Rider (2-2) vs. Columbia (1-4)
Hall of Fame Tip-Off Springfield , Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut; Saturday, 5 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Rider and Columbia will go at it in a postseason game in Uncasville. Columbia lost 82-63 to St. John's in its most recent game, while Rider fell 82-72 against UMass in its last outing.
STEPPING UP: Columbia's Mike Smith has averaged 20 points, 4.8 rebounds and five assists while Ike Nweke has put up 8.4 points and 5.6 rebounds. For the Broncs, Tyere Marshall has averaged 16.3 points and 10 rebounds while Stevie Jordan has put up 13.5 points, five assists and two steals.
KEY CONTRIBUTOR: Smith has directly created 55 percent of all Columbia field goals over the last three games. The junior guard has 21 field goals and 17 assists in those games.
BEHIND THE ARC: Columbia's Jake Killingsworth has attempted 32 3-pointers and connected on 31.3 percent of them, and is 10 for 32 over the last five games.
ACCOUNTING FOR ASSISTS: The Broncs have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Lions. Columbia has 31 assists on 69 field goals (44.9 percent) over its past three outings while Rider has assists on 42 of 78 field goals (53.8 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Rider is ranked second among MAAC teams with an average of 74.8 points per game.
