Cowboys gallop into Jadwin

Unlike the snow and ice already frozen fast over Princeton, the men's basketball team's offense has proven to be anything but solid after five games.

The Tigers (1-4 overall, 0-0 Ivy League) host Wyoming (4-3) this Saturday night as Princeton tries to jump-start its struggling offense.

The Tigers enter the contest on a three-game losing streak — and an ugly one at that, having lost those last three by a combined 47 points.

"I attribute it to us being so young," head coach Joe Scott '87 said. "Nobody expects to be 1-4, but the problems that we're having ... We knew those were going to be the things, and the good thing for us is they've shown up. Through five games, we've learned a lot about our team."

The statistics drive home Scott's point about the youth of this year's team. Sophomore forward Noah Savage leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.8 points per game so far this season, but not a single other player on the team is averaging above six points per game.

Making matters worse, senior point guard Scott Greenman may be unavailable. After hurting his back last Saturday against Colgate, he aggravated the injury getting out of his car Tuesday and played just seven minutes against Temple that night. Greenman did not practice Friday and will be a game-time decision.

If Greenman cannot play, sophomore guard Kevin Steuerer, who played a career-high 33 minutes Tuesday, will likely get the start.

The Cowboys are led by forward Steve Leven, a threat both on the perimeter and in the paint. He has averaged 12.1 points per game and is 15-for-37 from beyond the arc.

Fellow forward Justin Williams adds a double-double for Wyoming, averaging 12 points, 10 rebounds and 6.3 blocks per game. His skills and statistics have drawn the attention of NBA.

The Cowboys' attack might come from any of several players, but the team does have one weakness: free throws. In Wyoming's losses this year, the Cowboys have been mortally wounded by miscues at the line, shooting an anemic 58.2 percent compared to the Tigers' 70.5 percent shooting.

If Princeton is to buck the Cowboys, though, its attack must come from more than a few free throws. In their one win this year, a 64-54 defeat of Lehigh, the Tigers were able to penetrate into the paint in addition to draining three-pointers.

Princeton got a lot of practice shooting three-pointers in its loss to Temple. The Tigers were utterly unable to drive into the paint or to the post against the Owls' stifling matchup-zone defense.

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Wyoming, though, will pose a different challenge for Princeton.

"They're traditional man-to-man [on defense], so it's going to be a very similar defensive game ... but a very different offense game," Scott said.

In practice, the Tigers have been focusing on leveraging their strengths, Scott said. Since the team has several able shooters, practices are largely focused on setting and using better screens and improving cuts off screens.

"Usually, what happens when you get better at [setting screens] is you get more shots," Scott explained. "[Sophomore forward Kyle] Koncz, Noah, Scotty — they can make those kinds of shots. In the process, we'd be adding more movement ... which would lend itself to more drives and post-ups."

With six non-league games left before Ivy League competition begins, the Tigers still have some time to solidify their offense. If there is one thing to be said on the positive side, it's that the team must be learning something from all these tough games.

Saturday night's game, though, has the potential to be tough in a different way. It could be the first close game Princeton has faced this season.

"When we've played against [the Cowboys], when I've played against them, it's very tight," Scott said.

If the game does come down to the final seconds, though, the Tigers will do their best to avoid being iced.

WEB UPDATE -- DEC. 9, 3:30 P.M.

Junior point guard Max Schafer has officially left the team, head coach Joe Scott '87 announced Friday afternoon.

"I've had to leave the team for personal reasons," Schafer said in a statement released by the Department of Athletics. "The coaching staff has been extremely helpful and accessible throughout the process."

Schafer had not practiced with the team since prior to the Tigers' loss to Colgate on Dec. 3, a game in which he did not play. After missing practice Sunday and Monday afternoon, Schafer told the Daily Princetonian othat he was taking a "few days" off from the team "to sort out personal issues" on Monday night, declining to elaborate on his reasons for his decision.

Schafer was not on the bench for Princeton's loss to Temple on Tuesday night, and Scott said after the game that his future with the team was still up in the air.