Wednesday News:

March 24, 2010 at 10:41 am
Filed under Basketball, Princeton, Recruiting, Today's News

Today's Game: Princeton (22-8 / 11-3) vs. St. Louis (22-11 / 11-5)
Location: Chaifetz Arena - St. Louis, MO
Time: 9:00 pm ET
Radio: 103.3 fm WPRB
TV: HDNet
Internet: goprincetontigers.com
Series History: Saint Louis leads 2-0.
Last meeting: Saint Louis 82 Princeton 52 - 12/17/70.

Thursday, March 25th
(12) Cornell vs. (1) Kentucky - 9:50 pm ET - CBS
NCAA Tournament

You want previews of tonight's CBI semifinal? Look to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, the Telegraph, the Trenton Times, the Trentonian and the WPRB Sports blog.

Princeton recruit T.J. Bray was named Associated Press 2010 Wisconsin Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Princeton Alumni Weekly has republished their story about Princeton's 1975 NIT title.

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IUPUI highlights.

March 23, 2010 at 11:33 pm
Filed under Basketball, Princeton, Video

A few plays from last night's CBI quarterfinal.

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IUPUI pictures.

March 23, 2010 at 5:55 pm
Filed under Basketball, Photos, Princeton

A gallery of snapshots from the Indy Star.

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Tuesday News:

March 23, 2010 at 9:55 am
Filed under Baseball, Basketball, Brian Earl, Princeton, Recruiting, Richmond, Today's News, Will Venable

Wednesday, March 24th
Princeton vs St. Louis - 9:00 pm ET - HDNet
CBI Tournament

Thursday, March 25th
(12) Cornell vs. (1) Kentucky - 9:50 pm ET - CBS
NCAA Tournament

In addition to our recap, read about last night's wild game on goprincetontigers.com, in the Indianapolis Star, in the IUPUI Examiner, on Student on Sports and on iupuijags.com.

I realized this morning that Princeton's Brian Earl has been involved in each of the Tigers' last six postseason victories. Four as a player, two as assistant.

Also offering articles on the CBI quarterfinal from people who were not in attendance are the Daily Princetonian and the Trentonian.

Princeton's next opponent is a depleted St. Louis team who is down to just eight scholarship players after guard Justin Jordan broke his thumb in Monday's double overtime comeback versus UW-Green Bay.

Richmond's Chris Mooney may interest Seton Hall, among other institutions.

A Tennessee senior forward who had been considering Princeton and Cornell has opted for the Big Red.

Cornell center Jeff Foote had the following to say about the Tigers' defense: "Princeton is one of the best defensive teams I've ever played against...Princeton - not taking anything away from Wisconsin or Temple - is a better defensive team than them. We're used to that style of play and we're ready to play that kind of game."

Will Venable has taken a circuitous route to the major leagues.

Here's a Trenton Times preview of last night's action that I initially missed.

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Princeton 74 IUPUI 68 (2OT).

March 22, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Filed under 09-10, Audio, Basketball, Princeton

Box Score : HD Box Score

Postgame audio - Coach Sydney Johnson, Ian Hummer, Dan Mavraides & Pawel Buczak:

Extra question - Dan Mavraides & Ian Hummer:

They gave out black t-shirts shirts to everyone in attendance at IUPUI’s 1,215 seat gym before Monday night’s CBI quarterfinal versus Princeton and the Jaguars that read “Catfight in the Jungle.”

It was appropriate then that the Tigers would use up most of their nine lives to claw out an improbable 74-68 win in double overtime.

Scoring all six points of the second OT, Princeton won despite:

-Shooting a horrific 10-21 at the free throw line.

-Giving up 18 offensive rebounds.

-Being outrebounded 48-33 for the game.

-Falling behind 54-44 with 9:01 left in regulation.

A four forward lineup led the Tigers back from the brink to force bonus basketball and Ian Hummer’s offensive rebound of a Dan Mavraides jumper that deflected off the side of the backboard with 1:06 showing in the second extra frame put Princeton up a fortunate three.

“Oh man. I was pretty nervous when [Dan] shot that,” Hummer admitted. “At first I thought it was going to hit the side of the backboard but luckily it barely nicked it. It came right to me and luckily nobody was guarding me and I just laid it back up to give us a nice little cushion.”

