LAWRENCE, Kan. Over winter break the men's basketball team learned it can play with any team in the nation. And for the next four to six weeks, the Tigers will have to do so without senior captain Mason Rocca.
Rocca played in the first two games of the break, a 64-41 home win over Alabama-Birmingham and an 82-67 road loss to then-No. 12 Kansas but missed the final two games, a 58-54 loss at Xavier and a 51-41 win over Holy Cross at Jadwin Gym.
Rocca had bone chips and a bone spur removed from his left ankle and foot. He is hoping to return by the time Princeton starts its Ivy League schedule Jan. 28 at Cornell. If the injury takes six weeks to heal, he would likely return for the team's Ivy home-opener against Dartmouth Feb. 11.
Rocca first felt pain in his foot during the Dec. 9 win over Texas Christian. Since then, he had been receiving cortisone shots in order to be able to play. The injury was bothering him in his 27-point performance against Rutgers and finally gave out after the game at Kansas.
"It's frustrating," Rocca said, "but there's no sense wallowing in my misery or anything like that. There's a pretty good chance that I can come back for the Ivy League season, so I'm just concentrating on rehab and getting better as fast as I can.
Although the Tigers will certainly miss their starting power forward, Princeton has become accustomed to playing without Rocca. The senior missed the first five games of the season with a groin injury.
Tough guy
Against UAB Dec. 18, Rocca fought off the pain, scoring seven points and gathering 10 rebounds as the Tigers started off the break with their fifth straight win.
Freshman guard Spencer Gloger led the Tigers to victory. His 34 points set a Princeton freshman record, and he set a school record and tied the Ivy League mark with 10 three-pointers. Gloger was 12 for 15 overall and 10 for 12 from behind the arc. He made all seven of his second-half shots.
Gloger's performance earned him Ivy League Player of the Week honors. He became the first freshman since 1994 to be given the award. His 34 points also earned him the attention of the Tigers' next opponent, Kansas.
"We wanted to get after their three-point shooters," Kansas head coach Roy Williams said. "The one kid [Gloger], who was 10 for 12, we really focused on him and hoped he would come back to earth this game.
The Jayhawks' emphasis seemed to work, as Gloger got few open looks and was 1 for 4 from behind the arc, scoring just 9 points.
Pressure
The Tigers seemed to surprise the Jayhawks early with a full-court press that caused a turnover by guard Jeff Boschee. The resulting Gloger layup gave the Tigers a 9-7 lead.
But the heightened pace played right into the hands of a Kansas team that prides itself on its ability to wear down opponents with a deep bench. Ten of its players had at least 12 minutes of floor time on the night. After Boschee's turnover, Kansas went on an 11-0 run and never trailed again.
After having an infected wisdom tooth removed two days before, Jayhawk forward Ashante Johnson had a career-high 16 points to lead Kansas.
The Tigers forced their host into several bad shots and caused 16 turnovers, but the Jayhawks' 41-17 rebounding edge kept the issue from ever being in doubt.
There were several bright spots for the Tigers, including the play of sophomore center Chris Young, who scored a game-high 20 points. With Kansas focusing on Gloger, junior guard C.J. Chapman had a career-high five three-pointers, including one to cut the margin to 15 as the game ended. In 37 minutes facing the Jayhawk full-court pressure defense of both Boschee and guard Kirk Hinrich, sophomore guard Ahmed El-Nokali had no turnovers and scored a career-high 11 points.
On the road
Princeton's midwestern swing continued after Christmas, and the schedule did not get any easier. Dec. 27, the Tigers faced Xavier, who had beaten then-No. 1 Cincinnati a week before.
Gloger again paced Princeton with 17 points on 5 for 8 shooting from beyond the arc. His 15 second-half points set the stage for a late rally by the Tigers that made the score 51-49 with under five minutes remaining. But late free-throws from guard Maurice McAfee and forward David West preserved victory for the Musketeers.
"None of us felt like we played well against Kansas," Rocca said. "Against Xavier we played all right but we had numerous opportunities to win the game. So we know we can play with anyone, but now we have to start beating those teams.
The Tigers returned home to play on New Year's Eve against Holy Cross. Gloger again led Princeton with 12 points. The Tigers struggled from the floor, hitting only 40 percent of their shots and going 8 for 27 from beyond the arc.
Princeton's defense, however, held the Crusaders to 29 percent from the floor and a 1 of 13 performance from three-point range.
NOTES: A day after coach Roy Williams made his team shoot 4,000 free throws in practice, the Jayhawks shot 22-23 from the line . . . According to Williams, Kansas will return the favor next season by visiting Jadwin Gym . . . Including the 41-17 rebounding deficit at Kansas, the Tigers were outrebounded by an average of 14 per game during the break.
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