In some sports, they say that defense wins championships. If that's even close to the truth, then the men's basketball team (6-2 overall) has something to feel good about heading into tomorrow's 4 p.m. contest against Rutgers (3-5) in Jadwin Gym.
After coming from behind to win a close midweek game against Lehigh (4-7), the Tigers know they can play defense. Freshman guard Marcus Schroeder showed some clutch chops and won the game on a free throw as Princeton held its opponent to only 20 second-half points.
"Our defense is definitely improved ... and defense gives you a chance to win the game," head coach Joe Scott '87 said.
In the face of Princeton's defense, Lehigh downed only 33 percent of field goals and hit a dismal 19 percent from beyond the arc.
That's not to say, though, that the Scarlet Knights won't bring the same caliber of defensive acumen to the court this Saturday. Playing against the University of New Hampshire on Wednesday night, Rutgers held the Wildcats to a mere 16 points in the first half.
Forward J.R. Inman lends the Scarlet Knights some size at six-feet, nine-inches and is sure to give Princeton some trouble should the Tigers try to drive to the hoop. Though he's not considered a defensive specialist, he did make a key steal in the final minute against Nebraska last weekend that, along with a rebound, led his team to the win.
Especially considering that the Tigers have been weak breaking into the paint on offense, Rutgers' big men may pose some problems for the undersized Tigers.
"We've practiced getting the ball inside," Scott said. "I think it's our guys sort of learning that as we go forward, and if we do... we'll continue to improve."
The Tigers have long been wedded to the three-point shot as a key part of the famed Princeton offense; Princeton took 19 attempts against Lehigh. If the Tigers can't force Rutgers to defend them inside, they're that much less likely to get quality three-point chances.
Inman and his teammates, on the other hand, will look to give Princeton an equally hard time on defense. In addition to Inman, who is averaging 13.3 points per game (ppg), forward Jaron Griffin has tallied 9.1 ppg and guard Marquis Webb is notching 8.3 ppg to round out the team's top three scorers.
The good news, though, is that at least on paper the Tigers' season numbers match up favorably with Rutgers' accomplishments thus far.
While Princeton has shot 45.5 percent from the floor and 38.3 percent shooting threes, Rutgers' numbers stand at 39.9 and 30.9 percent, respectively.
The Tigers have shown some serious grit this season, overcoming several halftime deficits to grab wins. Junior forward Kyle Koncz has been increasingly consistent so far this year, and junior forward Noah Savage had his best game of the year on Wednesday night in his new role coming off the bench.
Additionally, freshmen guards Lincoln Gunn and Marcus Schroeder both have been turning in strong performances. They top the list of minutes played for the Tigers as Scott has gone to a rotation where many players — particularly Savage — see more time on the bench than they would have before.
Though it's not clear what consequences this system has had or how long it might take to successfully and completely implement, the Tigers still need to improve in some key areas.
"I want us to run our offense. I want to see a lot more confidence in what we do, run it harder and run it faster and do it better," Scott said. "We seem to be in a little bit of a lull now, and we've got to get to work."
But given that the Tigers are 6-2 at a point where they were struggling along at 1-3 last season, the team has reason to be confident that something is going right. How the team improves — with a large number of freshmen playing alongside upperclassmen — in the next few games will speak volumes about how the Ivy League season might start out for the Tigers come January.
For now, though, no one is complaining. Not even Savage, who's seen his time cut despite being the leading returning scorer.
"You actually feel better winning the game," Savage said.
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