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Username Post: 2017-18 Basketball Schedule
westcoast
Senior
Posts 302
03-29-17 12:25 PM - Post#228304    

Princeton will play the University of Miami at the American Airlines Arena in Miami on Saturday, December 2, as part of a televised doubleheader with Syracuse and Kansas.

Miami finished 2016 as the #41 in KenPom, and returns 3 of its 5 starters next year, including #2 and #3 scorers Ja'Quon Newton and Bruce Brown. Miami also brings in the #6 ranked recruiting class in the country according to ESPN, led by 5* recruit Lonnie Walker.

http://www.goprincetontigers.com/news/2017/3/24/me...
bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
03-29-17 08:00 PM - Post#228321    

Good to see the Tigers getting invited to this high level competitive tournament. Hopefully, Mitch goes with a challenging non-conference schedule as good IL teams should "roll the dice" and try to get a second bid as there is not much of a downside based on the IL Tournament winner getting the automatic bid.

I liked the strategy last year of playing the VCU, BYU and Cal of the world vs. top 25 teams but I guess you take what you can get.

In all likelihood, it comes down to a two game weekend in March at the Palestra or somewhere else to get to the Big Dance.
westcoast
Senior
Posts 302
04-02-17 03:11 PM - Post#228450    

Three more games against solid competition. Princeton will play in the Diamond Head Classic from Dec 22-25.
The field includes 5 NCAA Tournament teams from 2016:

Miami (again) - #42 ranking in KenPom 2016
Middle Tennessee State - #43
Southern Cal - #53
Princeton - #58
New Mexico State - #84
Davidson - #85
Akron - #100
Hawaii - #269

http://www.goprincetontigers.com/news/2017/4/2/men...

westcoast
Senior
Posts 302
04-11-17 10:29 AM - Post#228672    

Princeton will play Butler on the opening weekend of the 2017-18 season, on Sunday, November 12 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Butler reached the Sweet Sixteen in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, losing to eventual champion North Carolina. They return three of their top six players next year, and will bring in three 4* recruits as part of ESPN's #19 recruiting class. Butler finished the 2016-17 season ranked #25 in KenPom.

http://www.goprincetontigers.com/news/2017/4/11/me...
SRP
Postdoc
Posts 4894
04-11-17 02:08 PM - Post#228676    

That should be a challenge. Pretty cool to play at Hinkle.
bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
04-11-17 03:05 PM - Post#228678    

With the introduction of the IL Tournament, it is understandable that coaches will try to strengthen the quality of their non-conference schedule in hopes of getting a second bid or being better prepared for IL play. The obvious risk is that IL teams get clobbered in non-conference play that could effect their seeding at the NCAA Tournament if they win the IL Tournament.

Roll the dice and let it rip may be the new motto.

Will it be a good thing or not -- time will tell.
SRP
Postdoc
Posts 4894
04-13-17 03:10 PM - Post#228725    

It will be interesting to see how much next year's team looks like one of those "Big 3" teams that relies on a trio of experienced and talented players (Bell, Cannady, and Stephens) to carry the load. It would be better, I think, if it didn't go that way, and serious offensive production also came from the bigs or one of the freshmen, but you can have a pretty good team (barring injury) if you have three really good players who know how to work together and a set of good role players who can take care of some of the dirty work (e.g. defending big guys).
rbg
Postdoc
Posts 3044
05-10-17 11:27 AM - Post#229172    

According to an article at the Asbury Park Press, Princeton will play Monmouth at Jadwin on December 12th.

http://www.app.com/story/sports/college/ monmouth-u...


westcoast
Senior
Posts 302
06-14-17 02:58 PM - Post#230092    

Princeton will start a home-and-home with George Washington in 2017-18, with the first game at GW.

https://www.fanragsports.com/news/george-washingto ...
rbg
Postdoc
Posts 3044
06-30-17 08:43 AM - Post#230478    

Princeton will play at USC on December 19th as part of the Diamond Head Classic.

Both teams will then head to Hawaii for the rest of the Tournament on December 22, 23 and 25.

http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec- rel...

