Myrtle Beach Invitational Up Next For Men's Basketball

Game Eight: Princeton (4-3) vs. Portland (2-4) – 11/24, 10:30 a.m.
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Game Seven: Princeton (4-2) vs. Texas State (2-3) – 11/22, 7:30 p.m.
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Game Six: Princeton (4-1) vs Wright State (3-2) - 11/22, 8 p.m.
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PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton University men's basketball team will open play at the 2024 Myrtle Beach Invitational inside the HTC Center at 8 p.m. on Nov. 21 against Wright State.

Last Time Out
Despite trailing by 14 points late in the first half, the Tigers rallied to dispatch Merrimack, 68-57, inside Lawler Arena, in North Andover, Massachusetts, on Nov. 17.

All-Time Series Against Wright State
The Tigers and Raiders will be meeting for the first time in history.

The Myrtle Beach Invitational Field
Other teams playing at the Myrtle Beach Invitational include Bradley, South Florida, Portland, Texas State, Ohio and Middle Tennessee.

Tournament Bracket
With a win, the Tigers would play the winner of Bradley and Texas State at 5 p.m. on Nov. 22. A loss would see Princeton play the loser later that night at 7:30 p.m then the third game of the tournament will be played on Nov. 24.A full bracket for the tournament can be viewed HERE.

The 2024 Ivy League Player of the Year
Pierce is averaging 15.0 points on 55.2% shooting, 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists through three games. His 23 career double-doubles rank No. 15 among active players and his 8.3 rebound average No. 19.

Jersey Jam Most Outstanding Player
Caden Pierce was named Most Outstanding Player at the Jersey Jam after finishing with 17 points on 6-for-11 shooting and five rebounds.

Pierce Milestone Watch
With 817 career points, Pierce needs to score 183 more to reach 1,000. He is also sitting on 69 makes from three, requiring 31 more makes to get to 100.

Generational Rebounder
With 545 career rebounds, Pierce requires 17 more to enter the program's all-time top-10. He would surpass Myles Stephens '19, who ended his career with 561 rebounds.

All-Around Game
Through Princeton's first five games, Xaivian Lee is averaging 15.8 points-per-game, 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds.

Floor General
Lee, who is leading the Ivy League in assists-per-game, became the first Princeton player to record seven or more assists in consecutive games since Tosan Evbuomwan '23 had seven against Bucknell (Dec. 7, 2021) and eight at Lafayette (Dec. 11, 2021).

Xaivian Milestone Watch
With 726 career points, Lee needs 274 to reach 1,000. He is also 25 made three-pointers away from 100 makes as he currently sits on 75.

Ivy League Rookie of the Week
Malik Abdullahi was honored as the Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Nov. 18. In 19.9 minutes-per-game, he averaged 9.5 points on 64.3% shooting and 3.5 rebounds. Against Loyola Chicago on Nov. 15 in his first career start, Abdullahi scored 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting and had four rebounds along with one block. He followed that up with eight points on 4-for-6 shooting and three rebounds in the Tigers' 68-57 win over Merrimack on Nov. 17.

Leading The Ivy League In Field Goal Percentage
Abduallhi's freshman season has gotten off to a strong start. He is averaging 7.8 points on 72.0% shooting from the field, which leads the Ivy League shooting and 2.6 rebounds.

Davis' Career Night
Dalen Davis scored a career-high 25 points against Northeastern Nov. 10, exceeding his previous career-high of 21, set on in the Ivy League Tournament semifinal against Brown on Mar. 16, 2024. Davis' nine made field goals were a career-high, while his four made three-pointer tied his career-best.

Picking Up Where He Left Off – And Then Some
After averaging double figures over the final 10 games of his freshman season, Davis is averaging 17.3 points on 46.9% shooting from the field, 54.5% from three and 100% from the free throw line.

Peters' Career Night
Peters poured in a career-high 18 points against Northeastern on Nov. 10, besting his previous career-high of 17 which he recorded on three different occasions. Peters went 6-for-8 from three, with his six makes from long range also a career-high.

Moving Up The All-Time Three-Pointers Made List
With 134 career three-pointers, Peters moved up to No. 19 all-time at Princeton for most three-pointers. T.J. Bray '14 currently ranks No. 18 with 139 three-pointers.

Byriel Making An Impact
Philip Byriel has provided valuable minutes off the bench. On Nov. 7 against Duquense, he recorded eight points on 2-for-4 shooting from three and 2-for-2 from the free throw line in 16 minutes. Against Merrimack on Nov. 17, Byriel scored six points on 2-for-3 shooting from three and had a career-high seven rebounds in 17 minutes.

On The Hunt For A Four-Peat
The 2024-25 season will see Princeton aim to win its fourth-straight Ivy League title, its fifth in the past nine seasons and its 31st total.

Receiving Votes
Princeton received two votes in the Associated Press (AP) Poll announced on Oct. 14.

One Of Four
Princeton is one of four teams to win at least three-straight conference regular season titles. The others include Colgate, who has four-peated, Vermont and Toledo.

Top-Five Most Titles Won
Princeton's 33 Ivy titles are the fifth-most regular season championships of any program in NCAA DI men's basketball. The Tigers need five more championships to tie Penn and six earn the No. 4 spot.

The Henderson File
Along with the Tigers' historic Sweet Sixteen run in 2023-24, Mitch Henderson has led Princeton to four Ivy Championships, two Ivy Tournament Championships, three NIT appearances, seven 20-win seasons and 11 wins over high major opponents. A Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award Finalist in 2024, He's a two-time NABC District 13 Coach of the Year (2022, 2017), a two-time Ivy Coach of the Year (2024, 2017) and was a Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award in 2017.

Almost The Second-Winningest Coach In School History
With 236 career victories, Mitch Henderson ranks No. 3 all-time at Princeton for wins. With 14 more wins he would tie Franklin C. "Cappy" Cappon for No. 2 all-time and with 56 would earn the No. 2 spot behind Pete Carril.

ESPN Preseason Top 100
Xaivian Lee and Caden Pierce were both included in the ESPN Preseason Top 100 Players ahead of the 2024.25 season. Pierce was tabbed No. 76 and Lee No. 82.

CBS Sports Top 100
Xaivian Lee and Caden Pierce were both included in the CBS Sports Best 100 Players entering the 2024-25 season. Lee was ranked No. 70 and Pierce No. 82.

From Rookie Of The Year To Player Of The Year
After being named Ivy Rookie of the Year in 2023, Caden Pierce was named Ivy Player of the Year in 2024. 2024 also saw Pierce named First Team All-District, First Team All-Ivy and First Team All-Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA). He was named to the Lou Henson Mid Major All-America Team and was a Lou Henson Mid Major National Player of the Year Award Finalist. Pierce was honored as Ivy Player of the Week five times and MBWA Player of the Week twice. Additionally, he excelled academically and was named College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District.

Karl Malone Power Forward Of The Year Top-20 Preseason Watch List
Pierce was one of 20 players named to the Naismith Starting 5 - Karl Malone Power Forward Of The Year Top-20 Preseason Watch List. This prestigious award honors the best power forwards in men's college basketball and is presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame, highlighting the elite talent in the sport.

Pierce's Historic 2023-24
Pierce became the only Ivy League player and one of eight underclassmen in the last 30 years to average at least 16 points-per-game, nine rebounds, three assists and one steal. In 2023-24, he was the only underclassmen in the nation to average those numbers.

Up There With The Nation's Best
Of players used on at least 24% of possessions ranked, Pierce ranked 10th in the nation in offensive rating (123.3). He also ranked 16th in the nation in defensive rebound percentage (27.3%), 20th in defensive rebounds-per-game (7.24) and 26th in double-doubles (14).

Top Ten In Everything
Pierce ranked second in the Ivy League in defensive rebounds-per-game, third in rebounds (268), third in points (482), fifth in points-per-game (16.6), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.8), fifth in free throw percentage (76.7%), seventh in field goal percentage (54.6%), eighth in assists (93), eighth in assists-per-game (3.2) and eighth in steals (35).

The Rise Of Xaivian Lee
Xaivian Lee rose to national prominence in 2023-24, declaring for the NBA draft before electing to return to Princeton for his junior year. He earned an invite to the NBA G League Elite Camp and workouts with several NBA teams. Lee was named First Team All-District, First Team All-Ivy, First Team All-MBWA and to the Lou Henson Mid Major All-America Team and was a Lou Henson Mid Major National Player of the Year Award Finalist. Lee was also a two-time Ivy Player of the Week. His 495 points rank No. 11 all-time at Princeton for most in a season, his 108 assists No. 18 and his 52 made three-pointers No. 44.

Scoring Machine
With two 30-point games in 2023-24, Lee became the first Tiger to accomplish the feat since Myles Stephens '19 in the 2017-18 season. Lee also became the first Tiger to record a 30-point game since Jaelin Llewellyn '22 on Mar. 7, 2020, when he scored 30 against Northeastern on Nov. 25, 2023.

Lee's Increased Output
After averaging 4.8 points as a freshman, Lee improved his scoring average to 17.1 as a sophomore. He also improved his rebounding average from 1.8 to 5.7 and his assist average from 0.9 to 3.7.

Ivy Leader
Lee led the Ivy League in assist/turnover ratio (2.6) and ranked second in points (495), third in assists (108), fourth in assists-per-game (3.7), fourth in points-per-game (17.1), fourth in free-throw percentage (79.8%), sixth in rebounds (166) and eighth in rebounds-per-game (5.7).

Dynamic Duo
Pierce and Lee were one of five underclassmen in the nation to average at least 16 points-per-game, five rebounds and three assists while appearing in at least 25 games in 2023-24.

A Strong End To 2023-24 For Dalen Davis
A two-time Ivy Rookie of the Week in 2023-24, Dalen Davis had an outstanding end to his freshman season. Over the last nine games of the season, Davis averaged 10.2 points-per-game on 44.3% shooting from the field, 43.2% from three and 93.3% from the free throw line. Davis exploded offensively in the Ivy Tournament against Brown, scoring a season-high 21 points and shooting 4-for-5 from three.

Blake P3ters
Blake Peters started all 29 games in 2023-24 and ranked fifth in the Ivy League in made three-pointers (64), sixth in made three-point field goals-per-game (2.2) and made at least three three-pointers in 12 games. He also excels in the classroom and was named to the NABC Honors Court in 2024.

International Experience
Pierce and Davis represented Team USA in the FIBA U23 3x3 Nation's League in Mexico City, Mexico.

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