Stop studying. Don't read or write. For the next 23 days, sit on the couch and watch TV. You'll more than likely be able to catch the men's basketball team playing some of the nation's best if you stick to that plan.
Three of Princeton's five games over Winter Break will be televised — two of them nationally.
Rutgers
Tomorrow night, the Tigers (4-1) make the short trip up the road to Piscataway, N.J. for a game against Rutgers (4-1).
The game, which can be seen on MSG at 2 p.m., will be the 110th meeting between the teams. The Scarlet Knights have won the last four and is riding a hot streak after double-digit wins over Temple at Penn St.
Ricky Shields leads Rutgers with 14.2 points per game, but the Scarlet Knights are balanced at both ends of the court. Herve Lamizana, one of only two Rutgers players over six-feet, nine-inches, chips in 13.8 points and seven rebounds per game.
Lack of strong inside depth should hurt Rutgers against Princeton, which boasts the twelfth-highest scorer (and highest-scoring center) in college basketball in junior center Judson Wallace (22.8 points per game). If the Scarlet Knights get in foul trouble early, look for Wallace to run away with the game.
Duke
The biggest game of Princeton's non-conference season is Dec. 17 at Duke (5-1). Cameron Indoor Stadium is home to one of the most raucous crowds in college basketball. The game will also be nationally televised on ESPN2.
Head coach John Thompson '88 said he put Duke on the schedule to prepare the Tigers for Ivy League match-ups later in the year, which often mirror Duke because students are so close to the action.
The Blue Devils are currently the No. 5 team in the country, but they will probably move up in the rankings after No. 1 Florida lost to unranked Maryland Wednesday night.
As usual, Duke is stacked all over the court. The Blue Devils have four players who score over 10 points per game. Luol also fills up the stat sheet with 6.5 rebounds per game, but the player to watch on the inside is Shelden Williams. The 6-9 sophomore leads the team with 20 offensive rebounds through six games.
Lafayette
The Tigers have struggled with their rebounding so far this season, but they should catch a break when Lafayette visits Jadwin Gymnasium on Dec. 22. Despite their 5-1 record, the Leopards have only outrebounded their opponents by 1.3 per game.
No one has been able to clean the glass well individually for Lafayette, but the Leopards have collectively done enough not to lose games.
Lafayette's senior backcourt of Justin DeBerry and Winston Davis have provided virtually all the offense. If Princeton's guards, junior Will Venable and senior Ed Persia, can contain those two — who each score over 15 points per game — the Tigers will have no trouble winning the battle of the big cats.
Loyola College
The Tigers will play in Baltimore for the second time this year when they take on Loyola College (0-7). The Greyhounds have not had a stellar season so far. Their seven losses include being swept by UMBC and Towson in the Battle of Baltimore. UMBC went on to win the tournament and promptly fall to Princeton in its next game, 68-56. Loyola's 72-50 loss to UMBC may foreshadow a big Princeton win Dec. 29.
Charlie Bell is Loyola's best player, averaging 15.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He also leads the team with 10 steals. It will be Venable's job to cover the electric sophomore in the half court offense, but if Bell can poke the ball away from the turnover-prone Venable, Loyola could make a game of it.
Oklahoma
A trip to Oklahoma City will wrap up Princeton's Winter Break schedule and be the Tigers' final nationally televised game — again on ESPN2.
Oklahoma (5-0) is currently No. 11 in the country before its game last night against No. 16 Purdue. The Sooners have already defeated No. 6 Michigan St., but they are perfectly willing to demolish smaller schools, as well. Witness their 94-24 shellacking of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (that's not a typo).
Princeton's knack for slowing down games may give the Tigers a chance, but look for Jason Detrick, De'Angelo Alexander and Co. to put on a show on the small screen.
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