the MAAC a very impressive opening night. Loyola and Iona’s wins came against two of the preseason favorites from America East in Vermont and Boston U.
Saturday brings another full slate of games, including some very interesting affairs to keep track of.
Davidson at (10) Butler
I pegged Butler as a dark-horse to head to the Final Four and I’m sticking to it. I LOVE the Bulldogs, they play great defense, all buy into a system and are very disciplined. Davidson is the same way, but was awful without the services of Steph Curry last year.
The Pick: Butler 72 Davison 49
Creighton at (22) Dayton
Talk about a barn-burner to open a season. You have perennial Valley top dog Creighton visiting a very good A-10 team. Dayton is the team to beat this year in the A-10, while Creighton will look to go dancing after a 26-7 snub. Dana Altman’s crew is always very solid, but seem to struggle with early season road games. I’ll take the Flyers who are money at home.
The Pick: Dayton 67 Creighton 61
