Rutgers' Eli Carter, defended by Denton Koon. Photo by John Blaine.

QUICK REACTION: After Princeton’s 58-52 loss to Rutgers, Mitch Henderson broke the ice at the post-game press conference by quipping “same bad time, same bad channel,” a reference to Tuesday’s loss to Northeastern. The similarities between the two games were, indeed, striking. In both contests, the Tigers couldn’t protect an early lead due in large part to their difficulties scoring against zone defenses. That certainly doesn't bode well for their upcoming trip to Syracuse, a team legendary for it's athletic, active zone.

THE GOOD:

Interior defense: The Tigers’ did a solid job limiting what the Scarlet Knights could do down low. Rutgers starting frontcourt of Wally Judge and Anthony Johnson were held to 0 and 7 points respectively, and most of Johnson’s points came from finishing on the fast break. Will Barrett, Brendan Connolly and Mack Darrow all also did a good job avoiding foul trouble, which — at least for Barrett and Connolly — was an issue against the Huskies.

Ian Hummer’s assist-to-turnover ratio: Unsurprisingly, Hummer once again got the full attention of the opposing defense. Rutgers coach Mike Rice said that his team “tilted the floor” defensively towards Hummer as much as with any other player they’ve faced. Instead of forcing the issue, Hummer did a good job passing out of trouble and (trying) to set up his teammates, finishing with 6 assists and 0 turnovers. Historically, Hummer has averaged about as many turnovers as assists, and before the season Henderson said that improving that number would be one of the keys of the season.

Denton Koon: While the transition from frontcourt to backcourt is still a work in progress, Koon showed he can still be a contributor in a hybrid role. Like last season, he had a couple nice finishes around the basket, but also showed some improved ball handling against occasional full-court pressure from the Scarlet Knights, He finished with 9 points, 2 rebounds and a steal.

THE BAD:

Perimeter defense: The Tigers didn’t have much of an answer for either guards Myles Mack or reserve Eli Carter. Carter was particularly deadly, using a lightening-quick release from three-point land to score 22 points off the bench. The 6-foot-2 Carter was also giving up about three inches to the 6-foot-5 T.J. Bray, and was still able to get his jumper off consistently.

Rebounding: Despite being bigger than the Scarlet Knights, the Tigers were outrebounded 40-23. The 6-foot-11 Brendan Connolly failed to grab a single board in 19 minutes of action, while Mack Darrow only had two in 19 minutes off the bench. The numbers actually look worse for the Princeton big guys when you account for the 8 rebounds snagged by Bray. While that’s an impressive number for a guard, having a guard be your leading rebounder is perhaps analogous to having your safety be your leading tackler: no matter how good your safety is at tackling, it might tell you more about your middle linebacker.

Starting backcourt shooting: T.J. Bray and Chris Clement shot a combined 16.6 percent (2-12) from downtown Friday night. So far this season, they are shooting 11.1 percent (3-27) from deep. Bray was a 40 percent shooter from three last season, so there is every reason to think that will turn around, but at the moment he’d need to make his next 12 to get back to that number.

AROUND THE IVY
Drexel 61, Penn 59 The Quakers fall to 1-3 despite 21 points from Fran Dougherty.
Yale 63, Buffalo 59 Yale gets a win over the one team the Tigers have beaten this season.
Brown 70, Maine 68 Sean McGonagil drops 16 in Battle of Bears.
Marist 67, Columbia 62 Lions take first loss of season.