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Mississippi State assistant coach Phil Cunningham says Rider, the team Kentucky hosts Saturday, is the kind of team in NCAA Tournament play that “can give you fits” if you are a highly seeded team.

Cunningham should know, too, because Rider upset host Mississippi State 88-74 last week behind 21 points each by Mike Ringgold and Novar Gadson. Ryan Thompson added 16 points, Justin Robinson had 15 points and Gadson pulled off 11 rebounds against State’s Jarvis Varnado, the SEC’s most dominant true post player.

The Broncs, who returned four starters off last year’s 19-win team, outrebounded the bigger Bulldogs and had 11 offensive rebounds. They also shot 62.5 percent from 3-point range (10 of 16) — a huge alarm for the Cats after they let Miami make 15 3-pointers Monday and Sam Houston State hit 18 Thursday.

“They could very well be in the NCAA Tournament this year. They will battle Sienna and Niagara for the conference title and they split with a very good Sienna last year,” Cunningham said.

“They are all New Jersey, Philly guys. They all know how to play. They are tough kids. They created mismatches in the post, especially when they went small.

"They took Ringgold, a power forward, and played him at center. He is so quick off the dribble that we could not guard him. He’s a tough kid and they won 42 games the past two years and he was a big reason why.

“We led by eight points twice and nine once and had the ball in the first half and yet they just hung around. I thought we had a chance to get some separation but they made a run at the end of the first half and scored the first six points in the second half. When they did, we tightened up and they gained confidence. They totally controlled the second half and we had trouble with their zone.”

Yet against Virginia Thursday night Rider (2-1) shot just 33.3 percent (17-for-51) from the field in a 79-46 loss.

However, UK coach John Calipari said Rider could easily beat his team after UK’s 102-92 win over Sam Houston State Thursday because his team has given up 33 3-pointers in the last two games.

“We are not playing winning basketball right now. It may catch us. They got beat at Virginia and did not shot well. They are better 3-point shooting team than this team (Sam Houston State) we played today,” Calipari said.

“I am going back to watch tape and then going to punch walls. Then I have to get this game out of my system and watch Rider to see how we can stay in the game and guard a team that has offensive players and won at Mississippi State.

"Mississippi State couldn’t guard them and I bet you they are better defensive team than we are now.”

Cunningham said Rider exposed that State was not a great rebounding team and also probably was overrated this early in the season.

“We had a ‘we are going to outscore you mentality’ and we didn’t rebound very well. They just exposed us in areas that we have got to get better at,” Cunningham said before UK played Sam Houston State. “We gave up 88 points. Kentucky won’t do that. They are too good defensively.

“But they will make you play. They remind me of Kentucky and Indiana kids in one way. They know how to play and Thompson, the point guard, is very good. They had no turnovers on the road in the second half against us. That’s pretty impressive.

“They are all skilled, can all pass, can all shoot and can all put it on the floor. They are a team you will not want to play in the (NCAA) tournament.

"Hopefully, we learned from the game and we probably let Kentucky know they better be ready to play against this team.”

Rider at Kentucky
1 p.m. Saturday, Lexington

■ RADIO/WEBCAST: WRNZ-FM (105.1) and www.ukathletics.com

■ TELEVISION: Fox Sports Net South (live) and Ch. 27 (delayed at 11:35 p.m.)

■ LAST MEETING (12-27-1996): Kentucky 90-65

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