Ivy Madness Begins Saturday for Men's Basketball

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

Ivy Semifinal: No. 1 seed Princeton (21-5, 11-2) vs. No. 4 Seed Cornell (15-10, 7-7)
Tip-Off: 11 a.m. EST
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Ivy Final: TBA
Tip-Off: 12 p.m. EST
Watch: ESPN2 | ESPN+
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PRINCETON, N.J. – The No. 1 seed Princeton University men's basketball team will open play at the 2022 Ivy League Tournament in the semifinals against No. 4 seed Cornell University Saturday, for the opportunity to advance to Championship Sunday.

In the other semifinal, No. 2 seed Yale University will take on the No. 3 seed University of Pennsylvania.

Last Time Out
The Princeton University men's basketball team won the 2021-22 Ivy League Championship outright Saturday night inside the Palestra, upending the University of Pennsylvania 93-70 in a contest that saw senior Jaelin Llewellyn join the 1,000-point club.

The Tigers' outright Ivy League title came on the back of a 12-2 record in conference play.

Llewellyn led the way with a game-high 24 points on 10-for-18 shooting from the field, along with 4-for-9 shooting from three. Junior Tosan Evbuomwan added 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting, while also pulling down a game-high eight rebounds and handing out a game-high seven assists. Senior Drew Friberg also went 6-for-10 from the field, and 5-for-8 from three to finish with 18 points, while sophomore Matt Allocco added 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting.

As a team, the Tigers shot an efficient 55.2% from the field on 37-for-67 shooting, along with 46.2% from three, on 12-for-26 shooting.

Ivy Player of the Year
Evbuomwan, unanimously voted both Ivy League Player of the Year and First Team All-Ivy League, ended regular season play as the Ivy League leader in assists per game (5.0), and assist/turnover ratio (2.2). He ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage (53.2%), fourth in points per game (15.4), fifth in steals(1.4), and seventh in rebounds (6.3). Evbuomwan scored a career-high 27 points on 10-for-17 shooting at Cornell University on Friday, February 4, and has handed out a career-high eight assists on two occasions; Saturday, December 11 in the Tigers' win at Lafayette, and Friday, January 15, in Princeton's 76-74 win over Brown. He's had 16 games of five assists or more, and also grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in Princeton's 81-75 victory at Yale on Saturday, February 19. He was named to the 2021 Asheville Championship All-Tournament Team, and his 124 assists so far in 2021-21 currently ranks No. 7 all-time for most assists in a season in school history. He is the third Ivy League Player of the Year coached by Mitch Henderson, joining Spencer Weisz '17, and Ian Hummer '13.

All-Ivy Honorees
Llewellyn earned all-conference honors for the second time in his career, as he was named Second Team All-Ivy League in 2020. In the Tigers' win at the University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 6, he joined the 1,000-point club, and he ranks sixth in the Ivy League in points per game, seventh in assists (2.8), and eighth in three-point field goal percentage (38.3%). Against Harvard University, he scored a season-high 29 points on 10-for-18 shooting from the field, and 4-for-9 shooting from deep as he led the Tigers to a 74-67 victory. Llewellyn was honored as the Ivy League Player of the Week on Monday, November 15, 2021, named to the 2021 Asheville Championship All-Tournament Team, and to the Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List. His 127 made three-pointers rank #16 all-time in school history, and his 50 made three-pointers in the 2021-22 season rank T-#20 for made threes in a season.

Wright earned Second Team All-Ivy League honors for the first time in his career. He's recorded five double doubles on the season, and ranks fourth in the conference in rebounds per game (7.0), third in field goal percentage (50.9%), fourth in three-point percentage (40.1%), sixth in points (14.7), and sixth in three-point field goals per game (2.3). On Saturday, November 28, he scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Tigers' win over Fairleigh Dickinson University. He also knocked down seven three-pointers against FDU, which ranks T-#3 all-time in program history for made three-pointers in a game. On Sunday, November 14, he pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds against the University of Minnesota. Wright was honored as the Ivy League Player of the Week on Monday, November 22, 2021, Monday, December 20, 2021, and Monday, February 7, 2022.

Named Academic All-Ivy League, Friberg ranks second in the conference in three-point field goals per game (2.6), and third in three-point percentage (40.7%). He's also averaged 9.7 points per game so far in 2021-22. In the Tigers' 93-70 win at Penn on Saturday, March 5, he scored a season-high 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field, and 5-for-8 shooting from long range. Friberg's 70 made three-pointers in the 2021-22 season rank T-#10 all-time in school history for made three-pointers in a season, and he currently sits at #14 on the Tigers' list for career made three-pointers, with 41.

