M. hoops to battle Holy Cross

An extended road trip outside the friendly — or at least familiar — confines of the Ivy League has defined the early season of men's basketball. Last weekend's win against Lafayette allowed Princeton (2-2 overall) to travel closer to home and avenge last year's loss. The Tigers hope that Holy Cross (3-0) will be unable to savor a similar revenge when the two teams tip off tonight.

Last year, Princeton squeezed out a 61-55 victory against the Crusaders, courtesy of a career-high 31 points from senior center Judson Wallace, all of which were requisite to rebuff Holy Cross' second-half comeback aspirations. Similar heroics may be needed to cross up the Crusaders this year.

Holy Cross guard Keith Simmons came off the bench in last year's contest to record a career-high of his own, 20 points, accompanied by seven rebounds and five steals in only 19 minutes of play. This season the six-foot, four-inch, 205-pound sophomore's eight points per game continue to give the Crusaders a spark from the bench. Guards Kevin Hamilton and Torey Thomas, however, lead Holy Cross' balanced offensive unit. Hamilton is averaging 15 points and four rebounds per game, and Thomas notches over 10 points and five assists per contest. Thomas' struggles from long range make his game easier to shut down. Hamilton, on the other hand, has already made seven three-pointers in three games, and his 20 tries indicate that he is not afraid to launch from downtown.

The Tigers have the ability to surpass the Crusaders in this regard; seven Princeton players have hit threes so far this year, led by sophomore forward Luke Owings and freshman forward Noah Savage, who each have five.

Holy Cross has eight players who average over five points per game; however, that production is notably lacking from their big men. A defensive-minded Tiger squad that shuts down the perimeter and forces the ball to awkward inside positions should be able to limit the Crusaders to fewer than their 66 points-per-game average. Princeton's new defensive schemes appear to be paying dividends.

"Our defense this year is a lot better," senior guard Will Venable said. "It's a different style of defense than we've played in the past, and it takes a lot more attention to detail as a team. It's tough, but we're improving every day, and our defense is a lot better than last year."

The Crusaders utilize tenacious defense to produce the kinds of runs that put games away. They disrupt their opponents' ability to score in bunches by forcing turnovers. Led by Hamilton and forward John Hurley, who has eight, Holy Cross has 38 steals in only three games.

"Our offensive rhythm will probably depend on our ability to take care of the ball," Venable said. "You can't run any kind of offense if you don't have the ball."

Another dimension contributing to the Crusaders' first 3-0 start since the 1992-1993 season is the team's proficiency on the boards. Led by Hamilton, Thomas and Hurley, Holy Cross records over 37 rebounds per game. This area has been much more problematic for the Tigers, who average only 25.

"Our rebounding is really one of our weaknesses, I think," Venable said. "Just looking at Holy Cross' rebounding statistics compared to ours, rebounding is something we all need to improve on for this game and in general. We'll see on Wednesday if it ends up being a problem."

For the first time this season, Princeton will match up against a team that has played one of its Ivy League rivals. The Crusaders defeated Harvard a week ago, but the 60-52 score did not indicate just how lopsided the game was.

These out-of-conference games are critical for the Tigers as they strive to establish their position as the team to beat in the Ivies and earn solid wins that will hopefully help their NCAA tournament seeding come March. Princeton's previous games have demonstrated that its defense is above par; the task for the Tigers against Holy Cross is to show that their offense deserves the same respect.

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"As for our team as a unit, I think we are happy with where we are right now," Venable said. "It's tough when you throw new guys on a team, and it's even tougher when you have a new coach, but we're handling it really well, and I think we are right where we should be as a unit."