Men's Basketball: Division III foe to prepare Tigers for Ivy season

Exams really couldn’t come at a worse time for the men’s basketball team. Winners of six of its last seven, Princeton hasn’t played since defeating Marist on Jan. 6, but it hopes its momentum will carry over into its final tuneup before taking on Goucher (4-8 overall) on Jan. 24 at Jadwin Gymnasium.

Like last year, the Tigers (8-5) are peaking at the right time. Last year, the flip of the calendar saw Princeton win seven straight games, including four in Ivy League play.

Maintaining momentum next Sunday against the Gophers will be even more critical for the Tigers. Their first four Ivy League games are all on the road, and the league as a whole appears to be as tough, if not more so, than last year. Princeton can’t afford to get off to a slow start if it wants to make a run at the title this year.

Both Harvard and Cornell have put together extremely impressive performances against top-tier Division I programs this year. The Crimson hung right with perennial powerhouse Connecticut, losing only by a margin of six. The Big Red nearly upset then-No.1 Kansas, which went on a run in the final minutes to retake the lead and secure victory.

Goucher struggled mightily early in the season but has picked up its play recently. The Gophers only won one of their first eight, but since then have won three of their last four. They’ll also have plenty of time to sharpen up before playing the Tigers: They have four more games before next Sunday’s matchup.

Goucher has struggled on offense this year. Only one player that sees substantial playing time, forward Kyle Gladden, has an efficient shooting percentage, at .522, and he averages 11.8 points per game. The Gophers’ other main weapon is guard Shane Yambor, who averages 11.5 points per game.

Goucher does play some tough defense, however, holding opponents to .412 shooting. But the Gophers only shoot .383 as a team.

The Tigers have begun to find their rhythm recently. The offense begins in the backcourt, where they have gotten fantastic contributions this season. Sophomore guard Doug Davis leads the team in scoring with 13.4 points per game, with junior guard Dan Mavraides right behind him with 12.2 points per game. Mavraides has been a model of consistency all season long, recording double-digits in all but three games.

Senior guard and co-captain Marcus Schroeder hasn’t looked for his shot very much, but he’s done an excellent job setting up his teammates. As the team’s primary ball-handler, he leads the team with 41 assists, compared with only 19 turnovers.

He’s also been a major threat in the passing lanes, leading the team with 29 steals.

In the frontcourt, sophomore forward Patrick Saunders has solidified his position in the starting lineup. Averaging 7.3 points per game, Saunders has been an extremely efficient weapon for Princeton. He shoots over 61 percent from the field and nearly 54 percent from behind the arc.

But more important than the offense has been the development of the defense. The Tigers struggled at times early in the season with their defense, but, except for the game against California, they have held their opponents to less than 50 percent shooting. The Tigers will certainly look to put together another strong performance on defense before entering league play.

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After that, the Ivy League slate looms large — 14 straight games against conference foes. Princeton will tip off its final non-conference game, against Goucher, at 3 p.m. next Sunday.