Men's Basketball: D-II Concordia final tune-up before Ivy play

Every season the Tigers finish their non-conference schedule against a Division II opponent. The game is meant less to challenge the Tigers — Princeton beat Dominican College 60-46 last season — and more to give the Tigers a final chance to ensure things are in order for their Ivy League season.

The Clippers have struggled mightily this season, dropping five of their last six games. Forward Samuel Batista leads the team with 15.1 points per game, but Concordia’s offense runs primarily through point guard Kenny Gaskins. Third on the team in scoring, Gaskins also leads the Clippers in assists and steals. In the middle, Concordia is anchored by a tall trio of forwards: six-foot, seven-inch senior Dan Cunningham, 6’9” William Eason and 7’0” Daniel Olsen.

To combat the Clippers’ size, Princeton will need performances from its big men, in particular 6’9” junior centers Zach Finley and Pawel Buczak. If the Tigers can handle Concordia in the paint and shut down Gaskins on the outside, they should have no trouble tallying their fifth win of the season.

On the Friday of Intersession the Tigers travel to Hanover, N.H., for the start of its “real season,” the 14-game schedule that alone determines not only the Ivy League champion but also the recipient of an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in March. The Big Green has lost its last seven games by an average score of 13 points, but it showed resilience in its one Ivy League contest, a one-point loss to Harvard last week.

Forward Alex Barnett provides most of Dartmouth’s offense and defense, leading the team with 17.9 points per game, 5.6 rebounds per game, 37 assists, 18 blocks and 17 steals. The Tigers will also need to watch out for guard Ronnie Dixon, who shoots .412 from three-point range, and Jabari Trotter, who averages 10 points and two assists per game.

Princeton beat the Big Green at home last season,but lost to it by 19 points at the Leede Arena later in the year. Dartmouth, picked to finish seventh in the preseason Ivy League media poll, is the perfect opponent for the Tigers to play in their first Ivy game: a gauge against which the Tigers can measure their progress before playing league powers Cornell and Penn.

The following day Princeton plays Harvard in Cambridge, Mass. The Crimson is currently riding a three-game winning streak that includes a win over Dartmouth and a shocking 82-70 upset of No. 17 Boston College, the most impressive victory for an Ivy League men’s basketball team in recent memory.

Guard Jeremy Lin paces the Crimson offense, which is third in the conference, scoring 69.1 points per game. An Ivy League Player of the Week in December 2008, Lin leads Harvard with 17.9 points per game and 76 assists. The Crimson also receives significant contributions from freshman guard Oliver McNally and senior guard Drew Housman.

The Tigers split last season’s series with Harvard as well with a tough 74-67 overtime loss at Lavietes Pavilion last February. Marred by offseason rumors of illegal recruiting, the Crimson was picked to finish fourth in the Ivy League this season, but its wins against BC and New Hampshire show that it has the talent to play with anyone in the nation, let alone the Ivy League.

The next few weeks will prove very educational for the Tigers. A tune-up against Concordia is their last chance to make adjustments before the start of the Ivy League season, and road contests against Dartmouth and Harvard will show exactly where Princeton stacks up against its conference opponents.