Coming off an impressive road victory over St. Joseph's (5–3 overall, 0–0 Atlantic 10) on Tuesday, Princeton men’s basketball (7–3, 0–0 Ivy League) heads to South Carolina for the second time this season to take on the Furman Paladins (8–1, 0–0 Southern Conference) in a non-conference contest.
In the win over the Hawks, the Tigers broke a five-year losing streak to St Joseph’s. Moreover, junior guard Xaivian Lee had a historic night for the Tigers, recording the program’s first triple double. Senior forward Philip Byriel had his best game for the Orange and Black, playing 30 minutes and scoring 18 points off six made triples.
Last season, the Tigers beat the Paladins in an emphatic comeback win at Jadwin Gym with Matt Allocco ’24 hitting the game winner to keep the Orange and Black undefeated.
ANOTHER @MattAllocco JADWIN GAME WINNER!
— Princeton Men’s Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) December 2, 2023
THE TIGERS DEFEAT FURMAN, 70-69!#MakeShots 🐯🏀 pic.twitter.com/iDHRaU8gmn
This weekend, Princeton will travel to South Carolina to take on Furman, where the Paladins will look to upset the Tigers and avenge the loss from last season. Furman has just one loss on the year to No.1 ranked Kansas (7–1, 0–0 Big 12).
Staff Sports Writer Bryant Figueroa ’27, Sports Contributor Doug Schwartz ’28, and Sports Contributor Luke Stockless ’25 made their predictions for the game.
Princeton 87, Furman 80 — Bryant Figueroa, Staff Sports Writer
Coming off their best game this season, the Tigers finally seem to be clicking. The disappointing Myrtle Beach Invitational proved to pay off as Coach Henderson’s rotations provided valuable practice for a team that is trying to adapt to new roles and players.
Senior forward Phillip Byriel, who was a bench player for his first three seasons, is finally playing his best basketball in the starting lineup, showing absolute confidence as he sank his sixth three against St. Joseph’s with two minutes left at a crucial moment for the Tigers. There is, of course, junior guard Xaivian Lee, who seems to have fully settled into the season after completing Princeton’s first ever triple-double last week.
The Paladins do boast an impressive 8–1 record and most recently showcased their resilience after overcoming a ten-point deficit with a 19–6 closing run against the Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) Eagles (3–6, 0–0 ASUN). They also scored a whopping 18 points off the Eagles’ turnovers, so Princeton will need to be more precise than they have been this season in their passing game.
But as the St. Joseph’s game showed, the Tigers are finally getting this down and will only continue to improve their chemistry as the season continues. Princeton and Furman are neck-and-neck in made three pointers per game, sitting ninth and 10th in the nation respectively. With both teams able to create a lot of good open spaces, the game will come down to the defenses as Princeton will do everything they can to shut Furman out on their passing lanes.
The Tigers success will come from controlling the tempo of the game, as they displayed against St. Joseph’s. The Tigers should come up with a good defensive strategy to limit the Paladins’ shooting opportunities, but both teams will have to fight to the end to make every possession count.
Princeton 81, Furman 76 — Doug Schwartz, Sports Contributor
Coming off an upset win over a tough Saint Joseph’s team, Mitch Henderson’s ’98 squad needs to keep the ball rolling. After a disappointing showing at the Myrtle Beach Invitational, the Tigers appeared to be in a precarious position, amassing two losses before conference play had started. However, they righted the ship on Tuesday and will continue to do so with a win against Furman on Saturday.
In order for the Orange and Black to secure the win, they are going to need to overcome Furman’s comparatively strong defense. The Paladins have a 101.7 adjusted defensive efficiency rating (DRtg) on KenPom, meaning that they allow 101.7 points per 100 possessions, compared to the Tigers who allow 106.2 points. Furman would have an even lower DRtg were it not for a blowout loss to the nationally ranked Kansas Jayhawks on Nov. 30.
Luckily, the Princeton offense, which had looked stagnant just a few weeks earlier, found its stride against Saint Joseph’s. Junior guard Xaivian Lee recorded the first ever triple-double in Princeton history and senior forward Philip Byriel shot 6-8 from 3-point range. While the Tigers can’t expect historic offensive outings every game, the improved pace and efficiency of the offense is a positive sign. Additionally, Princeton is the statistically more efficient team with an adjusted efficiency margin of +6.61, which is nearly double Furman’s +3.84.
Expect Lee and junior forward Caden Pierce to continue to grow into their leadership roles on the team and build on Princeton’s momentum with a win as we get closer and closer to in-conference play.
Princeton 75, Furman 70 — Luke Stockless, Sports Contributor
Off the back of three straight wins, including an eight-point victory over home favorites St. Joseph’s earlier this week, the Tigers seem to have regained any momentum lost by their 1-2 performance at the Myrtle Beach Invitational. Furman enters the contest with considerable momentum of their own at 8-1, with their only loss delivered by No. 1 Kansas.
The Tigers had five guys play over 30 minutes against St. Joe’s, with junior forward Caden Pierce and junior guard Xaivian Lee each only sitting for a couple of possessions. If the Tigers want to take down a tough Furman squad, they will need a similarly strong effort from their top group.
Of the NCAA’s top 50 teams in three-point field goal percentage this season, Furman and Princeton rank fourth and second respectively in three-point attempts per game, so expect a barrage of triples in South Carolina. Senior forward Philip Byriel drained 6 of 8 from distance to help propel the Tigers past St. Joseph’s, and Lee and sophomore guard Dalen Davis are also converting over 40 percent of their three-point attempts this season.
The game could likely come down to how well the three-ball is falling for both teams, but Lee’s dynamic play and Pierce’s presence inside should ensure that the Tigers will not be beholden to a one-dimensional offense, which will allow Princeton to power past the Paladins on Saturday.
Bryant Figueroa is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Doug Schwartz is a Sports contributor and a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Luke Stockless is a contributing Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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