Although the brackets have not be released, each team will play 3 games in Hawaii, and it is possible that the two teams could meet for a second time.
westcoast
Senior
Posts 302
06-30-17 02:49 PM - Post#230498    

I think the USC game being part of the Diamond Head Classic is a typo in USC's press release. On their schedule page, it is listed as a regular non-conference game, which I think makes more sense.

http://www.usctrojans.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched /us...
westcoast
Senior
Posts 302
07-05-17 05:55 PM - Post#230538    

The full non-conference schedule for the 2017-18 season has been posted. Very challenging schedule, with very few easy wins. All of the Ivy Games except for the Penn games (and a possible D3 game?) were also announced.

Sun., Nov. 12, at Butler, Indianapolis, Ind., TV - TBD
Wed., Nov. 15, vs. BYU, Jadwin Gym, TV - ESPN Networks
Sat., Nov. 18, at Saint Joseph's, Philadelphia, Pa., TV - TBD
Wed., Nov. 22, vs. Lafayette, Jadwin Gym, TV - TBD
Wed., Nov. 29, vs. Lehigh, Jadwin Gym, TV - TBD
Sat., Dec. 2, vs. Miami (Fla.), Miami, Fla. (AmericanAirlines Arena), TV - ESPN Networks
Wed., Dec. 6, at George Washington, TV - TBD
Tue., Dec. 12, vs. Monmouth, Jadwin Gym, TV - TBD
Sat., Dec. 16, at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Calif., TV - TBD
Tue., Dec. 19, at USC, Los Angeles, Calif., TV - TBD
Fri., Dec. 22, Diamond Head Classic Game 1, Honolulu, Hawaii (Stan Sheriff Center), TV - ESPN Networks
Sat., Dec. 23, Diamond Head Classic Game 2, Honolulu, Hawaii (Stan Sheriff Center), TV - ESPN Networks
Mon., Dec. 25, Diamond Head Classic Game 3, Honolulu, Hawaii (Stan Sheriff Center), TV - ESPN Networks

Fri., Jan. 26, vs. Cornell, Jadwin Gym
Sat., Jan. 27, vs. Columbia, Jadwin Gym
Fri., Feb. 2, vs. Yale, Jadwin Gym
Sat., Feb. 3, vs. Brown, Jadwin Gym
Fri., Feb. 9, at Harvard, Cambridge, Mass.
Sat., Feb. 10, at Dartmouth, Hanover, N.H.
Fri., Feb. 16, at Cornell, Ithaca, N.Y.
Sat., Feb. 17, at Columbia, New York, N.Y.
Fri., Feb. 23, vs. Dartmouth, Jadwin Gym
Sat., Feb. 24, vs. Harvard, Jadwin Gym
Fri., Mar. 2, at Brown, Providence, R.I.
Sat., Mar. 3, at Yale, New Haven, Conn.
Sat., Mar. 10, Ivy Semifinal, Philadelphia, Pa. (The Palestra), TV - ESPN Networks
Sun., Mar. 11, Ivy Final, Philadelphia, Pa. (The Palestra), TV - ESPN Networks

bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
07-05-17 10:41 PM - Post#230547    

I am surprised as to the degree of difficulty that the non-conference schedule presents. Where is Weisz, Cook and Miller? For a much younger Tiger team, it will be very challenging.

Perhaps, the strategy is to toughen them up for conference play by trying to survive the non-conference schedule --- get one of the four IL Tournament slots --- and hope that Cannady's last shot falls at the Palestra in the final against Yale or Harvard.

Question is will the Tigers come out of non-conference play without being crushed from a confidence standpoint? The IL Tournament appears to alter the Tiger strategy as to non-conference scheduling but time will tell. Welcome to the New World of Ivy League basketball -- I guess.
westcoast
Senior
Posts 302
07-05-17 11:32 PM - Post#230548    

I don't think it is the Ivy Tournament that is driving the schedule; I think it is more about elevating the team's (and the league's) resume. The League needs wins over Top 50 and Top 100 teams, and the only way to get those is to play more good teams. Princeton should get at least 3 Top 50 games and maybe 7-8 Top 100 games this season.
SRP
Postdoc
Posts 4894
07-06-17 11:20 AM - Post#230553    

People may be underestimating the strength of this team, although the graduation losses are substantial, especially from a defensive standpoint.. Gladson and Aririguzoh will have to step it up, Brennan having a Will Barrett sort of senior year would help, and as always you can hope that a touted freshman like Much can chip in. Having the best player in the IL in Stephens and two other elite guys with Bell and Cannady provides a good foundation.
westcoast
Senior
Posts 302
07-06-17 12:35 PM - Post#230555    

