Seton Hall is next test for Tigers

Hawaii may be alluring with its beaches and beautiful weather, but for the men's basketball team, there is no place like home. After going winless in three games at the Maui Invitational, the Tigers return home tonight to face Seton Hall at Jadwin Gym, where they are 2-0.

Though Princeton (2-3) did not win in Hawaii, the players gained valuable experience against tough opponents, No. 7 Duke among them. In the last game, Princeton shot 57.1 percent against Chaminade in the second half in a comeback attempt that fell just four points short.

"We need to take what we learned in Maui and apply it this game (against Seton Hall)," senior co-captain and forward Noah Savage said. "We need to put together an entire 40 minutes of basketball at both ends of the floor."

Hopefully for Savage and his teammates, playing in the difficult tournament in Maui will pay dividends tonight, as the Tigers face yet another powerful opponent, undefeated Seton Hall from the Big East Conference. Most recently, the Pirates won the Independence Bracket of the Philly Hoop Group Classic, topped by a victory against then-No. 23 Virginia.

Seton Hall is not currently ranked, but it did receive 54 votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25 Poll. If the poll stretched beyond the top 25 teams, the Pirates would be No. 34 in the nation.

"The team is extremely excited to play against a great program like Seton Hall," Savage said. "They have some excellent payers, and we are excited for the challenge."

An interesting match-up in tonight's game will be Seton Hall's prolific offense against Princeton's defense. The Pirates are tied with Kansas as the eighth-highest scoring offense in the nation at 89.4 points per game, while the Tigers are allowing only 66.6 points per game.

"It is an opportunity for us to go out and compete against a good Big East team," senior co-captain and forward Kyle Koncz said. "We have watched film from our games at Maui, and we know what we have to do to improve."

Seton Hall's offense is led by senior captain Brian Laing, who is averaging 22 points and nine rebounds per game. He also earned the titles of last week's Big East Player of the Week and Most Valuable Player of the Philly Hoop Group Classic.

Princeton, which averages 59.6 points per game, will have to find some consistency on offense in order to keep up with Laing and Seton Hall. At times, the Tigers have struggled mightily to get the ball in the basket, shooting only 19.2 percent in the first half against Central Connecticut State and 26.3 percent in the second half against Arizona State.

But the Tigers have also had flashed their abilities in the offensive side of their game. Against CCSU, the Tigers recovered and shot 58.3 percent in the second half behind the post play of sophomore center Zach Finley, who made 10 of his 11 shots. In Maui, Savage lit up the court against Chaminade by scoring 20 points, shooting six-of-11 from the three-point range.

If Princeton fails to find that offensive consistency, Seton Hall's offense could put the Tigers in a big hole.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Last year, the Pirates beat the Tigers 79-41 and delivered the Orange and Black its worst loss of the season.

Recognizing that it will be difficult to score right alongside Seton Hall, Princeton will try to slow down the game and challenge the Pirates with its defense. Even Savage, who was the high scorer last game, said he will be focused on defense tonight. As such, any hope of victory will rest on Princeton's ability to pull down tough rebounds and out-hustle its opponent.

"We expect the game to be very physical," Savage said.

If Princeton manages to keep the score low, it has a shot at a huge upset. But if Seton Hall posts a score in the 80s or 90s, the Tigers might be looking at their first home loss of the season.