National Rankings
Through games 03/08/22

Fewest Fouls: #4, 389
Three-point field goals per game: #5, 11.0
Fewest Turnovers: #5, 287
Assist/Turnover ratio: #5, 11.0
Three-point field goal percentage: #6, 38.8
Field goal percentage: #8, 49.0%
Scoring offense: #8, 80.6
Won-lost percentage: #14, 81.5
Total three-point field goals made: #19, 297
Scoring Margin: #20, 11.1
Assists per game: T-#24, 16.0

In The Record Book
Most assists in a season (since 1974-75)
#7, Tosan Evbuomwan, 124 assists (2021-22)

Most three-point field goals made in a season
T-#10, Drew Friberg, 70 (2021-22)
T-#14, Ethan Wright, 63 (2021-22)
T-#16, Ryan Langborg, 60 (2021-22)
T-#20, Jaelin Llewellyn, 55 (2021-22)
#22, Drew Friberg, 52 (2019-20)

Most three-point field goals made in a career
#14, Drew Friberg, 131
#16, Jaelin Llewellyn, 127

Most three-point field goals made in a game
T-#3, Ethan Wright, 7 vs. FDU (Nov. 28, 2021)

Historical Wins
Should the Tigers win both games at the Ivy League Tournament and bring their win total to 24, they'll tie third-most wins in a season in school history. The Tigers also won 24 games in 1990-91, and 1996-97. The program record for wins is 27, and was set in the 1997-98 season.

High-Powered Offense
Should the Tigers maintain or exceed their current scoring average of 80.6 points per game, they would set a new school record for highest scoring average in a season. The current of 79.74 points per game was set in the 1971-72 season.

Additionally, the Tigers' 2175 total points in the 2021-22 season is 136 points away from tying the most points scoring in a season. The record of 2311 points was set in the 1964-65 season.

Princeton At The Ivy Tournament
Princeton has earned a spot in the Ivy League Tournament in four out of the five years of its existence. In 2016-17, Princeton won the Ivy League Tournament Championship, defeating Yale 71-59. Myles Stephens won the tournament's Most Outstanding Player honors, scoring 21 points in the semifinal win over Penn, before adding 23 against Yale in the final.

Triple Double Watch
Should Evbuomwan, or any Tiger, record a triple double, it would be the first in program history since assists were first recorded in 1974-75.

Power Five Wins
Since the 2017-18 season, the Tigers' four Power Five wins is the most of any Ivy League school; Oregon State 81-80 (Nov. 21, 2021), South Carolina 66-62 (Nov. 12, 2021), Arizona State 67-66 (Dec. 29, 2018), and USC 103-93 (Dec. 19, 2017).

#PrincetonPros
Eight Princeton men's basketball alumni currently play basketball in the professional ranks; Devin Cannady '20 (Lakeland Magic), Richmond Aririguzoh '20 (Harko Merlins Crailshem), Myles Stephens '19 (Kangoeroes Basket Willebroek), Amir Bell '18 (Hapoel Be'er Sheva), Henry Caruso '17 (Donar Groningen), Spencer Weisz '17 (Hapoel Haifa), Hans Brase '17 (Hamburg Towers), and Ian Hummer '13 (AEK Athens).

Princeton Men's Basketball - English Premier League Connection
The Tigers are linked to Leeds United of the EPL thanks to the strong friendship between Head Coach Mitch Henderson and Leeds United Manager Jesse Marsch. The two are exceptionally close from their time here together - Jesse even lived with Mitch for a short time while between jobs. They stay in touch regularly and spend time together as their schedules allow. They exchange and discuss coaching strategies and philosophies which each has brought to his respective sport.

With Jesse recently taking the top job at Leeds United, and our men's basketball team clinching the Ivy Championship, there is a transatlantic connection between Princeton men's basketball and Leeds United.

Scouting Cornell
Cornell is 15-10 on the season, and have a 7-7 record in Ivy League play. Most recently, the Big Red upended Columbia University, 78-64, on Saturday, Match 5 in New York, New York.

The Tigers split their regular season matchups with Cornell in 2021-22, winning 72-70 following a buzzer beater by Allocco inside Jadwin Gymnasium on Saturday, January 8, then falling 88-83 in Ithaca, New York, on Friday, February 4.

Chris Mannon and Dean Noll lead Cornell in points (10.2) and steals per game (2.8), while Kobe Dickinson leads the team in rebounds (4.6), and is tied for the team-high in assists (2.8) with Noll.

Scouting Yale
The Bulldogs have a 17-11 overall record, and an 11-3 record in conference play. In its most recent game, Yale took down Brown University, 74-65, on Saturday, March 5, in New Haven, Connecticut.

Princeton split its regular season contests with Yale, falling 80-74 on Saturday, January 29, inside Jadwin Gymnasium, before overcoming the Bulldogs, 81-75, on Saturday, February 19, in New Haven, Connecticut.

Azar Swain leads Yale in points (18.9) and rebounds per game (4.2), while Bez Mbeng leads the team in assists (1.8). Jalen Gabbidon leads Yale in steals (1.5), and Isiah Kelly in blocks (23).

Scouting Penn
The Quakers are 12-15 on the season, and 9-5 in Ivy play. Most recently, the Penn fell to Princeton, 93-70, on Saturday, March 5, inside the Palestra. In the Tigers' previous matchup with the Quakers, they prevailed 74-64 on Monday, January 17, inside Jadwin Gymnasium.

Jordan Dingle leads Penn in points per game (20.6), and Max Martz leads the team in rebounds (5.0). Michael Moshkovitz leads Penn in assists (2.8) and steals (1.1).

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Matt Allocco

Tosan Evbuomwan

Drew Friberg

Ryan Langborg

Jaelin Llewellyn

Ethan Wright

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