Men's basketball faces off against UMBC in Baltimore

The men's basketball team takes to the road for the first time this season. Princeton will take on the University of Maryland-Baltimore County tonight in its first-ever visit to RAC Arena. The battle between the star centers will be the most crucial part of the game. Whoever can dominate down low will come out with the win.

Both teams come in with 2-0 records. Princeton won on each of the last two Fridays at Jadwin Gymnasium. UMBC won both its games in the Battle of Baltimore tournament, securing its fourth-straight title in that tourney.

UMBC's first two games came on back-to-back nights on Nov. 21 and 22, though, leaving plenty of room for rust on the Retriever side of the court.

The star for UMBC will be its center, Andrew Feeley, who earned Most Valuable Player honors in the Battle of Baltimore. Feeley averaged 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the wins over Loyola-Maryland and Towson. Eight of Feeley's 15 rebounds have come on the offensive end — an area where Princeton has been struggling this season. Guard Cory McJimson is Feeley's outside counterpart, as he recorded 12 points and eight boards in the tournament-clinching win over Towson.

Feeley has a strong medium-range jumper, and at six feet, nine inches and 250 pounds, he can hold his own on the block, though he is as good a defender as the UMBC backup, Eugene Young.

The Tigers have a center of their own, though. In its first two games, Princeton has executed the offense well with the starters on the court. The Tigers also found a reliable sub off the bench in freshman forward Luke Owings, who poured in 11 points Friday night against Holy Cross. Whoever comes off the bench, the Tiger offense will focus on junior center Judson Wallace.

Wallace broke out toward the end of last season, averaging 18 points in the final eight games, but this year he has made that look like child's play. Wallace is averaging 29.5 points per game, setting back-to-back career highs in the process.

"He put a lot of effort into his game [over the summer]," head coach John Thompson '88 said, "physically and in his endurance and his basketball skills."

Wallace attributes the improved scoring numbers to his teammates, however. Most of his baskets have been layups, obvious when one notes that he is shooting 75 percent from the field.

"I don't really even have to do anything," Wallace said, "just because we've got guys who throw it to me, and all I have to do is put it in. So it's not like I'm really working hard. I'm not good; they're just helping me out a lot."

Of course, since Wallace's offense has been so dominant thus far — he was named Ivy League Player of the Week — the rest of the team has not put up any impressive numbers on the scoring end. Sophomore guard Scott Greenman is the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging nine points a game.

Historically, supporting players at Princeton have done all the little things to win, feeding the ball to the scorer and getting key rebounds and turnovers.

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This year, however, those have been some of the most glaring weaknesses. The Tigers have turned the ball over 27 times in this young season and have been out-rebounded by nine per game.

"That's going to be a recurring theme all season: boxing out and rebounding," Wallace said. "That's what's either going to win the Ivy League Championship for us or take us into the tournament, however far we go. If we can rebound, it could be a really good season."

The game against UMBC should come down to a battle down low between Feeley and Wallace. Feeley has scored 29 points total in his two games this season. Wallace is averaging half a point more than that per game. The Retrievers will need strong contributions from the supporting cast, led by McJimson, to beat Wallace and company.