Princeton vs. Penn Basketball Preview
When the Princeton Tigers travel down to Philadelphia on Monday night, they will face off against the Penn Quakers for the 225th time in history. This storied rivalry now enters its 109th year, and the Tigers will look to do something they have never done: win four straight games at the Palestra. No class of Tigers has ever graduated with four road wins against Penn, but the seniors on this Tigers’ team are poised to make their own history. Doug Davis, Patrick Saunders and John Comfort, the three seniors for the Princeton squad, have never lost at the Palestra.
While this game certainly never lacks importance for Princeton and Penn, there is an odd feeling this time around. The Ivy League title does not hinge on this game. Neither of these two teams are the prohibitive favorites to win the league. That distinction clearly belongs to Harvard, ranked in the top 25 for the first team in its program history. This may seem odd considering Princeton and Penn have traditionally dominated the Ancient Eight on the hardwood.
Since official league competition began in 1956, Princeton and Penn have combined for 51 Ivy titles (Princeton leads Penn, 26-25). Only eight years have seen neither team hold at least a share of the Ivy League crown (1957, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1986, 1988, 2008-2010).
Until last year, Harvard had been the only team without a title in men’s basketball. They won a share of the title last year with Princeton, and this year, the Crimson look poised to win their first outright Ivy League title. If they can do so, they will appear in the NCAA tournament for only the second time in school history, the last one coming in 1946.
However, Penn and Princeton may be the Crimson’s greatest tests in league play. Currently, Penn sits at 2-0 in the Ivy League, the only other undefeated team besides 4-0 Harvard. The Quakers need to keep pace with the Crimson, and wins at home are a must for any title challenger.
As for the Tigers, Princeton sits at 1-1 in the Ivy League having split a road trip to New York, losing to Cornell 67-59 and defeating Columbia 62-58. Currently, the Tigers sit in 4th place behind Harvard (4-0), Penn (2-0) and Yale (3-1).
The Tigers opened their Ivy League slate on the road, and they will continue their travels on the intersession break after finals. The trip to Philadelphia is their third straight game away from home. Next weekend, the Tigers will travel for the Providence-New Haven road trip to face Brown and Yale. After 5 road games, the Tigers will finally have their Ivy home opener on February 10th vs. Dartmouth. These Ivy League road challenges come on the heels of a non-conference schedule that featured 7 straight road games from December 7th to January 1st. The Tigers went 5-2 in those contests including wins over Rutgers and Florida State.
Tip-off is at 7pm on Monday, January 30th. Pre-game coverage will start at 6:45pm. Doug Newton and Alec Slatky will be on the call for wprb.com’s coverage of Princeton Tiger basketball.
Keys to the Game
3-point shooting: The Tigers are 2-5 when the team fails to shoot better than 30% from beyond the arc. As a team, Princeton shoots 34.7% on three-pointers, which is seventh in the conference. However, they average 21 attempts per game, third-most in the Ivy League. The Tigers need to pick their spots from distance, and be as efficient as possible from the perimeter. Douglas Davis at 39.8% and sophomore point guard T.J. Bray with an impressive 43.6% lead the way for the Tigers shooting from deep.
Third scoring option: All season, the Tigers have searched for a third scorer to help out Ian Hummer and Douglas Davis. Last season, the Tigers had four scorers averaging double digits, but two of those (Kareem Maddox and Dan Mavraides) were seniors who graduated. Early in the season, Will Barrett was a prime choice to step up and fill the scoring void, but a foot injury in the Lafayette game back in November has sidelined the junior. He has since withdrawn from Princeton for the year, and he will return next season.
Hummer and Davis average 17.3 and 13.7 points respectively, making up nearly half of the Tigers’ scoring this season. Point guard T.J. Bray has averaged 7.2 points per game, but in the first two Ivy League games, the sophomore scored 12 points in each contest. He is the Tigers’ leading 3-point shooter in terms of percentage made. Another perimeter scorer should really open the floor for Ian Hummer to work in the low post.
