Mitch Henderson’s dominance over the Penn Quakers continues. Since 2012, Princeton, after yesterday’s satisfying 74-64 triumph at Jadwin, is 15-4 against its most bitter rival.
From the 1962-63 through 2006-07 campaigns, the Tigers or the Quakers won at least a share of the Ivy League title in all but two seasons. This remarkable era established what Noah Savage described on yesterday’s ESPN+ game feed as “the best rivalry in sports. Forget Yankees-Red Sox, forget Duke-UNC. This is the one.” Hyperbole? Surely, but the Ps’ faithful get it.
Harvard, Yale and, for three years, Cornell, have diminished the significance of the rivalry this century – as has the past decade’s Tigers dominance. Princeton coach Mitch Henderson declined to comment on reports that his Red & Blue counterpart, Steve Donahue, has climbed to number one on his Christmas card list.
The Tigers’ 4-0 Ivy start, accomplished entirely at home, gives Princeton a favorable position in terms of qualifying for the league tournament at Harvard. However, no team has played itself out of contention.
Brown, at 1-4, could just as easily be 3-2 or 4-1 with its talent and coaching. Columbia, picked by many “experts” (me) to finish last gave the Tigers a real scare at Jadwin and held off Penn the next night at The Palestra. Cornell suffered one blowout loss but more than held its own in its other starts. Yale and Harvard will surely be there at the end of the regular season.
Breaking down the Tigers’ early run suggests a lot of positives. While Henderson is not satisfied with the number of points his club gives up, he has not paid any price for it yet. Critics argue that the Tigers rely too much on shooting the three-ball, but five players have stepped up as reliable sharpshooters: Drew Friberg, Ethan Wright, Ryan Langborg, Jaelin Llewellyn and Matt Allocco. While all shooters struggle at times, it is not likely that they all will simultaneously. Allocco, a sophomore playing his first season of college basketball, got his chance when Llewellyn went down with a hamstring pull during garbage time against Columbia. Allocco has responded in storybook fashion and now averages 25 to 30 minutes per game.
The Tigers’ MVP so far in the Ivy campaign has been the sophomore from England, Tosan Evbuomwan, who holds down the No. 5 position in often acrobatic fashion. A scorer and a rebounder, Evbuomwan is, according to Henderson, the best passer on the team. He is currently the Ivy League assist leader by a wide margin. His knack for passing out of the hole to an open shooter beyond the arc surely accounts for much of Princeton’s production from deep.
Penn’s Michael Moshkovitz played Evbuomwan as tough as anyone Monday, essentially keeping his team in the game with his ability to score against the Tiger big man. On defense, however, Moshkovitz found himself in deep foul trouble early in the second half. He was sent to the bench when the Tigers effectively put the game away.
Llewellyn’s return against Penn was the best news for Princeton in over a week. Playing without apparent difficulty, he stabilized the rotation at both ends. Not coincidentally, the Tigers played perhaps their best defensive game against the Quakers. Llewellyn gives the Tigers a better chance to defend the league’s backcourt scoring threats, Yale’s Azar Swain, Brown’s Kino Lilly, Jr. and Dartmouth’s Brendan Barry. Monday’s key to the game was the Tigers’ ability to take Jordan Dingle almost completely out of the Penn offense. Although it was a team effort, much credit for limiting Dingle’s production must go to Ethan Wright, the Tigers’ “do it all guy.”
Princeton minimized the commission of personal fouls against the Quakers, another clear need going forward.
Max Johns, the junior swingman, has played consistently well off the bench, returning to the form he showed in his first season. Henderson could not be more pleased.
Mason Hooks, the 6’10” freshman from California, comes in to give Evbuomwan some rest. He can score and rebound but is not as agile as Evbuomwan. No one is.
The Tigers were very fortunate to win two games in Llewellyn’s absence, especially given the way they won them. It is doubtful they can hold up well if he, or any of the first six, is injured and unable to play for any significant length of time. Even if everyone stays healthy, Princeton will take a 9-5 record when the regular season concludes. One must keep in mind that Princeton must play seven of its remaining 10 games on the road, a daunting prospect at best. To have the best chance to win the tournament crown and the NCAA March Madness bid that comes with it, Princeton needs to win the regular season title. This would give the Tigers the chance to avoid the likely necessity to beat Yale and Harvard on successive nights.
The Ivy campaign is shaping up as the wildest and most chaotic in the Ivy Madness era. I can’t wait to see what happens. Go Tigers!