I agree with you - this should be a very good team and a league title contender in 2017-18. I expect a couple of freshmen (probably Much and Desrosiers) to play valuable minutes, as well as a few returning guys who didn't really get a chance last season.
Tiger81
Masters Student
Posts 409
Tiger81
07-07-17 12:06 PM - Post#230579    

Princeton's starting five will be competitive with any team in the league, with 3 bona fide studs, a very effective "glue guy" (Gladson) and, I'm assuming, a high-potential newcomer (Much or Desrosiers). To take a run at the title I think the Tigers will need a much bigger contribution from Brennan and Young, who should be ready to assume a more prominent role next year. When Princeton went to the bench last year, with Bell and Miller/Gladson, the defensive intensity and offensive flow remained at a high level, which made the Tigers a very hard team to beat.
Bryan
Junior
Posts 231
07-07-17 02:42 PM - Post#230591    

I agree that Princeton will be a good team in 17-18. Does anyone know, though, the last time an Ivy team lost 2 first team all-Ivy players and then won the Ivy regular season title the next year?
SRP
Postdoc
Posts 4894
07-07-17 05:04 PM - Post#230599    

Maybe one of Penn's teams? Can't think of a case of that happening with PU, but my memory for such things is none too good.
SRP
Postdoc
Posts 4894
07-07-17 05:35 PM - Post#230601    

There are some obvious roles to be filled. By the end of the season, Weisz had assumed most of the burden of directing the offense, accounting for the majority of the passes that got the ball to the weak side and a high proportion of assists (not to mention the steals, rebounds and clutch outside shooting at times). No one is likely to replace all of that and there may need to be some return to more-balanced passing and a more-traditional offense.

Cox was the second-best on-ball defender after Stephens and of course an excellent scorer and all-around player. Accounting for his contributions, though, feels like more of a quantitative and less of a qualitative issue--others just have to do a little more of what they already do a little bit better.

Miller provided a lot of defensive presence inside and was meshing with the offense by the end of the season, although he was in foul trouble or MH was going small a lot of the time. We also found out that he provided key off-court leadership in rallying the team after Caruso went down and getting everybody to buy into the slower-paced more defensive style that turned things around. I think Aririguzoh has the ability to do a lot of things defensively and Gladson can improve there too, but we won't know until some low-post players challenge the Tigers.

As for depth, the backcourt has decent performers like Young and Morales (and maybe Desrosiers or another freshman). The small-forward area is a little thin--LeBlanc played OK but couldn't get many minutes and Much is a freshman. If they go small (no Gladson, Brennan, or Arirguzoh on the floor) they'll be reaching farther down the talent/experience list than they were last season.
bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
07-07-17 07:33 PM - Post#230603    

The optimism is great but the loss of Weisz and Cook is very big. Besides their outstanding play, they were incredible leaders. They had a perfect blend of athletic and leadership qualities. When games are tight in the second half this year, they will really missed especially during the first half of the year.

The Tigers have talent but can Stephens/Cannady and/or Bell take it to another level?? Several other Ivy teams will be improved as well. Time will tell.

JadwinGeorge
Senior
Posts 357
07-08-17 03:55 PM - Post#230615    

Challenging schedule, indeed. But at least we will not spend the entire first month on the road, as was the case in '16-'17. I think it is reasonable to expect 45 ppg from Stephens, Cannady and Bell. The key to success will be our ability to defend, as it was last season. If we hold Ivy teams under 60 we won't need a lot of scoring from the rest of the roster to be in every game. 10-4, even 9-5, gets us to The Palestra where anything can happen.
Tiger81
Masters Student
Posts 409
Tiger81
07-08-17 10:11 PM - Post#230619    

I don't know about other Ivy teams, but Princeton has twice won the league championship after losing two first team All Ivy players.

In 1962, Pete Campbell and Al Kaemmerlen were first team All Ivy and the following year Princeton won the league title in Bill Bradley's first year on the varsity.

And in 1976, Armond Hill and Barnes Hauptfuhrer were both first team All Ivy; Hauptfuhrer graduated and Hill, a junior, left for the pros and the following year Princeton won the Ivy title, led by Frank Sowinski, Bill Omeltchenko, Bob Roma, and Bobby Slaughter.

