Men's Basketball: Cagers to test 7-0 mark on the road

Princeton is 9-2 in those contests, which is both a testament to its perseverance and a sign of good fortune. The Tigers have often taken large leads in the second half only to see their opponent narrow the gap, such as in recent home games against Harvard and Penn.

“I think the fact that we were predicted to finish first and are in first place gives the teams we play a little extra incentive to give us their best game,” senior guard and tri-captain Dan Mavraides said. “Even if we’re up by double digits, they’re not giving up. We’re hoping we can learn from these close games, so it doesn’t take a loss for us to learn lessons.”

Though the process might not be pretty, Princeton (19-4 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) is thrilled with the end result — 17 wins in its past 18 games and its first 7-0 start to conference play since 1999. The Tigers are now one of two teams in the nation still undefeated in league games (along with No. 3 Texas of the Big 12), a title they will put to the test this weekend at Yale (12-10, 5-3) and Brown (9-13, 2-6).

Princeton’s first five wins in Ivy League play all came in the comfy confines of Jadwin Gymnasium, where the Tigers have yet to lose this season. The team finally went on the road last week, routing Columbia 76-46 before escaping with a 57-55 victory over three-time defending champion Cornell.

“It’s much tougher to win a road game,” Mavraides said. “The fans are cheering for [the opponent], home teams get the calls at the end of games and players seem to make big plays in their home gym. Games can come down to a lucky shot or a home player making an extraordinary play, where he shoots at those rims every day.”

Princeton will travel to Connecticut first, facing third-place Yale on Friday in a game that will be televised on YES Network. The Bulldogs have faced nearly as much late-game drama as Princeton has this year, as each of their first eight conference games has been decided by fewer than 10 points. Yale nearly upset second-place Harvard on the road last Friday but eventually lost the back-and-forth game by three points; the Bulldogs recovered to down Dartmouth, 69-60.

Forward Greg Mangano, reigning Ivy League Co-Player of the Week, leads the conference with 9.7 rebounds per game and is a close second in scoring, averaging 16.0 points per contest. The Tigers held Mangano to his worst outing in conference play back in January when the junior made just five of 14 attempts en route to 11 points.

Still, the Tigers struggled to defeat the Bulldogs, failing to make a single shot from the floor in the last six and a half minutes as the visitors cut a 62-50 lead to one point. But free throws and a few stops down the stretch allowed Princeton to hold on and win 67-63.

The Tigers had less trouble with the Bears in their first meeting. Despite trailing by as many as eight points in the first half, the hosts jumped out to a double-digit lead at the break and cruised to a 78-60 victory in the season opener. Princeton, like many teams this season, dominated the Bears on the boards, grabbing more than one-third of its offensive rebound opportunities while holding Brown to six of 36.

Brown will be happy to have the rematch in Providence, R.I., because the Bears are 6-3 at home this season but just 3-10 away. The team will likely lack their leading scorer, however, as Peter Sullivan injured his shoulder at Princeton and has not played since. He has been replaced in the starting lineup by his brother, Matt Sullivan, who scored 22 points against the Tigers but has totaled the same amount combined in the five games since.

Princeton, as usual, will look to get production from its top four scorers. Mavraides, senior forward Kareem Maddox, sophomore forward Ian Hummer and junior guard Doug Davis all average more than 10 points per game, and each notched double figures against both Brown and Yale earlier this year. Their production will be key for Princeton to maintain its unblemished record and its position atop the Ivy League this weekend.