IUPUI missed their final five shots and the Tigers had escaped, the first team to win in The Jungle this season.

Hummer was an essential part of the four forward charge, scoring 16 off the bench - 14 after the half. He was joined in double figures by Mavraides with 18 and seniors Pawel Buczak (12) and Marcus Schroeder (10).

Robert Glenn drove his way to 18 points and hauled in 16 boards for the Jags, but a key defensive switch midway through the second half limited his effectiveness in the crunch.

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Monday News:

March 22, 2010 at 8:42 am
Filed under Basketball, Princeton, Recruiting, Today's News

Today's Game: Princeton (21-8 / 11-3) vs. IUPUI (25-10 / 15-3)
Location: The Jungle - Indianapolis, IN
Time: 7:00 pm ET
Radio: N/A
TV: N/A
Internet: N/A
Series History: This is the first meeting between the two teams.
Last meeting: This is the first meeting between the two teams.

Thursday, March 25th
(12) Cornell vs. (1) Kentucky - 9:50 pm ET - CBS
NCAA Tournament

In advance of tonight's game, here's my half of a Q&A with IUPUI blog Student on Sports.

Jaguars Examiner previews this evening's contest.

The Daily Princetonian has a proper article on the Duquesne game.

Princeton recruit Daniel Edwards was named First Team All-District 10-4A.

Cornell (29-4) did it again with an incredible offensive performance against one of the nation's top defensive teams, putting up 1.45 points per possession and blowing out Wisconsin, 87-69. The Big Red are the first Ivy League team to reach the Sweet 16 since 1979. Soft Pretzel Logic nails it - there is no such thing as impossible.

If Princeton should win tonight and the College of Charleston also wins their CBI game, the Post & Courier implies their semifinal matchup would likely be held at Jadwin Gym.

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Know! Your! Foe! - IUPUI.

March 21, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Filed under Basketball, Know Your Foe, Princeton

For the latest installment of the site's popular Know! Your! Foe! series, I exchanged emails with Michael Hadley of the web site Student on Sports, who I first came into contact with in the frantic hours between the NIT selection show and the completion of the CIT and CBI brackets last Sunday. Better known as @RedZoneIUPUI on Twitter, Michael is a self-proclaimed "IUPUI Jaguar super-fan" and your point man for information on Princeton's College Basketball Invitational quarterfinal opponent.

How much of a home advantage is "The Jungle" (Division I's 342nd largest gym, holding but 1,215 souls) and why don't people call it the Palin-dome?!

This year, IUPUI is 10-0 at the Jungle [their losses to IPFW and Ohio were both at Conseco Fieldhouse - JS], including a 24-point STOMPING of Summit champ Oakland. True, The Jungle only holds 1,215, but that means its a much more intimate atmosphere. At a lot of D-I places, they might pack 20,000+ people in for every game. But the people at the top row can't even be heard by the people towards the middle. The Red Zone (our student section) is only about three feet from the out-of-bounds line, directly across from the opposing bench - so I personally stand only 55 feet away, and sometimes as close as 10 feet from any given play. We never stop yelling and screaming, using signs, chants, and everything in between to distract and inhibit opposing teams. We welcome all challengers. Also, Palin-dome sounds a lot better than "The Jungle at the IUPUI Natatorium."

As primarily a commuter school, is there any "buzz" on campus about this game? How hard has it been to build interest in this team?

We've been building the Red Zone from the ground up, culminating at the Oakland game (the last "big" home game of the year). Four of us traveling to UMKC earlier this season showed a lot of nay-sayers and on-the-fencers that we leaders are very serious about creating the most feared student section in the Summit League. Themed nights are important because they give semblance to the section, not everyone has the same IUPUI gear the rest of us have but everyone has a black t-shirt or hoodie around. The team this year helped us get people to the games, we've only been this good a few times in our history. Next year should be just as good - we're losing our best player but our biggest upside guy is back, along with three other starters.

It looks like the Jaguars do two things very, very well - shooting the ball - both in the paint and outside the arc - and creating steals. Confirm? Deny?