So it can be done!
Petrie
Freshman
Posts 42
07-09-17 02:40 AM - Post#230620    

Appreciate the encouraging research, tiger81. It can be done.

I think we all agree that we will need a significant contribution from the freshman class. If it doesn't come early, the pre-season could be tough to watch. My hope is when the league starts we have a freshman starting forward ( unless Alec Brennan truly blossoms) and a freshman first guard off the bench.

Has anyone seen any of the freshmen play, or run across any knowledgable commentary on the prospect of any of them contributing soon ?
Bryan
Junior
Posts 231
07-09-17 06:32 PM - Post#230628    

Thanks for the reminders about Princeton having twice won the Ivy title after losing 2 first team All-Ivy players. After reading your post I went back and checked the history on the Ivy League sports website. There were no additional examples for Princeton. The only other Ivy school I found that had lost 2 first team all-Ivy players and then won (or tied) for the league title was Penn. They have done it 3 times. In 1973 after losing Corky Calhoun and Bob Morse. In 1980 (playoff win against Princeton) after losing Tony Prince and Matt White. In 1996 (lost playoff to Princeton) after losing Matt Maloney and Jerome Allen. I learned something from this- it's not as unlikely as I had thought.
westphillywarrior
Sophomore
Posts 196
07-09-17 09:01 PM - Post#230639    

This is a different league than the ancient history you cite. Princeton will have a nice team but will probably not finish in the top three. The best hope for Princeton fans is what they hated most last year - the four team tournament. If the tournament was going to be at Jadwin next year I might have even liked your chances.
SRP
Postdoc
Posts 4894
07-10-17 07:48 PM - Post#230690    

We'll see, The only specific buzz I heard about the freshmen was Mike. James saying coaches around the league expected Much to have a good chance of being an impact player, better than some other highly rated guys.
Tiger69
Postdoc
Posts 2801
07-10-17 11:44 PM - Post#230691    

Even with the loss of three fine players, we have plenty of high level talent and depth returning in addition to several promising freshmen. Princeton fans have reason to be disappointed if the team does not place in the top three. Other than the Tigers, H,y, and Columbia appear to be the most talented teams with Penn as an outside shot. But, I'll still go with H, P and y, though not necessarily in that order.🐅
bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
07-13-17 12:17 PM - Post#230867    

Good points. Challenge is that the Tigers during the first ten games of the season will face pre-season poll opponents --- USC (#8-10), Miami (#11-15) and Butler (#23-25) on the road. Several of the other games BYU, Monmouth and St. Josephs (road) are going to very challenging as well.

The Tigers could be 3-7 after the first ten games and play reasonably well but it should toughen their hides for conference play.
rbg
Postdoc
Posts 3044
07-27-17 08:37 AM - Post#231341    

The brackets for the Diamond Head Classic have been released.

http://preview.espnevents.com/diamond-head-classic...

The game at USC on 12/19/17 is listed as a non-bracketed game in the Tournament.

Princeton will face Middle Tennessee State on 12/22/17 at 5:30 pm Eastern Time with the game being broadcast on ESPNU.

USC and Akron are in the same part of the bracket, so the Tigers will face one of those two teams in the next round. If they are on the winners' side, then the game will be 12/23/17 at 4:30 pm Eastern on ESPN2. If on the losers' side, then they will play on 12/23/17 at 7:00 pm Eastern on ESPN3.

The last contest will be played on Christmas against one of the teams in the other half of the tournament (Miami, Davidson, New Mexico State, or Hawaii).
rbg
Postdoc
Posts 3044
08-17-17 09:32 AM - Post#232111    

Some recent changes to the schedule for the upcoming season.

http://www.goprincetontigers.com/schedule.aspx?pat...

The Tigers have added a game at Fairleigh Dickinson in Hackensack, NJ on Sunday November 26th.

Also, the home games against Dartmouth and Harvard on Friday February 23rd and Saturday February 24th have been switched for television purposes. Now, Harvard will visit Jadwin on Friday and Dartmouth will arrive on Saturday.
Tiger69
Postdoc
Posts 2801
08-17-17 11:26 AM - Post#232113    

Thanks for the info, rbg. You seem to get the news first and fast. Every time I see your name on a new post I think of the good news about new recruits.
SRP
Postdoc
Posts 4894
08-17-17 06:19 PM - Post#232141    

Better refs for the Harvard game might be a good thing.
rbg
Postdoc
Posts 3044
08-18-17 11:20 PM - Post#232225    

The games against Penn have been added.

http://goprincetontigers.com/schedule.aspx?schedul...