Turnovers: As much as the Tigers need T.J. Bray to provide a third scoring presence, they need him to be stellar at the point guard position. Empty possessions made the difference between a loss to Cornell and a win at Columbia. In the win against the Lions, Princeton made only six turnovers all game. Versus the Big Red, however, the Tigers were careless with the ball, amounting to 13 turnovers. As a team, the Tigers average 13.2 turnovers a game. They only force 12.8 turnovers per game, putting them at 5th in the league in terms of turnover margin.
Stopping Zack Rosen: The senior guard from New Jersey is having another fantastic season for the Penn Quakers. 1st-team All-Ivy in his sophomore and junior years, Rosen is on pace for another selection in 2011. He is 2nd in the league in scoring at 18.3 points per game, and he is 1st in the league in assists at 6.2 per game. Despite being asked to do a lot for the Quakers, Rosen is still very efficient with the ball in his hands with the 3rd-best assist-turnover ratio in the conference. He shoots 47% from the field, 42% on three-pointers, and 90% on free throws. On top of that, he does while this averaging 38.2 minutes played per game, by far the most in the league.
It will interesting to see if Princeton coach Mitch Henderson ’98 decides to have T.J. Bray or Douglas Davis match up against Rosen. Either way, the Tigers will have to focus a lot of energy on stopping the star point guard and make other Quaker players beat them.
Prediction Time:
Last year, the Tigers needed a win at Penn to make it into the playoff game against Harvard. This time the road meeting comes at the beginning of the season, but it still feels like a must win. Falling to 1-2 would be devastating for the Tigers’ championship hopes, especially with Harvard cruising so far. The Tigers have should have a rebounding edge, and freshman Denton Koon has come on lately as a spark plug off the bench for Princeton. Penn is rightly favored to win a close matchup, but if Douglas Davis can match Rosen’s scoring output, the Tigers will take advantage of their better matchups at other positions, particularly with Ian Hummer and Denton Koon. Add in a couple T.J. Bray 3-pointers, and the Tigers win 65-61.
NFL Week 10 Power Rankings
1. Green Bay Packers
There is no denying the defending champ the top spot as the team has done everything that
has been asked of them. We all know how good their passing attack is but it’s scary to think
that James Starks is averaging more yards per carry then Arian Foster, Ray Rice, and Rashard
Mendenhall. When is it too early to start thinking about the chances they go undefeated?
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
They have looked great since being blown out by Baltimore in week 1. They are now going
into a stretch in which three of their next four games are against divisional opponents. To
secure their spot as the top team in the division they must win at least 2 of those divisional
games, none more important than the Sunday night matchup with the Ravens.
3. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have done everything, they have beaten quality teams, they have handled bad
teams, they have come from behind to win games, and are just one overtime loss from being
undefeated. However, you still have to wonder whether or not this team can continue to get it
done with Alex Smith as their quarterback.
4. New England Patriots
The Patriots have a great offense as always, but their division has gotten a lot tougher this
year and they must improve on their pass defense if they want to win the division for the
third straight year.
5. Baltimore Ravens
This team keeps confusing everyone in the NFL. On some weeks they appear to be a Super
Bowl caliber team, beating teams such as the Steelers, Jets, and Texans, but then on other
weeks they look like a team that would lucky to make the playoffs with their losses
to the Titans and Jaguars. They have got to be more consistent if they want to be considered a
real Super Bowl threat. A win at the Steelers would sure help them achieve that.
6. Detroit Lions
The Lions have looked like a very good team at times and appear to have righted the ship by
destroying the Broncos after having lost two straight. Jahvid Best must recover soon, stay
healthy, and play as well as people believe he can, in order for this team to challenge the
Packers for the division crown.
7. Buffalo Bills
The defense played great in shutting out the Redskins last week and Fred Jackson continued
to play like a monster. If they manage to beat the Jets at home this week then the team will appear to be in control of a very tough division.
8. New Orleans Saints
We always hear people say that good teams always win against the bad teams they should
beat, but New Orleans was not able to do so against what was a winless team heading into
the game that didn’t even have their starting quarterback. People will start to worry in New
Orleans if the team doesn’t beat the Buccaneers.
9. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have only beaten one team with a winning record but they have a chance to
prove themselves in the following weeks as five of their next six opponents have a winning
record. The Bengals should be happy to go 3-3 during that span.
10. Houston Texans
The team is playing well both on offense and on defense with those units being ranked 3rd
and 7th in the league. It’s scary to think how good this team might be when Andre Johnson
comes back as the only game this season in which both he and Foster were able to play
resulted in a win over the Steelers.
11. New York Giants
Eli Manning has looked like the elite quarterback he said he is as of late. Beating the Patriots
would prove that this is also an elite team, however the Patriots are surely looking for
revenge after the Giants ended their miracle season in Super Bowl XLII.
12. Chicago Bears
Matt Forte has carried this team, as the defense doesn’t look as good as it was last year, and
should get paid accordingly. If the team can beat the Eagles on Monday night for a third
straight victory then Chicago will stay in position to fight for a wild card spot.
13. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles appear to be back on track after a horrible start to the season, and if they manage
to get back to .500 against the Bears, then the team will be acknowledged as a contender
once again.
14. New York Jets
For a team known for its defense, the Jets have been struggling to stop the run. That could be hard to do against Fred Jackson. If the team wants to stay in the chase for
the division, then it must beat Buffalo this week.
15. San Diego Chargers
The Chargers still have a pretty good offense and a pretty good defense, but for some reason
the team overall hasn’t looked to good this season. Chargers fans better hope that the team
has a better second half of the season as they are accustomed to doing.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers are 2-0 in the division and are looking to become 3-0 as they travel to New
Orleans. If the team manages to beat the Saints for the second time this season, then they
will take first place in the division, putting them in the driver’s seat. It helps that LeGarrette
Blount appears to be healthy again.
17. Tennessee Titans
Matt Hasselbeck has been surprisingly effective this season but unfortunately for the Titans,
Chris Johnson has been far from it. Unless Johnson finds a way to be as dominant as he has
been in the past, then I don’t think this team has what it takes to make the playoffs.
18. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons appear to be playing better football as of late. They should get an easy win over
the Colts this week before having a crucial game the following week against New Orleans.
The division appears closer this year so they are definitely not out of it yet despite being
behind the Saints and Buccaneers in the division.
19. Oakland Raiders
Everyone will be looking to see how Carson Palmer performs in his first start for the Raiders.
The fact that he will not have McFadden as his running back certainly doesn’t help him. He
must get the win for the Raiders against a bad Broncos team, otherwise even more people
will believe that the Raiders gave up too much for a quarterback that appears to be past his
prime.
20. Dallas Cowboys
DeMarco Murray has been playing great for the Cowboys, as have the receivers. The team
must make sure that the defense doesn’t fall apart again as it did against the Eagles or they
will be in trouble. If they lose to the Seahawks, then you can declare their season over.
21. Kansas City Chiefs
When they were 0-3, I thought that they were underrated. Now that they are 4-3, I think they
are overrated. They don’t face a real challenge until they play the Patriots in 3 weeks but I
wouldn’t be too surprised if they lost to the Dolphins or Broncos before that.
22. Washington Redskins
Washington is fortunate that there is only one team with a winning record in the division
right now and that they have beaten that team. The offense must find ways to put points on
the board if they want to stay alive in the division though.
23. Minnesota Vikings
Christian Ponder has played fairly well for a rookie that had to start midway through the
season. The Vikings know they can no longer compete for a playoff spot but the games they
play can be a very valuable experience for Ponder and could lead to a better team in 2012.
24. Cleveland Browns
The team has yet to beat a team with a winning record and the fact that the Madden Curse
has taken hold of Peyton Hillis certainly doesn’t help. The second half of their schedule is
also much harder than the first half so Cleveland would be lucky to finish the year with more
than 6 wins.
