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Princeton University Athletics
Tigers Face Big Early Test in No. 6 Syracuse
November 12, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2004
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Joe Scott came back to Princeton for games like this. The Tiger players came for the same reason. Tonight's matchup between Princeton and Syracuse, the sixth-ranked team in the country in the preseason, is the kind of game that can show just how good both teams are just a few short weeks after the beginning of practice.
Though preseason rankings don't mean much in college basketball, Syracuse certainly looked the part Thursday night against Northern Colorado. Led by center Hakim Warrick's 19 points and the sharpshooting of junior guard Gerry McNamara, the Orange defeated the Bears 104-54, scoring the first 24 points of the game on the way to the rout.
Princeton's win over Bucknell was certainly no blowout, but the Tigers clearly executed like a veteran team on both ends of the floor. Princeton shot 56% from the field, including 67% from two-point range, and used a swarming zone to hold the Bison to just 30% shooting. Senior Mike Stephens came off the bench when Judson Wallace got in early foul trouble and contributed 11 points and four assists, while sophomore Luke Owings had a career-high 21 points, shooting 8 for 11 from the field.
The Tigers have played at least one game like this in each of the last four seasons, and the recent ones have certainly been close. Princeton fell three points short of an upset of No. 7 Oklahoma this past year and the same margin short against 10th-ranked Texas the year before. The Tigers also led early in the second half at No. 4 Duke last year before the Blue Devils pulled away.
But make no mistake about it. The Tigers aren't looking for moral victories Friday night. They're looking for a big win against a national championship contender on the road and a trip to New York's Madison Square Garden next week for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic's final four.
note of the day
Ball Reversal Luke Owings and Mike Stephens, who averaged a combined 7.2 points per game last season, combined for 32 Thursday night against Bucknell. Judson Wallace and Will Venable, who combined to average 25.6 points per game last year, combined for 13 points Thursday night against the Bison.
eight more things you can't live without Back to the 60's Princeton has won its last 18 games when it scores 60 or more points. The Tigers were 17-0 when scoring 60 or more points last season.
Pulling Rank The Tigers played at fourth-ranked Duke last December and led the Blue Devils early in the second half before Duke pulled away for a 69-51 win.
Helping Out Judson Wallace and Mike Stephens, Princeton centers, combined for 10 of the team's 17 assists last night. Wallace tied a career best with six assists despite playing just 18 minutes.
Looking for a Repeat Princeton won the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in 1997 when it was a four-team tournament at the Meadowlands. The Tigers defeated nationally-ranked N.C. State to win that title.
Deep Thoughts Luke Owings had four three-pointers against Bucknell Thursday; Owings had 15 three-pointers in 27 games last year.
More of the Same Princeton finished 14th nationally in field-goal percentage last year; the Tigers shot 56% against Bucknell. Princeton finished third nationally in points allowed per game last season; the Tigers allowed just 48 points Thursday night to the Bison.
Familiar Faces Princeton and Syracuse were both in Denver for last year's NCAA tournament opening round, as was Air Force, where Joe Scott coached for four seasons prior to this year.
1,500 Club Princeton needs just four wins to become just the 14th Division I program with 1,500 wins.
TEAM NOTES & ANECDOTES
Injury Report...Andre Logan had surgery on his left knee for the third time since 2002 this past Friday and will be out several weeks. Logan started 21 games a year ago and averaged 8.2 points per game.
Election Year Princeton was among 46 teams receiving at least one vote in the preseason USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll released two weeks ago.
Tourney Tested Princeton has reached the NCAA tournament 23 times, including last year. Only 16 other programs in Division I have reached the tournament more often.
Good Starts Before Joe Scott, the last Princeton coach to win his first game was Pete Carril, Scott's college coach. Carril and the Tigers defeated Army, 62-59, to open the 1967-68 season.
I'm Honored Joe Scott finished fourth nationally in last season's Associated Press "National Coach of the Year" balloting. UConn's Jim Calhoun won the award in 2003-04.
Welcoming All Comers In Joe Scott's last five seasons as an assistant coach at Princeton (1995-2000), the Tigers had a 37-19 record against schools that offer athletic scholarships.
On Both Ends Last season, Princeton finished third nationally in points allowed per game and 14th nationally in field-goal percentage. Air Force led the nation in scoring defense and tied for 14th with Princeton in field-goal percentage.
Who's Back? Princeton returns 12 letterwinners from a year ago, including seven players who played in at least 26 games last year. All seven of those players averaged at least 12 minutes per game.
