Reeling Tigers return home

At 0-4 in the Ivy League, the men's basketball team is down — but with 10 conference games yet to be played, it is anything but out. And with the Harvard Crimson (10-10 overall, 3-3 Ivy League) coming to town along with the Dartmouth Big Green (7-12, 2-4), this weekend could be a coming out of sorts for the struggling Tigers.

Princeton (9-9, 0-4) got off to a solid start to the season with wins over recent NCAA tournament contenders, but since then the Tigers have faltered, dropping their last five games. Still, this weekend marks the beginning of a return to Jadwin, where the Orange and Black is 3-1 on the year.

Forward Brad Unger leads the way for the Crimson, averaging 13 points per game and an impressive six rebounds per game. Recently, however, forward Evan Harris has been stepping up for Harvard, averaging 11.5 points and 6.5 boards per game. Harris' shrewd shot selection has contributed to his 65 percent clip from the field, and — at six feet, eight inches — he has developed into a strong defensive presence as well, averaging 2.5 blocks per game. Last weekend against Cornell, Harris found his way to the net on a baseline layup with eight-tenths of a second remaining to top the Big Red, 65-64.

Princeton, too, is strong at the forward position, and if the Tigers perform to their potential, Unger and Harris could be contained.

Junior forward Kyle Koncz is currently leading Princeton with 9.2 points per game, shooting 43 percent from the floor. Koncz's composure and consistent style of play have been a steadying force for the team; he is even shooting 91 percent from the free-throw line. Unfortunately for the Tigers, Koncz sustained a foot injury a few games back, but after sitting out a game, he came back last week to play nine minutes against Brown.

"The foot is getting better," Koncz said. "We just have to take it game by game and see if I am able to play and contribute the way I normally can."

Joining Koncz in the offensive attack are senior forwards Luke Owings and Justin Conway. Owings has established himself as a solid player both inside and out and is averaging 7.9 points per game. Last week against Brown, Owings stepped up to lead the Tigers with 12 points, hitting three of five shots from beyond the arc. Conway, who is contributing 6.9 points per game, will look to limit the number of second-chance opportunities the Tigers give their opposition, as he leads the Orange and Black with 3.6 rebounds per contest.

Against the Big Green, the Tigers will look to contain senior guard Leon Pattman, an offensive sharpshooter who is currently racking up 16.8 points per game. Forward Alex Barnett, who is averaging 11.7 points per game, doubles as a dominant defensive presence as well: He ranks first in rebounds and second in blocks for Dartmouth. Though he is a strong inside player, Barnett is relatively harmless from behind the arc, shooting a mere 21 percent on the season.

Last week against Columbia, the Big Green lost by a narrow six-point margin, 61-55. Pattman and Barnett led Dartmouth, as usual, but their efforts came up short as they were overcome by the Lion attack. Earlier this season Princeton lost to Columbia by eight points, so the two teams could be relatively evenly matched. The Tigers will take a huge step toward squelching the Dartmouth offense if they can contain the two Big Green contributors, Pattman and Barnett.

The Big Green is currently on a three-game losing skid and has lost five of its last six, so like the Orange and Black, it will be looking to make a run to move up in the conference standings. Playing in Jadwin will not be easy, however, as the Tigers are 3-1 at home this year. What's more, the Tigers have won their last 17 home games against Harvard and their last 19 games against Dartmouth when playing at Jadwin Gym.

This season, though, history has turned against the Tigers in the form of an 0-4 Ivy League start — unprecedented in the history of the proud program. But the team has been tuning things up and hopes luck will soon swing back its way.

"We just have spent this week working on our offense and different ways to handle pressure," Koncz said. "In the end, though, we just have to make shots. We had a lot of open shots in both games [last weekend] that we just failed to make."