25. Carolina Panthers
Five of the team’s six losses were by a touchdown or less. If the defense was just a bit
better than this could easily be a team with a winning record. Still, Panthers fans should be
optimistic as for what this team can do next season.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
Blaine Gabbert has really been struggling, which makes many question why the team
dropped David Garrard. Gabbert actually has a completion percentage lower than JaMarcus
Russell had during any of his years with the Raiders. Let’s hope Gabbert just needs some
time to adjust to the pro game and doesn’t turn out anything like Russell did.
27. Denver Broncos
Everyone knows that the Broncos aren’t making the playoffs and that Tim Tebow is really
the only reason to watch the Broncos. I personally believe people are being a bit tough on
Tebow and that he should get some time to adjust to starting in the NFL. He faces a tough
challenge with four of the next five games for the Broncos being on the road.
28. Seattle Seahawks
Believe it or not, the two-win Seahawks are second place in their division. The bad news is
that this team is still pretty bad and needs to improve on offense and defense if they want to
win more than 5 games this year. This team could still win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes
despite their being four teams with worse records at the moment.
29. St. Louis Rams
Can someone please explain to me what the Rams did last week. They had yet to win a
game and lost by an average of over 19 points per game and then somehow managed to beat
the New Orleans Saints without Sam Bradford. Could this be the real Rams team that is
emerging? Ok, who are kidding? We all know this is just an attempt by the Rams to not have
to choose between Bradford and Luck in the upcoming draft.
30. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have been playing poorly in almost every aspect of the game, but they have
still almost managed to beat teams such as the Ravens and Giants. They now play the Rams
for the first time to fight for third place in the division.
31. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are coming off two consecutive games where they blew 4th quarter leads to lose by three points. Although I won’t suggest that the team is trying to intentionally “suck for
luck”, I will say that the atmosphere surrounding the team doesn’t seem to be all to positive
and it’s almost like the team has given up.
32. Indianapolis Colts
Oh how the Colts have fallen without Peyton Manning. Is it really possible that that one
player is actually worth 10 wins to the team? I don’t know if I would say that much as the
Colts had been declining as of late, but who would have guessed the Colts would be winless
after 8 games.
NFL Week 9 Power Rankings
1. Green Bay Packers
There is no denying the defending champ the top spot as the team has done everything that
has been asked of them. We all know how good their passing attack is but it’s scary to think
that James Starks is averaging more yards per carry then Arian Foster, Ray Rice, and Rashard
Mendenhall. When is it too early to start thinking about the chances they go undefeated?
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
They have looked great since being blown out by Baltimore in week 1. They are now going
into a stretch in which three of their next four games are against divisional opponents. To
secure their spot as the top team in the division they must win at least 2 of those divisional
games, none more important than the Sunday night matchup with the Ravens.
3. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have done everything, they have beaten quality teams, they have handled bad
teams, they have come from behind to win games, and are just one overtime loss from being
undefeated. However, you still have to wonder whether or not this team can continue to get it
done with Alex Smith as their quarterback.
4. New England Patriots
The Patriots have a great offense as always, but their division has gotten a lot tougher this
year and they must improve on their pass defense if they want to win the division for the
third straight year.
5. Baltimore Ravens
This team keeps confusing everyone in the NFL. On some weeks they appear to be a Super
Bowl caliber team, beating teams such as the Steelers, Jets, and Texans, but then on other
weeks they look like a team that would lucky to make the playoffs with their losses
to the Titans and Jaguars. They have got to be more consistent if they want to be considered a
real Super Bowl threat. A win at the Steelers would sure help them achieve that.
6. Detroit Lions
The Lions have looked like a very good team at times and appear to have righted the ship by
destroying the Broncos after having lost two straight. Jahvid Best must recover soon, stay
healthy, and play as well as people believe he can, in order for this team to challenge the
Packers for the division crown.
7. Buffalo Bills
The defense played great in shutting out the Redskins last week and Fred Jackson continued
to play like a monster. If they manage to beat the Jets at home this week then the team will appear to be in control of a very tough division.
8. New Orleans Saints
We always hear people say that good teams always win against the bad teams they should
beat, but New Orleans was not able to do so against what was a winless team heading into
the game that didn’t even have their starting quarterback. People will start to worry in New
Orleans if the team doesn’t beat the Buccaneers.
9. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have only beaten one team with a winning record but they have a chance to
prove themselves in the following weeks as five of their next six opponents have a winning
record. The Bengals should be happy to go 3-3 during that span.
10. Houston Texans
The team is playing well both on offense and on defense with those units being ranked 3rd
and 7th in the league. It’s scary to think how good this team might be when Andre Johnson
comes back as the only game this season in which both he and Foster were able to play
resulted in a win over the Steelers.
11. New York Giants
Eli Manning has looked like the elite quarterback he said he is as of late. Beating the Patriots
would prove that this is also an elite team, however the Patriots are surely looking for
revenge after the Giants ended their miracle season in Super Bowl XLII.
12. Chicago Bears
Matt Forte has carried this team, as the defense doesn’t look as good as it was last year, and
should get paid accordingly. If the team can beat the Eagles on Monday night for a third
straight victory then Chicago will stay in position to fight for a wild card spot.
13. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles appear to be back on track after a horrible start to the season, and if they manage
to get back to .500 against the Bears, then the team will be acknowledged as a contender
once again.
14. New York Jets
For a team known for its defense, the Jets have been struggling to stop the run. That could be hard to do against Fred Jackson. If the team wants to stay in the chase for
the division, then it must beat Buffalo this week.
15. San Diego Chargers
The Chargers still have a pretty good offense and a pretty good defense, but for some reason
the team overall hasn’t looked to good this season. Chargers fans better hope that the team
has a better second half of the season as they are accustomed to doing.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers are 2-0 in the division and are looking to become 3-0 as they travel to New
Orleans. If the team manages to beat the Saints for the second time this season, then they
will take first place in the division, putting them in the driver’s seat. It helps that LeGarrette
Blount appears to be healthy again.
17. Tennessee Titans
Matt Hasselbeck has been surprisingly effective this season but unfortunately for the Titans,
Chris Johnson has been far from it. Unless Johnson finds a way to be as dominant as he has
been in the past, then I don’t think this team has what it takes to make the playoffs.
18. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons appear to be playing better football as of late. They should get an easy win over
the Colts this week before having a crucial game the following week against New Orleans.
The division appears closer this year so they are definitely not out of it yet despite being
behind the Saints and Buccaneers in the division.
19. Oakland Raiders
Everyone will be looking to see how Carson Palmer performs in his first start for the Raiders.
The fact that he will not have McFadden as his running back certainly doesn’t help him. He
must get the win for the Raiders against a bad Broncos team, otherwise even more people
will believe that the Raiders gave up too much for a quarterback that appears to be past his
prime.
20. Dallas Cowboys
DeMarco Murray has been playing great for the Cowboys, as have the receivers. The team
must make sure that the defense doesn’t fall apart again as it did against the Eagles or they
will be in trouble. If they lose to the Seahawks, then you can declare their season over.
21. Kansas City Chiefs
When they were 0-3, I thought that they were underrated. Now that they are 4-3, I think they
are overrated. They don’t face a real challenge until they play the Patriots in 3 weeks but I
wouldn’t be too surprised if they lost to the Dolphins or Broncos before that.
22. Washington Redskins
Washington is fortunate that there is only one team with a winning record in the division
right now and that they have beaten that team. The offense must find ways to put points on
the board if they want to stay alive in the division though.
23. Minnesota Vikings
Christian Ponder has played fairly well for a rookie that had to start midway through the
season. The Vikings know they can no longer compete for a playoff spot but the games they
play can be a very valuable experience for Ponder and could lead to a better team in 2012.
24. Cleveland Browns
The team has yet to beat a team with a winning record and the fact that the Madden Curse
has taken hold of Peyton Hillis certainly doesn’t help. The second half of their schedule is
also much harder than the first half so Cleveland would be lucky to finish the year with more
than 6 wins.
