PRINCETON GAMEDAY

Who: Princeton Tigers (9-2) vs. Kent State Golden Flashes (9-3)

When/Where: 12 p.m., Tuesday Dec. 31, Jadwin Gym.
Coverage: Ivy League Digital Network, WPRB 103.3

Coaches: Princeton – Mitch Henderson (third season, 46-25 overall). Kent State – Rob Senderoff (third season, 51-26 overall)


Probable Starters

Princeton: C Hans Brase (6-8, sophomore, 11.5 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.8 APG). F Will Barrett (6-10, senior, 10.9 PPG, 4 RPG). G Ben Hazel (6-5, junior, 9.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG). G Jimmy Sherburne (6-3, senior, 8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.4 APG). G T.J. Bray (6-5, senior, 17.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 7 APG).

Key Reserves

F Denton Koon (6-8, junior, 10.6 PPG, 4 RPG). F Spencer Wiesz (6-4, freshman, 9.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2 APG).

Kent State: F Mark Henniger (6-9, senior, 9.2 PPG, 5.3 APG). F Darren Goodson (6-5, senior, 10.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 2.9 APG). G Derel Jackson (6-1, junior, 11.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.5 APG). G Kris Brewer (6-3, junior, 11.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.3 APG). G Devareaux Manley (6-4, junior, 8.8 PPG, 2 RPG).

Key Reserves

G K.K. Simmons (6-3, sophomore, 5.9 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.2 APG). G Kellon Thomas (5-11, sophomore, 5.4 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 2.1 APG). F Khaliq Spicer (6-9, sophomore, 3.6 PPG, 4 RPG).

On Kent State: Though the Golden Flashes sport a 9-3 record, they’ve only beat one team in Ken Pomeroy’s top-100, topping Temple 81-77 back in early November. The only common opponent between the two teams in Bucknell, who Princeton beat 66-53 and who Kent State lost to 66-59. The Golden Flashes are, however, one of the more sure-handed teams in the nation, ranking 34^th in DI in turnover percentage (total turnovers divided by number of possessions). T

What happened in Vegas: The Tigers had a mixed experience at the South Point Holiday Hoops Classic in Las Vegas, handily beating a solid Pacific team but getting crushed by Portland 93-79. Judging from the box score, the biggest problem against the Pilots came on the defensive end, as guards Bryce Pressley and Kevin Bailey scored 25 and 21 points, respectively. Overall, Portland shot 56.3 percent (27-of-48) from the field and 53.3 percent (8-of-15) from 3-point range. On the other end, Hans Brase played just 15 minutes due to foul trouble, and the Tigers — who have been among the most 3-reliant teams in the country this season — went just 5-of-16 from beyond the arc. They also committed a season-high 17 turnovers. Though it was just Princeton’s second loss of the season and they were probably due for a subpar performance, the game does seem to raise some questions about the Tigers’ ability to bounce back on back-to-backs once Ivy season rolls around.

— By Nick Peruffo