Our game is a lot more of an inside-inside-outside game than anything. We shoot well from the outside because we create mismatches inside. Three starters and two bench players can all bang inside, and are all different enough to exploit nearly every team we play. Once the inside presence is established, it forces double teams on at least one guy. That opens up the perimeter for four of the smoothest-shooting guys I've ever seen in person. (Notice the over-lap: We play eight guys regularly, three of them can both get inside and shoot from range. The more this can be exploited, the better IUPUI fares.)

Robert Glenn and Alex Young are both in the Top 500 nationally in over eight different statistical categories. How important are they to IUPUI's success? Are they as multi-faceted as these numbers indicate?

When one of them is off...the other better be on. The "Big Three" - Rob, Alex, and Leroy Nobles - have outscored opposing teams themselves multiple times this year. Rob is one of the most (if not THE most) athletic down-low players in the League, and Alex has the most upside of any player in the League (via: CollegeInsider.com). They are one of only two 18+ ppg tandems in the nation, the other coming from one of the New Mexicos (previously a Duke combo - shows you how consistent those two are). If a team doubles Rob inside, he can fire it out to Alex on the perimeter and then step back until he's needed again. Alex fouled out of the Oral Roberts game with about four minutes to play (semi-finals of the Summit League Championship), and Rob had all but (I think) two points from there on. Both are good for 2-3 highlight reel dunks a night, both are tough enough to play inside but smooth enough to shoot from outside.

Describe they way in which IUPUI beats Princeton.

IUPUI beats Princeton if: 1) Turnovers ratio is at least 1.75:1 in favor of IUPUI. 2) Robert and Alex shoot better than 45% each, and score at least 37 combined points. 3) Princeton has more than 20 points in the paint. 4) Princeton shoots worse than 35% from distance. 5) Play fast-tempo basketball/Score at least 70 points.

How does a Tiger victory come to be? What has to happen?

Well I suppose I sort of described it before. 1) Shoot well from range. 2) Have a presence inside on BOTH ends of the floor. 3) Hold on to the ball!! 4) Take us (students) out of the game. [That will be the hardest thing for them to do, but if we're not in it our guys will fall flat.]

What if Princeton wears their black road jerseys AND there's a "blackout" on Monday? Hasn't anyone considered this? Help!

Well that would be okay! We don't really care what jerseys the opposing teams wear (THOUGH the White Out was for Oakland's black road jerseys). When we play IUEast/IUSouth Bend/etc, their colors are close to ours (via the IU affiliation), but we don't really make any special concessions to be sure no one matches them.

Tell me more about Coach Ron Hunter's involvement with Samaritan's Feet.

Each season (three years running now) Ron and scores of other coaches across the US take off their shoes to help raise awareness for the organization Samaritan's Feet. This group helps raise awareness - and shoes - for children in countries who either can't afford shoes or have literally no access to shoes at all. In my time at IUPUI, we're 1-1 on No Shoe Day. The students all take off our shoes too (and don't allow anyone in the Red Zone WITH shoes on) to help create perspective and understanding. Last year I vividly remember watching Mike & Mike (ESPN2 & ESPN Radio) EARLY in the morning when Ron was going to be on. He explained the cause to the co-hosts, but then was surprised with an EXTREMELY generous donation from Crocs (the shoe company). Everyone at IUPUI loves the cause - in fact his involvement in a cause like that is one of the big things that drew me to the school and basketball program in general.

Also, each summer the basketball team (lead by Coach Hunter, of course) heads out to a far away land to help distribute shoes to those in need. The players all say what a humbling experience it is, and the Red Zone is hoping to help raise money and shoes for them as we grow and expand.

Plug time! Let people know about your site!

I started the site as a all-around blog site so I can get all my sports-related thoughts out (Why I wish Tim Tebow would go away, my predictions for the World Cup, etc). It quickly evolved into nothing - I really didn't have time for it with class and work and everything. Once I realized the potential of Twitter and my blog, I began using both to get the word out about IUPUI basketball. We are really proud of our guys and everything they've done and will do in the future!

Thanks for your time, Michael. I look forward to seeing the Red Zone in person on Monday night! Answers to your questions about Princeton should be in your inbox later tonight.

