October 28, 2011
(First place votes in parentheses)

1. North Carolina (62) 1620
2. Kentucky 1501
3. Ohio State (1) 1482
4. Connecticut (2) 1433
5. Syracuse 1338
6. Duke 1301
7. Vanderbilt 1120
8. Florida 1086
9. Louisville 1055
10. Pittsburgh 1027
11. Memphis 997
12. Baylor 892
13. Kansas 755
14. Xavier 747
15. Wisconsin 720
16. Arizona 616
17. UCLA 404
18. Michigan 401
19. Alabama 395
20. Texas A&M 357
21. Cincinnati 353
22. Marquette 335
23. Gonzaga 283
24. California 230
25. Missouri 139

Also receiving votes: Florida State 131, Michigan State 128, Temple 69, Washington 44, New Mexico 33, Butler 25, Texas 21, Villanova 14, Creighton 12, Purdue 10, Drexel 8, Belmont 8, UNLY 7, St. Mary's 6, George Mason 5, West Virginia 4, Miami (FL) 3, Long Beach State 3, Harvard 2, Illinois 2, Minnesota 1, Marshall 1, San Diego State 1

Published: Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Rider men’s basketball coach Tommy Dempsey likes when his team can play the underdog.

He got his wish once again yesterday when the Broncs were picked to finish fourth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference preseason poll.

“I like the position we are in,” said Dempsey during the league’s annual Media Day, held this year at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, in Springfield, Mass. “We always seem to be lying in the weeds a little bit and that’s a position we’re comfortable in, and I think we have enough talent to compete at the top of the league.”

Dempsey has to replace four-year starters Justin Robinson and Mike Ringgold and incorporate five freshmen into the mix.

There is also concern over the health of First-Team All-League selection Novar Gadson. The 6-7 lefty underwent microfracture surgery on his knee in the spring and still isn’t 100 percent. Dempsey said Gadson hasn’t done much at practice yet but expects to get him started today.

Click here for full article.

--For coverage of Rider basketball this season follow Kyle Franko on twitter @kj_franko

Published: Saturday, October 15, 2011

By KYLE FRANKO

LAWRENCEVILLE -- Every college basketball team in the country had Friday, Oct. 14 circled on its calendar. The night marked the official start of the season with most schools celebrating by holding a Midnight Madness.

At Rider, it was Midnight MAACness.

And Alumni Gymnasium was rocking early and often.

"This is great," said coach Tommy Demspey. "It's a great way to kick off the year. The place was alive, it was electric. It was a lot of fun, but tomorrow, we get to work."

The program featured a DJ, player introductions for both the men's and women's teams, a slam dunk contest and performances by the cheerleading and dance teams.

Junior guard Jon Thompson won the dunk contest with a nifty between the legs flush.

Click here for full article (with video).

This is several days late but Oak Harbor (Wash.) standout basketball player Mike Washington, Jr. verbally committed to Princeton recently, according to several outlets.

The Whidbey News Times reports that the Tigers had begun recruiting Washington in May and the 6' 3" senior shooting guard visited the Princeton campus late last month.

He was a second-team, all-Western Conference choice his freshman and sophomore seasons, and a first-team selection in his junior year.

Washington averaged 19 points a game last season. He also has a 3.98 grade-point average.

Washington is said to have also mulled offers from several schools including D.C.'s American University.

Related Stories

Oak Harbor hoop star Washington headed to Princeton (Everett Herald)

Mike Washington Jr. Commits to Princeton (SeaTown Sports)