Who's Not Back? Princeton lost sharpshooting guard Ed Persia to graduation, while sophomore forward Harrison Schaen is taking the year off from school for personal reasons.
Senior Moments Princeton has five seniors this season (Berger, Logan, Stephens, Venable, Wallace), its largest senior class since the 1997-98 season.
Test Run Princeton did not play an exhibition game, but did participate in a closed scrimmage with Division II Kutztown Oct. 31.
Winning Numbers Princeton has won at least 16 games in every season since 1986-87, a current streak of 18 consecutive seasons.
More Winning Numbers Princeton has won at least 10 Ivy League games 11 years in a row. The Tigers have won at least 11 Ivy games in 10 of those years.
Even More Winning Numbers Princeton finished 13-1 in the Ivy League last year, winning the league by three games over both Penn and Brown.
Let's Keep it Going Princeton won 14 of its final 15 regular-season games last year. Besides Princeton's lone Ivy loss to Penn, the Tigers lost only to Oklahoma, Minnesota and Texas after Jan. 1.
Conference Call Princeton finished its 2003-04 conference season with at least a .500 record for the 51st straight year, a current streak more than twice as long as any other team in NCAA Division I.
Arc de Triomphe Princeton, along with Vanderbilt and UNLV, are the only teams to have made at least one three-point shot in every game since the rule came into effect for the 1986-87 season. The Tigers' streak currently stands at 495 games.
Road Warriors Princeton will play just one game (Dec. 8 vs. Rutgers) at home prior to Dec. 31. The Tigers could play as many as 11 games away from home before their second home game.
More New Faces Tony Newsom is in his first year as a Princeton assistant coach after three seasons at Holy Cross. John Fitzgerald is in his first year in the new position of Director of Basketball Operations.
On Schedule Princeton has played a team that eventually reached the Final Four in each of the last four seasons (Duke in 2001, Maryland in 2002, Texas in 2003 and Duke in 2004).
PLAYER NOTES & ANECDOTES Center of Attention Judson Wallace averaged 15.3 points and 6.4 rebounds last year. He was the first Princeton player since Bob Roma in 1978-79 to average 15 points and six rebounds for a single season.
20-20 Vision Judson Wallace scored 26 or more points four times last season. Prior to last year, Princeton players had scored 26 or more points 15 times total in 14 years.
Milestone Year? Judson Wallace needs 247 points to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career.
Playing the Percentages Will Venable shot 56.8% from the field last season. He shot 63% on two-point shots.
Mr. Versatility Will Venable led Princeton in assists (81, 2.9 apg) and steals (1.5 spg) last season.
O-R-I-O-L-E-S Will Venable was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 15th round (439th overall pick) of the June 2004 MLB Free Agent draft.
Back on Court Andre Logan played in 26 of 28 games last year after missing 40 of the previous 43 Princeton games due to knee injuries
Logan's Run Andre Logan is in his fifth year of eligibility. He was awarded a fifth year after missing all but three games in 2002-03 due to injury.
From Way Downtown Scott Greenman led the Tigers with 42 three-point shots last season. Greenman had at least two three-pointers in 15 of Princeton's 28 games last year.
Taking Care of It Scott Greenman had just 26 turnovers in 28 games last season despite averaging nearly 31 minutes per game.
On Center Stage Mike Stephens shot 53% from the field as a junior. He had 107 points last season after scoring 37 points combined in his first two years.
Playing the Best Mike Stephens scored 10 points at Duke last season while helping hold Duke's Shelden Williams to just six points.
Shooting Star Luke Owings led Princeton in three-point shooting percentage (15-35, 42.9%) last season. Owings shot 53% (34-64) overall from the field.
It's About Connections Luke Owings attended the same high school (Washington, D.C.'s Gonzaga) as former Princeton coach and current Georgetown coach John Thompson III.
The Emperor Maximilian Max Schafer started the final six games for Princeton last season and averaged nearly 25 minutes per game in those six games.
Shot Chart Max Schafer shot 44% from three-point range in Ivy League games last year (12 for 27).
Savage Garden Princeton native and freshman Noah Savage earned a start Thursday against Bucknell. Savage played at The Hun School, just a mile or so down the road from the Princeton campus.
More Honors Senior Jon Berger won the team's Paul Richard Friedman Memorial Award as a junior. The award is given to the member of the program "who has done his very best every day in every way."
I'm Lovin' It Freshman guard Matt Sargeant and freshman forward Kyle Koncz were each McDonald's All-America nominees during their senior year of high school.