Samardo Samuels (Photo. Nike)

NIKE SUPER 6 @ Madison Square Garden

St. Benedict’s vs. Rice

St. Benedict’s Gray Bees: The Gray Bees have been on a roll since dispatching of national power Oak Hill in a national TV game in December. The backcourt looked to be an area of concern prior to the start of the season, but with the emergence of Tamir Jackson and incoming transfer Mike Machado, those problems appear to be solved. If the Gray Bee guards can handle the intense pressure of the Rice guards and not turn the ball over, they should win the game, however that’s a big if. They have the X-factor in the post in Samardo Samuels; realistically, Rice has no one to match up with him. If they can get him the ball and hit open shots when/if he passes out of possible double- and triple-teams, St. Benedict’s should get the victory.

Rice Raiders: To play in Mo Hicks’ backcourt you have to play chest-to-chest defense for four quarters. That is exactly what St. Benedict’s can expect when they take the MSG court against the Raiders on January 13th. If the Raiders expect to win, the three-headed monster of Kemba Walker, Chris Fouch and Durand Scott need to bring it on both sides of the ball. It would help if they kept the tempo up to neutralize the Grey Bee bigs. The Raiders will be at a disadvantage in a post, so their explosive guards are going to have to lend a hand rebounding and dominate the backcourt.

Matchup to watch: Rice’s backcourt vs. St. Benedict’s backcourt.