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Sunday News:

March 21, 2010 at 9:21 am
Filed under Basketball, Oregon State, Princeton, Recruiting

Sunday, March 21st
(12) Cornell vs. (4) Wisconsin - 2:50 pm ET - CBS
NCAA Tournament

Monday, March 22nd
Princeton vs. IUPUI - 7:00 pm ET
CBI Tournament

How was your Saturday? Princeton recruit T.J. Bray was named 2010 Mr. Basketball by the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association yesterday. Bray also took home unanimous Division 2 First Team All-State honors.

Then Bray went out and scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, picked six steals and slung five assists as Catholic Memorial won the WIAA Division 2 state title with a 60-48 win over Maple Northwestern in Madison.

I had a chance to watch part of the third quarter and all of the fourth quarter. Bray has an poised, adult game and was never rattled with the ball in his hands. He's not particularly fast but his handle and his decision making were ace. A cross-court pass by Bray to set up a teammate for a three point shot at the buzzer to end quarter number three was marvelous.

Here's the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report on the game.

As of right now, Princeton does not have a plan to broadcast Monday night's CBI game at IUPUI. The best chance to following the action is to stream video of the game on iupuijags.com. With the Jaguars' gym holding just over 1,200 people, I'd recommend anyone making the trip buy tickets in advance.

Princeton coach Sydney Johnson was a guest on "The Passing Game" with former Fork Union head man Fletcher Arritt. An excellent listen.

Oregon State is already looking to the future.

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Kareem Maddox talks dunks.

March 20, 2010 at 10:34 am
Filed under Basketball, Princeton, Video

The junior forward discusses his proclivity for throwing it down.

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Saturday News:

March 20, 2010 at 10:32 am
Filed under Baseball, Basketball, Chris Young, Northwestern, Princeton, Recruiting, Today's News, Will Venable

Sunday, March 21st
(12) Cornell vs. (4) Wisconsin - 2:50 pm ET - CBS
NCAA Tournament

Monday, March 22nd
Princeton vs. IUPUI - 7:00 pm ET
CBI Tournament

Congratulations to Cornell (28-4), who recorded the Ivy League's first NCAA Tournament win since 1998 with a convincing 78-63 performance versus Temple. Soft Pretzel Logic has a great post about this game.

With the Big Red and Princeton both winning, 2009-10 is just the second year where two different Ivy men's basketball teams have been victorious in the postseason. Can you name the other time this happened? No peaking at our Twitter feed for the answer...

Princeton recruit T.J. Bray had 25 points, 12 rebounds and three assists as Catholic Memorial advanced to the WIAA Division 2 state finals. If anyone wants to watch it, the championship game versus Maple Northwestern will stream live at 7:30 pm ET tonight here.

Will Venable hit a titanic home run in spring training, while Chris Young labored over four innings of work.

I enjoyed this multimedia piece where Northwestern players and assistant coach Mitch Henderson were asked to share their thoughts on possible NCAA Tournament expansion.

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Yesterday in YouTube form.

March 19, 2010 at 10:03 am
Filed under Basketball, Georgetown, Richmond, Video

John Thompson III speaks briefly with Bill Raftery after the Hoyas' loss to Ohio.

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Friday News:

March 19, 2010 at 9:10 am
Filed under Basketball, Georgetown, MCCC, Princeton, Richmond, Today's News

Friday, March 19th
(12) Cornell vs. (5) Temple - 12:30 pm ET - CBS
NCAA Tournament

A trio of belated stories on the Duquesne/Princeton game - SportsProf was one of the 665 at Jadwin Gym. The Princeton Packet chimes in and the Duquesne Duke provides additional perspective.

Bob Nuse of the Princeton Packet writes about the success this season of the Carril coaching tree.

TigerBlog reminds you that not all Thursdays are created equal.

Princeton Alumni Weekly summarizes many of the Tigers' Ivy results.

Mercer (20-14) was knocked out of the NJCAA Division II Tournament by Pima C.C., 79-58. The Vikings allowed a 17-2 to start the second half, which put the game away.

Saint Mary's out-executed Richmond (26-9) in the second half of a 80-71 Gaels victory.

The biggest upset of day one of the NCAA Tournament was Ohio's easy 97-83 dismissal of Georgetown (23-11). Andy Glockner of Sports Illustrated takes a deeper look at why the Bobcats had little trouble with the Hoyas.

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