Tigers Open 2005-06, Host Drexel in NIT Season Tip-Off

Nov. 13, 2005

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Princeton's 106th season of men's basketball begins Monday night when the Tigers play host to Drexel in the first round of the 2005 NIT Season Tip-Off. Game time at Jadwin Gym is 7:35 p.m. (WHWH-AM 1350, WPRB-FM 103.3).

The Tigers, who have never lost to Drexel in eight previous meetings, are playing in the NIT Season Tip-Off for the fourth time. Princeton previously played in the tournament in 1991, 1996 and 2000.

The winner of the Princeton-Drexel game meets the winner of the Missouri-Sam Houston State game in the quarterfinal round Thurs. Nov. 17. If that game takes place at Missouri, the game will be televised by ESPN2 beginning at 8 p.m. EST.

Princeton returns three starters from 2004-05 in Scott Greenman, Luke Owings and Noah Savage, each of who shot better than 39% from three-point range a year ago. The Tigers, who were chosen third behind Penn and Harvard in the Ivy Preseason Media Poll, also welcome back sophomore center Harrison Schaen, who took the year off from school in 2004-05.

Drexel finished 17-12 overall last season and reached the postseason NIT for the third straight year, but the Dragons lost four starters, including their top three scorers in 2004-05, to graduation. The Tigers have a 1-3 record in their previous three NIT Season Tip-Off appearances. Under Pete Carril, Princeton beat Monmouth in 1991 before losing at Texas in the quarterfinals. Bill Carmody's first game as Princeton head coach was a loss at Indiana in the 1996 tournament, while John Thompson's first game as head coach was a defeat at Duke in the 2000 Preseason NIT.

FACT OF THE DAY

Keeping Score Princeton's 11 returning players in 2005-06 have combined for 41 career double-figure scoring games. Princeton's 12 returning players at the beginning of last season had combined for 54 double-figure scoring games just in the previous season (2003-04).

EIGHT MORE THINGS YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW

Crazy Eights Princeton is 8-0 all-time against Drexel in men's basketball.

For Starters... Princeton has won its last three season openers after losing four consecutive season openers prior to that.

Nothing but NIT Monday's game marks Princeton's fourth appearance in the Preseason NIT. The Tigers also appeared in the season-opening tournament in 1991, 1996 and 2000.

The Early Show Monday's game is Princeton's earliest home game in program history. The Tigers played on Nov. 11 last year, but that game was in Syracuse against Bucknell.

Bombs Away Princeton has three returning players (Scott Greenman, Luke Owings, Noah Savage) who shot 39% or better from three-point range a year ago.

More Bombs Away Princeton took 550 of its 1,118 field-goal attempts last season (49.2%) from behind the three-point arc. In non-conference play, the Tigers took 53.2% of their shots from three-point range.

Let's Experiment The Preseason NIT is being played with three experimental rules: a three-point line at 20 feet, nine inches (a foot longer than usual), a wider free-throw lane (by one foot on each side), and a restricted block/charge arc extending three feet from the basket.

Home, Sweet Home Princeton finished 8-3 at home last season.

MORE THINGS TO KNOW

More from the Home Front The Tigers will play five of their first seven scheduled games at home in 2005-06 after playing at home just once in their first 10 games last season.

Conference Call Princeton has not played a Colonial Athletic Association team since winning at UNC Wilmington on Nov. 21, 1998.

NIT Numbers Princeton has a 1-3 record in its previous three Preseason NIT appearances. The three losses have come on the road at Texas (1991), Indiana (1996) and Duke (2000).

Postseason Points Either Princeton or Drexel, or both teams, have reached postseason play in each of the last 12 seasons.

Winners Out The winner of today's game plays the winner of the Missouri-Sam Houston State game in the Preseason NIT quarterfinals on Thursday.

TEAM NOTES & ANECDOTES

Ivy Talk Princeton (83 points) was chosen third in the Ivy League's Preseason Media Poll behind Penn (128) and Harvard (96) (see poll to left).

522 & Counting Princeton is one of only three Division I teams (Vanderbilt and UNLV) that has made at least one three-point shot in every game since the rule took effect in 1986-87. The Tigers have now made at least one three-pointer in 522 straight games.