Friday 1/05/18 at Penn
Tuesday 2/06/18 vs Penn

For the Tigers, the February contest is between a home game vs Brown on the 3rd and the road showdown at Harvard on the 9th.
bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
08-25-17 04:05 PM - Post#232416    

Based on Bart Torvik's projections, Tigers will be facing 3 teams in his Top 50, 4 teams 50-100 including Harvard and Yale and probably 4 teams 101-150 but we know that projections are simply just that. There are several non-conference games against weaker competition.

Best case might 10-4 non-conference, worst cast 5-9 and would not be surprised if they are either 7-7 or 8-6 but so much can happen to change the results including injuries, performance of new faces, competition, etc.

The schedule on paper is probably the strongest in a number of years.

Torvik's projections for IL teams had some surprises from my perspective and limited knowledge.
SRP
Postdoc
Posts 4894
08-25-17 07:35 PM - Post#232421    

Am I misreading or could the Tigers end up playing Miami or USC twice?
mrjames
Professor
Posts 6062
08-25-17 08:07 PM - Post#232423    

The USC one is on purpose. For a 3-game, 8-team bracketed MTE, you can get a "free" fourth game if you play one of the other seven teams in your MTE within a couple weeks of the event. So, adding that game doesn't count against the 27 game limit (well, 26 plus the MTE & USC games).
Tiger69
Postdoc
Posts 2801
08-25-17 11:27 PM - Post#232426    

  • SRP Said:
Am I misreading or could the Tigers end up playing Miami or USC twice?



Miami and USC are, no doubt, courting the open spot in the Ivy League made when disgruntled Penn leaves so they can give athletic scholarships and compete in post-season football.
SRP
Postdoc
Posts 4894
08-26-17 08:35 PM - Post#232439    

It would suck to lose all the games with highly ranked opponents. Got to take care of one or two for fan morale purposes.
Tiger69
Postdoc
Posts 2801
08-27-17 09:20 AM - Post#232444    

True. But, even our failure to beat any highly ranked non Ivies last season didn't seem to affect MH's recruiting efforts.
bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
08-28-17 04:03 PM - Post#232456    

I'm sure that it is a plus that the Tigers play a highly competitive non-conference schedule with trips around the country for recruiting purposes. They do need to win some games against quality opponents if they are ever going to have a shot to secure a NCAA bid if they do not win the IL Tournament. In the era of the IL Tournament, a competitive schedule is the way to go.

The one major drawback is that if you consistently lose games against quality teams, it will have some effect on your NCAA Tournament seeding if you win the IL Tournament but it is probably well worth the risk. Additionally, the team should be battle tested by the time that you play in the IL Tournament.
mrjames
Professor
Posts 6062
08-28-17 04:35 PM - Post#232457    

In a world where the quantity of Column 1 and 2 wins (site-adjusted Top 50 and Top 100 RPI wins, respectively) is pretty much all that matters, it's much better to go 6-8 versus Column 1 & 2 than 3-1.

Add in the fact that the only other thing that matters is avoiding bad losses, and it's clear that you'd much rather load up your road/neutral games with all upside games against top opponents than all downside games against below average opponents.

It's crazy that the selection process creates these absurd incentives, but they're there and Ivies are starting to do a better job of taking advantage.
SRP
Postdoc
Posts 4894
08-28-17 04:50 PM - Post#232461    

Aside from tournament considerations, playing those kinds of games greatly enhances the experience for the players, I'd imagine (assuming they're good enough not to get annihilated which I expect this year). (Winning them would enhance it even more.) That might aid in recruiting besides being an end in itself.
bradley
PhD Student
Posts 1842
08-31-17 09:40 PM - Post#232535    

Myles Stephens recently received some recognition by CBB Central, Mid Major basketball website. He was rated the 4th rated shooting forward -- Mid Majors. It will be interesting to see where he takes his game during the final two years.

Bella Alarie was a major contributor to the USA Silver Medal for the U19 Team. She may ultimately turn out to be one of the top Tiger BB player of all time. She is incredibly talented.



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