25. Carolina Panthers
Five of the team’s six losses were by a touchdown or less. If the defense was just a bit
better than this could easily be a team with a winning record. Still, Panthers fans should be
optimistic as for what this team can do next season.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
Blaine Gabbert has really been struggling, which makes many question why the team
dropped David Garrard. Gabbert actually has a completion percentage lower than JaMarcus
Russell had during any of his years with the Raiders. Let’s hope Gabbert just needs some
time to adjust to the pro game and doesn’t turn out anything like Russell did.
27. Denver Broncos
Everyone knows that the Broncos aren’t making the playoffs and that Tim Tebow is really
the only reason to watch the Broncos. I personally believe people are being a bit tough on
Tebow and that he should get some time to adjust to starting in the NFL. He faces a tough
challenge with four of the next five games for the Broncos being on the road.
28. Seattle Seahawks
Believe it or not, the two-win Seahawks are second place in their division. The bad news is
that this team is still pretty bad and needs to improve on offense and defense if they want to
win more than 5 games this year. This team could still win the Andrew Luck sweepstakes
despite their being four teams with worse records at the moment.
29. St. Louis Rams
Can someone please explain to me what the Rams did last week. They had yet to win a
game and lost by an average of over 19 points per game and then somehow managed to beat
the New Orleans Saints without Sam Bradford. Could this be the real Rams team that is
emerging? Ok, who are kidding? We all know this is just an attempt by the Rams to not have
to choose between Bradford and Luck in the upcoming draft.
30. Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have been playing poorly in almost every aspect of the game, but they have
still almost managed to beat teams such as the Ravens and Giants. They now play the Rams
for the first time to fight for third place in the division.
31. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins are coming off two consecutive games where they blew 4th quarter leads to lose by three points. Although I won’t suggest that the team is trying to intentionally “suck for
luck”, I will say that the atmosphere surrounding the team doesn’t seem to be all to positive
and it’s almost like the team has given up.
32. Indianapolis Colts
Oh how the Colts have fallen without Peyton Manning. Is it really possible that that one
player is actually worth 10 wins to the team? I don’t know if I would say that much as the
Colts had been declining as of late, but who would have guessed the Colts would be winless
after 8 games.
Musings of a Fan
Many fans, including President Barack Obama, are disappointed because the first two weeks of the upcoming NBA season have been cancelled. However, every cloud has a silver lining. Because of the lockout, many of the NBA’s elite have been playing in pickup and summer league games that fans can get courtside seats to for free. Also, many fans in other countries have gotten the chance to meet and see their favorite players.
In just the past couple of months, fans who attended Drew League games in LA have seen Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Ron “Metta World Peace” Artest, James Harden, and many more in action for free. Many of the fans were seated close enough to interact with the players, and several local players were excited at the chance to prove themselves against the cream of the crop. Not a single cent was spent in getting these benefits. In a regular NBA off-season, early morning workouts and countless hours of practicing and drills dominate NBA players’ lives. Certainly, pickup games against amateur players at venues with less than 1000 seats and extensive interpersonal interaction with community members would not have been in their routines. The lockout has given them a chance to showcase their skills just feet in front of fans who otherwise would only have been able to see them as masses of moving dots on TV screens. Furthermore, the bonds forged between players and their communities as a result are priceless and will outlive the lockout.
It’s no coincidence that we have seen a critical mass of NBA megastars making overseas trips this offseason; with an uncertain NBA season come much more freedom and flexibility in the offseason, especially with training camp indefinitely postponed. This summer, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James took turns being global ambassadors for the NBA by visiting Taiwan, China, Korea, and other Asian countries. Just like the summer league attendees mentioned earlier, these foreign fans got to see their larger than life idols in the flesh. Some of them even got basketball lessons from the stars, such as when Kobe walked some Korean youth through some of his drills. Yet, despite the immeasurable delight and joy that these fans have gotten, the players have perhaps benefitted from this inter-cultural exchange even more. They now have both feet steadily in the door of the large Asian/international market and got to familiarize themselves more with cultures vastly different from their own. In and of itself, cultural enrichment brings countless rewards. Thus, instead of focusing on the storm clouds and thunder and lightning of the lockout, let’s fixate our attention on the blooming flowers of internationalism and player-community relationships that have blossomed as a result of it.