Saturday Hoops

Back when TigerBlog was the Princeton men's basketball contact, one of the best parts of any year was seeing the schedule for the first time. 

This would be in the fall, well before the season began. Where was the team traveling? Anyplace good? Flights? Warm weather? 

It was with the Princeton men's basketball team that TB got to travel from here to there and pretty much everywhere around the country. He really appreciates the stops he made along the way in those years, places he might never have had the chance to see.

To name a few: El Paso, Texas. East Lansing, Michigan. Lawrence, Kansas. New Orleans (twice). Honolulu. Green Bay. