Hoopsters seek to win up North

Exactly two weeks ago, the men's basketball team grabbed its first Ivy League win of the season in a 74-68 double-overtime thriller against Harvard. A day later, the same team saw victory slip from its fingertips, losing a 45-44 heartbreaker to Dartmouth.

Saturday, Princeton (11-12 overall, 2-7 Ivy League) has a chance to redeem itself, tipping off against the Big Green (8-15, 3-7) in Hanover, N.H. The following day, the Tigers can repeat their overtime magic when they face the Crimson (10-14, 3-7) in Cambridge, Mass.

If Princeton is going to have any success on the road this weekend, it will need offensive production from its key players. Junior forward Kyle Koncz, who currently leads the team with 9.5 points per game, has the ability to put the ball in the hoop. This season, Koncz has been especially valuable from downtown, making 42 percent of his three-point attempts. In the team's first meeting against Harvard, Koncz sunk a three-pointer with two minutes remaining in the second overtime, giving Princeton a lead it would not relinquish.

Unfortunately for the Orange and Black, Koncz has seen less playing time since injuring his foot at the end of December. If Koncz needs to sit out, the Tigers will use different combinations of players to make up for his absence.

Recently, the Princeton bench has made a significant contribution to the offensive cause. Junior forward Noah Savage has been a positive force all season. In the Tigers' first outing against Dartmouth, Savage scored a team-leading 12 points.

Like Koncz, though, Savage's playing time might also be limited this weekend.

"I have had the flu this past week and it is affecting my breathing due to my asthma," Savage said. "We will see how much I play this weekend."

In addition to Savage, junior guard Kevin Steuerer has been a valuable player off the bench. In last Friday's loss to Cornell, Steuerer had the best game of his career, scoring 12 points and racking up three rebounds. Because of his ability to score, Steuerer earned a start in the game against the Lions last weekend.

Savage noted that Steuerer's effective play on offense was a big reason why Princeton beat Columbia last Saturday.

"We will continue to use Steuerer [because] he is playing great," Savage said. "Kevin was the big reason we jumped out to an early lead against Columbia."

On the defensive side, the Tigers have seen improvement of late, especially in the second half of games. Against Columbia, Princeton's defense held the Lions scoreless for eight minutes, allowing the Tigers to add to their lead and emerge victorious.

One aspect of its game that Princeton needs to improve upon is its performance from the foul line. In the one-point loss to the Big Green, the Tigers only made 10 of their 21 free throw attempts. Even in the victory over Columbia, the team made under half of its foul shots, going three for seven from the line. If Princeton finds itself in another close game against Dartmouth, free throw execution could be vital.

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When the Big Green visited Jadwin Gym two weekends ago, guard Alex Barnett exploded for a career-high 23 points, including a key layup that knotted the game at 40 with three minutes, 26 seconds left in the game. The Tigers will certainly have to focus on containing the versatile guard.

After beating Princeton, Dartmouth dropped its next two games to Yale and Brown. Against the Bears, the Big Green only mustered a total of 33 points. The Tigers held Dartmouth scoreless from beyond the arc in the two teams' last meeting, and if they can shut down Barnett and keep the Big Green from scoring treys, they may be able to come out on top.

Along with Princeton and Dartmouth, Harvard rounds out the bottom three teams in the Ancient Eight. After starting its Ivy League season with a record of 3-3, the Crimson has lost four straight games. Center Brian Cusworth leads Harvard in scoring with 17.4 points per game. Cusworth is also effective off the glass and is first in the rebounding category with 9.1 boards per game.

The Big Green and the Crimson are familiar foes, and this could be beneficial to the Tigers.

"It is always easier to prepare for teams we have already played," Savage said.

Hopefully for Princeton, the familiarity with the opposition will lead to wins. Though the Tigers don't have much to play for this year, they can build confidence for next year by grabbing two victories on the road.