Following a tough loss to Cornell (11–6 overall, 3–1 Ivy League), Princeton men’s basketball (14–5, 3–1) looks to reestablish conference control against Yale (11–6, 4–0) in what is shaping up to be a Friday night barn burner.
Prior to the loss to the Big Red, the Tigers were 3–0 in conference play, with all three games being tight up until the final buzzer. With the loss, Princeton is now tied with Cornell in the Ivy League standings and a game behind first-place Yale.
The Bulldogs are hot, coming off of a convincing 84–55 win over Harvard. Guard John Poulakidas has led the powerful Yale scoring attack with 19.4 points per game, while the team itself is averaging 82.4.
The last time these two teams met, the Tigers won 73–62 in Jadwin Gymnasium.
Senior Sports Writer Hayk Yengibaryan, Assistant Sports Editor Bryant Figueroa, and Associate Sports Editors Doug Schwartz and Lily Pampolina made their picks for the game.
Princeton 74, Yale 70 — Hayk Yengibaryan, Senior Sports Writer
The Ivy League’s best rivalry returns Friday night in Jadwin Gym. Under head coach Mitch Henderson ’98, the Tigers are 10–18 against the Bulldogs.
Undoubtedly, Yale head coach James Jones and the Bulldogs have been the better squad heading into Friday’s contest. This is evident by Yale’s No. 73 KenPom ranking, whereas the Tigers are 136th. Despite losing unanimous first-team All-Ivy selection Danny Wolf to the transfer portal, Yale is undefeated in league play and has not lost in 2025.
A large part of Yale’s success has been the play of Poulakidas, who is averaging nearly 20 points per game while shooting an astounding 43.6 percent from beyond the arc. Guard Bez Mbeng is the reigning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, and forward Nick Townsend has taken a huge stride forward in the absence of Wolf.
Similarly, the Tigers have been relying heavily on their upperclass students. Junior standout guard Xaivian Lee has been one of the most clutch players in the nation and leads the Tigers with 17.2 points per game. Alongside Lee, junior forward Caden Pierce and senior guard Blake Peters have been leading the Orange and Black.
However, in college basketball, the better team does not always win. The Tigers are also playing at home, where they are 44–7 over the last four seasons. The Orange and Black cannot afford to fall two games behind the Bulldogs in the Ivy League standings.
Expect a big game from Lee on national television in front of a number of NBA scouts. Lee must attack Mbeng every opportunity he gets and force him into foul trouble and on the bench. The X-factor for the Tigers will be Peters. If he can hit three or four triples, the Tigers will defeat the Bulldogs.
Expect Princeton’s big three to outplay Yale’s top three en route to a close win in front of a packed home crowd Friday night.
Princeton 75, Yale 74 — Bryant Figueroa, Assistant Sports Editor
The Bulldogs’ perfect start to conference play comes with two big asterisks — they have yet to face the Cornell Big Red, but, more significantly, they have not played at Jadwin Gym.
The Tigers have proven time and time again this season that when they are hungry for a win, they deliver. They proved it with a last-second upset over Rutgers at Prudential Center, a 15-point comeback against Akron, and, most recently, a 20-point comeback against Columbia. At their best, Princeton men’s basketball looks like they can beat anyone. There is no stopping Lee when he finds his rhythm, and he will look to be all over the court to limit a familiar matchup, Yale’s John Poulakidas, who leads the conference in points per game.
Princeton’s defense, a defining trait of their play, will be a challenge Yale hasn’t faced this season. It certainly was last year when Pierce and company held Yale’s then-top scorer, Danny Wolf, scoreless at Jadwin. The Tigers are hungry for a win following their devastating loss to Cornell last weekend, and with this being the first game since Winter break, Jadwin Gym is sure to light up.
The Tigers were on a hot streak that was shaken up by Cornell, but that only means they will be hungrier, and as will the crowd, for a big win in front of thousands of fans. Especially with their lineup looking much more solid than it did at the beginning of the season, the Tigers have all the tools necessary in their star players and squad depth to defeat a tough opponent like Yale.
And history is on their side. Last year, the Bulldogs entered a roaring Jadwin Gym with a flawless 8–0 conference record. The Tigers shattered that streak with a commanding nine-point victory.
This year, history is poised to repeat itself.
Princeton 81, Yale 78 — Doug Schwartz, Associate Sports Editor
Coming off a loss to Cornell, Princeton will come out energized and ready to make a statement against a Yale team that is 4–0 in conference play.
Yale has looked strong during Ivy League play this year after beating Dartmouth and Harvard by 16 and 29, respectively, a stark contrast to the down-to-the-wire finishes that Princeton had against those same teams. Moreover, the Bulldogs have an adjusted efficiency margin of +10.87 compared to the Tigers’ +2.48 on KenPom, meaning they are scoring at a higher clip than the Orange and Black.
However, this Princeton team plays beyond the stat sheet. Despite going down early in lots of games this season, the Tigers have developed a tendency to make halftime adjustments and finish out games strong. While Lee and Pierce are key components to victory for Princeton (just ask Dartmouth or Rutgers), look for players like sophomore guard Dalen Davis to come up big in what is sure to be a tightly contested matchup.
Princeton 83, Yale 79 — Lily Pampolina, Associate Sports Editor
The Tigers’ seven-game win streak was snapped last Saturday, falling to Cornell in an offensive struggle that included nine costly turnovers. This week, they’ll need to sharpen their execution and maintain defensive intensity in order to get a win against an undefeated in-conference Yale squad.
To overcome the Bulldogs, Princeton must limit the number of points they concede in the opening minutes. The Tigers have allowed an average of nearly 36 points in the first half in Ivy League play, heading into the half trailing in multiple of their conference matchups. On Friday, Princeton will have to find its rhythm early and create an offensive momentum to rival Yale’s intense pace.
The Bulldogs are not afraid to shoot from beyond the arc, so the Tigers must be prepared to aggressively guard the three-point line, particularly against John Poulakidas, Yale’s main target from deep. Offensively against Yale, teams have capitalized on finishing tough drives in the paint. Princeton will have to attack the rim with confidence and convert their possessions by challenging Yale’s interior defense.
Friday’s game is a must-win for Mitch Henderson’s squad, which has struggled to achieve a dominant victory this season. As Ivy League play continues, a statement win over the Bulldogs may fuel the Tiger’s momentum, setting the tone for a strong second half of the season.
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate News editor, senior Sports writer, and Education Director for the ‘Prince.’
Doug Schwartz is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Bryant Figueroa is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Lily Pampolina is an associate Sports editor and a staff Audience creator for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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