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Welcome back to the Trentonian's Full-Court Press blog. Yes, we're still alive, and with the 2015-16 season rapidly approaching, it's time to fire up the old blog for another season. Check back here throughout the year for updates on all things Rider and Princeton, including coverage of both the MAAC and Ivy League. Feel free to drop me a line on twitter @kj_franko (https://twitter.com/kj_franko) or email kfranko@trentonian.com.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

PREVIEW: Princeton vs. Rutgers 8/16

WHO: Princeton (1-1, 0-0) vs. Rutgers (1-1, 0-0) 

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday night at Jadwin Gymnasium 

COACHES: Mitch Henderson (2nd year, 21-13 at Princeton), Mike Rice (3rd year, 29-35 at Rutgers) 


SERIES: Princeton leads the all-time series 77-44 

LAST GAME: The Tigers have taken the last two meetings with the Scarlet Knights, winning, 59-57, in Piscataway last season.




PROBABLE STARTERS: Princeton — Ian Hummer, senior, forward, 6-foot-7, 18.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 6 apg. Will Barrett, junior, forward, 6-foot-10, 15.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg. Brendan Connolly, senior, center, 6-foot-11, 4 ppg, 1 rpg, 1.5 apg. T.J. Bray, junior, guard, 6-foot-5, 3.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.5 apg. Chris Clement, junior, guard, 6-foot-2, 2 ppg, 1.5 rpg. 
Rutgers — Wally Judge, junior, forward, 6-foot-9, 11 ppg, 11 rpg, 2.5 apg. Austin Johnson, senior, forward, 8 ppg, 3 rpg. Dane Miller, senior, guard/forward, 6-foot-6, 11.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg. Mike Poole, junior, guard, 6-foot-5, 3.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg. Myles Mack, sophomore, guard, 5-foot-9, 9.5 ppg.

PRINCETON SCOUTING REPORT: The Tigers are coming off a tough game against Northeastern Tuesday night, which saw them squander a 12-point halftime advantage before finally losing, 67-66, on a last-second layup from the Huskies’ Reggie Spencer. After abusing Northeastern’s zone defense early — senior forward Ian Hummer had 21 points in the first half — Princeton struggled when the Huskies decided to focus on denying Hummer the ball. The Princeton offense got stagnant and the team’s outside shooters got cold, allowing Northeastern back into the game.

RUTGERS SCOUTING REPORT: After a shocking home loss to St. Peter’s to start the season, Rice made wholesale changes to his starting lineup. Instead of guards Eli Carter and Jerome Seagears and forward Kadeem Jack, Rice went with Myles Mack, Mike Poole and Austin Johnson in the Scarlet Knights’ bounce-back win over Sacred Heart. Rice has said, however, that he plans to mix and match his starting lineup over the course of the year to keep his players motivated. One thing that the Tigers definitely can expect, however, is the presence of 6-foot-9 Kansas State transfer Wally Judge. Judge — a former McDonald’s All-American — is an athletic specimen (Google "Wally Judge dunk contest" for proof) who seems to have found a fit in Piscataway. Through two games, he’s averaging a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds.

KEY MATCHUP: Princeton’s shooters vs. Rutgers' defense ­— Don’t be surprised if Rutgers uses the same defensive game plan against Princeton that Northeastern did, denying Hummer the ball and forcing the Tigers' outside shooters to make shots. Especially key for Princeton will be Bray. Despite hitting on more than 40 percent of his 3-point attempts last season, Bray is inexplicably 0-11 from beyond the arc so far this season. There is no reason to think that won’t improve at some point, but it will need to Friday if Princeton wants to knock off a big, athletic Big East squad.

FREE THROWS: Against Northeastern, Hummer had as many turnovers (five) as assists. Henderson had singled out Hummer’s assist-to-turnover ratio as an area in need of improvement heading into this season. … Princeton allowed the Huskies to shoot 57.5 percent from the field Tuesday. Last season, they held opponents to just 42.4 percent. … Connolly played just 12 minutes against Northeastern due to foul trouble, and missed his only field goal attempt. … Barrett has scored in double figures in both games this season, the first back-to-back double-digit games of career.

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