Yale men’s basketball was down to Princeton 49-47 with 10:37 remaining in the game Saturday night. Nothing surprising there.
What is surprising is that the game was that close with zero points from Matt Knowling and Danny Wolf.
Knowling was out with a groin injury and Wolf was both way off from the floor (0-for-8) and well-defended by Zach Martini and a rugged Caden Pierce along with a healthy heaping of help defense.
Princeton went on to win, 73-62.
What do we know now about Yale that we might not have known a week or three days ago?
There’s not a lot to be culled from the Bulldogs’ 76-62 win over Penn on Friday night, because Penn does not defend nearly as well as Princeton, especially inside.
Let’s start with the value of Knowling. His deft touch and finesse around the hoop are tough to defend by any team. And in the event that teams double Wolf, which Penn did a lot Friday night and Princeton did some last night, Knowling is lethal around the basket. At times, he’s unguardable.
Knowling is shooting a team-high 57% from the field, mostly down low. And he is the ultimate glue guy as a senior. How many teams nationally have two guys who can guard Wolf and Knowling when they are both in the paint?
Yale is certainly susceptible to the pick and pop from the three position without Knowling, and both Pierce and Matt Allocco exploited that deficiency.
Wolf is a tremendous player and along with former Princeton standout and current Detroit Piston Tosan Evbuomwan, the best big in eons in the Ivy.
Wolf’s one weakness has been his inability, on occasion, to exploit his 7-foot frame through traditional back-to-the-basket play. He is far more comfortable as a sophomore to put the ball on the floor and spin to the hoop, a move which gave no less than Hunter Dickinson of Kansas fits in December. Wolf is also far more comfortable in hoisting up treys, where he is shooting a respectable 38%.
It is not out of the question that the Ivy race finishes with Yale, Cornell and Princeton at 12-2, all holding serve against the others at home. In that possible scenario, the NET would be the tiebreaker. Currently, Princeton sits at No. 53 with a significant jump from No. 60 as a result of its 11-point win over Yale. Yale is at No. 83 and Cornell at No. 86.
A positive takeaway for Yale from its loss at Princeton is the familiar adage that its tough to beat a team three times in a season. Princeton demonstrated that to Yale last season, winning on its home court in the Ivy League Tournament final. Levien Gym will present the ultimate neutral floor if the two rivals meet again in March.
And don’t forget that Yale has won 11 out of its last 15 games against the Tigers.