More From Downtown The Tigers made seven or more three-pointers in a game 19 times last season and 10 or more three-pointers five times.

Shutdown Mode Princeton led the nation in scoring defense in 2004-05, allowing opponents to score just 54.3 points per game.

Shooting Stars The Tigers shot 50% or better from the field 11 times in 28 games last season, including seven times in 14 Ivy League games.

Happy Returns Princeton returns 10 letterwinners from last year's team as well as sophomore Harrison Schaen, who was a freshman in 2003-04 before taking the year off from school last season.

Numbers Game The Tigers return just 44% of their scoring and 43% of their rebounding from the 2004-05 season.

Non-Conference Call Princeton finished 9-5 in non-conference play a year ago. Seven of those 14 games came against teams that reached postseason play.

Coach Speak Joe Scott is in his second season as Princeton's head coach and his 10th season overall as a Princeton coach. He was an assistant for eight seasons before spending four years at Air Force.

Helping Out Princeton had assists on 66% of its baskets overall last season (337 of 513) and nearly 70% of its baskets in non-conference play.

Start Me Up Both Scott Greenman and Noah Savage started every game last season. Luke Owings started 19 games due to missing time in midseason due to injury.

More Start Me Up Scott Greenman, Noah Savage and Luke Owings combined to shoot 114-for-280 (40.7%) from three-point range last season. Greenman and Owings were the top two three-point shooters in Ivy league play by percentage.

More Ivy Talk Princeton has won or shared 25 Ivy League titles since official league play began in 1955-56, while Penn has won or shared 23. The other six schools have a combined total of nine titles.

Winning Numbers Princeton became the 14th Division I team to record 1,500 all-time victories early last season. The Tigers currently rank 15th on the all-time list with 1,510 victories in 105 seasons of men's basketball.

PLAYER NOTES & ANECDOTES

Ahoy, Captain Scott Greenman is Princeton's team captain and its only senior in 2005-06.

Long-Range Predictions 274 of Scott Greenman's 397 career field-goal attempts (69%) have come from three-point range.

Double Vision Scott Greenman has 20 career double-figure scoring games; the rest of the Tigers have combined for 21 double-figure scoring games.

Taking Care of It Scott Greenman has 111 assists and 62 turnovers in 56 games the past two seasons.

Bombs Away Luke Owings led the Ivy League in three-point field goal percentage in league games in 2004-05. Owings made 17 of 28 three-point shots (60.7%) in 14 games.

For Openers Luke Owings scored a career-high 21 points in last year's season opener, a win over Bucknell at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

Pardon the Interruption Luke Owings missed four games last season due to a stress fracture in his foot suffered in practice in November.

Youth is Served Noah Savage was the first Princeton freshman to start every game of his first season since Chris Young in 1998-99.

Accepting Charity Noah Savage shot 85.7% from the foul line last season (36-42), the ninth-best single-season free-throw percentage in school history.

I'm Honored Noah Savage won the Ivy League's Rookie of the Week award twice in 2004-05, on Nov. 29 and again on Dec. 21.

Sargeant-At-Arms Matt Sargeant missed the final seven games of last season with a pelvic injury. Sargeant started nine games as a freshman and led Princeton in scoring with 14 points against Loyola.

Court Time Max Schafer averaged better than 18 minutes per game last season, the most among Princeton's reserve players.

In the Buff Edwin Buffmire averaged 18 minutes per game in Princeton's last three games of 2004-05. Buffmire entered those games having played 25 minutes the entire season.

Unsung Hero Junior Justin Conway earned the team's Friedman Memorial Award in 2005, given to the member of the program who "does his very best every day in every way."

Alexander Was Great Alex Okafor was an All-Bay Area selection by the San Francisco Chronicle in both his senior and junior years of high school.

Steel City Guy Geoff Kestler is the all-time leading single-seaon scorer at Mt. Lebanon High School and led his team to the Pennsylvania AAAA district title game in 2005.

Stritt Talk Michael Strittmatter was named the regional Player of the Year as a senior at Brophy Prep in Phoenix, Ariz., in 2005.

MVP, MVP Jason Briggs was the Narrows League's Most Valuable Player and a first-team all-state pick in 2005.

Been Here Before Noah Levine's Hill School team played a game against the Princeton junior varsity team at Jadwin Gym last season.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results