Greetings from Alumni Gym, where the Marist women have a 20-6 lead on Rider in the first game of a men's-women's doubleheader.

Jason Thompson is on his way here for a ceremony in which his number will be retired five minutes prior to the tip between the Broncs and the upstart Red Foxes.

Elsewhere in the MAAC, Siena is set to host Saint Peter's and Iona is set to host Fairfield.

Let's face it: there's simply no way Saint Peter's is going to hang for Siena for very long. But the other two games are pretty intriguing.

There's no way anyone saw Marist, picked dead last in the MAAC for good reason, was going to be 2-1 after three league games. But Ryan Schneider has really stepped up, David Devezin is solid in the backcourt, and clearly, Chuck Martin knows what he's doing.

I talked to Tommy Dempsey the other day about the Red Foxes, and he said in addition to Martin's basketball IQ and successful implementation of John Calipario's drible-drive motion offense, it's obvious to everyone in the league that the players love playing for Martin and have rallied around him.

It's a game Rider really should win, but that doesn't mean the Broncs won't be happy to be 3-0 in the MAAC, especially after the way things were going a week ago.

In New Rochelle, it's a big game for both teams. It's tough to imagine Iona being a contender for a regular season title right now, but it'd be a whole lot less likely if the Gaels slip to 0-4.

Fairfield, though, needs the game just as badly. They have superior talent, they won the first meeting last month in Bridgeport, and they need to beat the Ionas and Manhattans of the world if they're going to contend with Siena and Niagara for a title.

Once again, I'll be immersed in the wonderful land of page design and desk work, so you won't get a post til after midnight. Until then, enjoy the playoff football and MAAC basketball.