Rider and Marist are a combined 3-7 in the MAAC, but at least the Foxes' pep band will be there when the two teams clash tonight at the McCann Center.

Rider and Marist, who meet tonight at the McCann Center, played in the MAAC tournament semifinals in 2007-08, when Rider, playing without Ryan Thompson or Justin Robinson, beat the Foxes to advance to the title game.

The two teams could meet again in the tournament this year -- as part of the 7-10 game in the play-in round.

Yes, it's possible Rider can still turn its season around. It's possible something will start to click, and that the Broncs could be a team no one wants to face come MAAC tournament time. But here's the problem: Though I'm half kidding about this game being a play-in round preview, the possibility of that matchup in that spot certainly exists -- a scary prospect for a Rider team that came within one second of the league title game last year and appeared on five Top 25 ballots in November.

Breaking down the matchup, which Rider fans can only hope isn't the second of three:

SCOUTING RIDER: The Broncs' 69-49 loss Saturday against Iona was a clear low point in a season that has drifted miles off course. Ryan Thompson is averaging 14.4 points -- better than any other Bronc but down almost four points from his average last year. The preseason Player of the Year looked like his old self with 11 points in the first half Saturday, but had only three points after the break and fouled out with four minutes left -- on a foul he committed 30 feet from the hoop and with one second left on the shot clock. ... Novar Gadson (11.8 points, team-high 8.1 rebounds) injured his right ankle in the first half Saturday and finished with only two points in 16 minutes. He's probable for tonight. ... Justin Robinson (12.9 points) leads the MAAC in 3-point shooting at 44.4 percent. ... Mike Ringgold (11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds) is having a good year that would be very good if he weren't shooting 32 percent from the free-throw line. ... Brandon Penn (4.4 points) will start, but Jonathon Thompson and Jhamar Youngblood could see more minutes than Penn off the bench.

SCOUTING MARIST: The Red Foxes have the best pep band and women's team in the MAAC. Sadly, they have a men's team that, statistically, is among the worst in the country. The Foxes rank 342nd out of 347 Division I teams in RPI, and are among 15 teams with fewer than two wins, their only victory coming against Manhattan on Jan. 2 at the McCann Center. Not a single Marist player is averaging in double figures, leaving 6-4 freshman guard Candon Russin, averaging 9.6 points, as their leading scorer. Junior guard Daye Kaba, a Boston College transfer who nearly buried Rider on Dec. 6 at the Zoo, is averaging 9.2 points and 5.6 rebounds. ... Another first-year player, 6-7 freshman Rob Johnson, is averaging 8.5 points. ... Junior forward Korey Bauer is averaging 6.6 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds. ... Devin Price, a 6-1 freshman guard, is averaging 7.6. ... R.J. Hall, a sophomore guard who was academically ineligible for the first semester, is averaging 4.5 points since coming back.