Kentucky Wildcat Basketball Preview – Know Your Enemy: Princeton Tigers
By Paul Jordan
GAME 34
MARCH 17, 2011 – 2:45 PM
ST PETE TIMES FORUM – TAMPA, FL
PRINCETON TIGERS (25-6)
NCAA TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND
TV – CBS
SERIES HISTORY
KENTUCKY LEADS 2-1
LAST MEETING
3/12/1977: #6 KENTUCKY 72 PRINCETON 58
NCAA TOURNAMENT EAST REGIONAL FIRST ROUND
Here we go again. The NCAA, in their infinite wisdom, has dipped into their playbook and provided basketball fans with yet another ‘David vs Goliath”, “Brain vs Brawn”, another “Kentucky’s big bloated basketball budget vs an Ivy League school that does not give out basketball scholarships” scenario. This time, it is the Princeton Tigers who will represent the Ivy League against the Kentucky Wildcats.
The Tigers are old pros at this NCAA thing, however. With this bid, Princeton broke a tie with Penn for the most NCAA appearances in the NCAA among Ivy League schools. This is the Tiger’s 24th appearance and they have a 13-27 Tourney record and have made a Final Four. The Tigers also own a couple of memorable NCAA moments. Princeton owns one of the biggest tournament records in history as they upset defending champion UCLA 15 years ago. And who can forget 10989 when the Tigers came the closest 16th seed team to pull the big upset when they lost to Georgetown by just two points?
This is the Tiger’s first appearance in the Big Dance in seven seasons however, and it took a last second shot versus Harvard to propel them here. The Tigers have tangled with two ranked teams this season, getting thrashed by then number one Duke 97-60 and then a narrow loss to then #21 Central Florida 68-62. Regardless of where they came from, it is single elimination time, and on any given Thursday, anyone can send anyone home.
THE STARTERS
#20 G DOUGLAS DAVIS – JR 5’11 164
11.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.7 apg\
#33 G – DAN MAVRAIDES – SR 6’4 210
12.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.8 apg
#34 F – IAN HUMMER – SO 6’7 226
13.9 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.0 apg
#22 F – PATRICK SAUNDERS – JR 6’8 200
5.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 0.7 apg
#44 C – BRENDAN CONNOLLY – SO 6’11 252
3.1 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1 apg
BACKCOURT
Douglas Davis is going to be one of the players Kentucky must shut down to control the Tiger’s three-point attack. Davis is hitting 39.5% of his attempts and is not afraid to fire away. Davis is actually shooting a bit better from long range than his normal FG percentage of 39.1 and about half his attempts will come from beyond the arc. He has quick hands on defense and can come up with steals and he is the quintessential Ivy League “scrappy guard”. He’s not a great passer and can be harassed into turnovers and he does not get to the line a lot. Dan Mavraides is actually the better passer and can play both guard positions. He is hitting 38.6% of his treys and like Davis, will spend half his time shooting from long range. Against Duke, he hit 4-5 3-pointers. Mavraides is also a decent rebounder and has a double double on the season. TJ Bray offers some size in the backcourt at 6’6. The freshman has just three treys on the season and is averaging 1.5 ppg and 1.7 rpg. Ben Hazel may see some spot minutes and offers some size at 6’5 but his stats are almost nonexistent.
FRONTCOURT
Ian Hummer is your stay close to the basket forward that likes to mix it up for rebounds and defend in the post. He has five double doubles on the season and managed to have a 14 board seven rebound game versus Duke, so he is not going to be intimidated. He also does a good job to kicking out to open team mates for three-pointers and can block some shots as well. He is not much of a scoring threat outside 10-12 feet and he hits 55.7% of his shots. Patrick Saunders should start, but he really only plays about half the game. He is not that physical and really struggled against Duke and Central Florida with just two points each. He’s not that great a rebounder, and is almost nonexistent on the offensive boards. He can launch the occasional three and hits 37.5% of them. Like Saunders, Brendan Connolly starts and makes an extended cameo in the game (about 13 minutes). He hits half his shot attempts, all from around 12 feet in, and his playing time has really been dwindling as of late. He’s scored in double digits just twice this season and has just one game in double digit rebounds. He will get the occasional swat, but at this point still seems to be a work in progress. The Tigers are unique in that their best player, Kareem Maddox has started just four times on the season, yet he is on the court more than anyone, averaging 31 minutes. The 6’8, 230 pound junior leads the team in scoring (13.9) rebounds (7.1), and assists (2.5). He also blocks 1.8 shots a game and is hitting 56.5% of his FG attempts. He is explosive and has two thirty point games on the season, but we must temper expectations as this was against Ivy League talent. Regardless, I’m sure Maddox has John Calipari’s attention. Mack Darrow is a 6’9 sophomore that has put up respectable numbers in just 18 minutes a game. He is averaging 4.3 po
ints and 2.5 boards a game. Darrow also connects on 35.1% of his treys. Will Barrett has been getting a lot of minutes over the last six games and he is a 6’10 banger in the post. On the season, he is averaging 2.0 points and 1.6 boards, although he has been doubling that over the recent span.
TEAM STATS
POINTS PER GAME
KENTUCKY 76.4 Princeton 69.6
REBOUNDS PER GAME
KENTUCKY 38.1 Princeton 34.7
ASSISTS PER GAME
Princeton 13.5 KENTUCKY 12.7
FG %
Princeton 46.5% KENTUCKY 46%
3 POINT %
KENTUCKY 39.7% Princeton 36.8%
FT %
Princeton 73.1% KENTUCKY 71.8%
OUTLOOK
Not to disrespect Princeton, but this game should be over fairly early. Princeton is a nice team, but when you look a tthe spped and athleticism that Kentucky brings, there is no comparision. That said, Princeton is a very smart and well coached teams and unlike past Priceton teams, are not all about abck door cuts and deliberate play. Princeton has a lot of big bodies they can throw at UK to try and weat Jones and Harrellson down and get them into foul trouble. Princeton’s coach has hinted that they may try to get Kentucky running to wear them down. I think trying to lure Kentucky into a runnng game is a deathwish, but it’s not my funeral.
Kentucky’s guards should dominate this game. Princeton has not seen quickness like this all season, except against Duke, and that game was a blowout. The one thing Kentucky will need to be cognizant of is of Princeton’s big men passing the ball back out to wide open sharpshooters as the play collapses inside. Kentucky has been burnt by that in the past but should be prepared for that situation.
If this game was earlier in the year, you may think Princeton could give a good game, but Kentucky has been playing with heart and hustle lately. Look for Kentucky to come out focused and jump out to an early comfortable lead. KENTUCKY 75 Princeton 57
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