Jersey Jamming

JERSEY JAM INFORMATION/TICKETS

If today is Aug. 4 and the first athletic event of the 2023-24 academic year is Aug. 25, then — yikes, that's just three weeks away.

Yes it is. Princeton women's soccer hosts Colgate three weeks from tonight at 7:30. 

If Sunday is Aug. 6, then Nov. 6 would be — yikes, that's just three months away.

Is that right? Yes. 

Earlier this week, the first Jersey Jam was announced, and it was great news for fans of Princeton men's basketball. The Tigers will face Rutgers in the event, with the game to held Nov. 6 at the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton.

Princeton and Rutgers have played 120 times, and the Tigers lead the series 75-45. The first meeting was back in 1917; the most recent, though, was Dec. 11, 2013. Do you know who Princeton's leading scorer that night was? 

If you said T.J. Bray, you'd be correct. Bray scored 23 points and had eight assists in a 78-73 Princeton win in Piscataway.

Princeton's leading scorer in its first game against Rutgers was Cyril Haas, who nearly outscored the Scarlet Knights all by himself. Princeton won the game 36-17; Haas, who was the first two-time All-American in Princeton basketball history, had 16 in that game, which would be two off his career high.

The teams have played some great games through the decades. The best of them, sadly, is also one of the toughest losses in Princeton history, in the opening round of the 1976 NCAA tournament, when Rutgers defeated the Tigers 54-53. The Scarlet Knights were unbeaten at the time and rode that all the way to the Final Four. Princeton had gone 14-0 in the Ivy League one year after winning the NIT. Who knows what could have been for those Tigers. 

Obviously, since the teams haven't played in a decade, there is a great deal of unfamiliarity despite the short distance between the two. Mitch Henderson was Princeton's head coach back then as well, but Rutgers is now led by Steve Pikiell (Eddie Jordan was the coach the last time the teams played).

Here is what Henderson had to say about the game: 

"Generations of Princeton and Rutgers fans know what this game means to both programs, alums and the state of New Jersey. We are thrilled that this tradition will be renewed and the next generation of Princeton & Rutgers fans will be able to experience this rivalry." 

Pikiell has done a great job with the Scarlet Knights, especially considering that the team now plays in the Big Ten Conference, which is as good as it gets in college basketball. After not reaching the NCAA tournament since 1991, Rutgers played in the NCAAs in 2021 and 2022 and was just on the wrong side of the bubble this past year, when it went to the NIT instead, losing to Hofstra in the first round. 

As for Princeton? Well, you know how last season played out.

The Tigers won the Ivy League regular season and tournament championships and then defeated Arizona and Missouri to reach the NCAA tournament Sweet 16. 

In case you forgot about that, you can relive it all with the "March of the Tigers" series on goprincetontigers.com. Episode 3, which relives the win over second-seeded Arizona, was released this week.

The series continues to get better.

One of the best parts of this video is that you can see what everyone was thinking, feeling and saying before they ever played Arizona. At the time, they had no way of knowing what was in store for them, that during their trip to Sacramento that they'd make the kind of history that will never be forgotten. 

As for the video of the game itself, it's great to be reminded of all of the turning points, all of the huge moments, with the great commentary of Derek Jones and Noah Savage. Also, TigerBlog didn't realize that Henderson basically told Tosan Evbuomwan that he had to take over the game when Princeton trailed by 12 in the second half.

The next season of Princeton men's basketball begins in three months, with the game against Rutgers in Trenton. For that matter, you're also three weeks away from the Princeton Athletics opener.

For now? 

Enjoy you summer weekend.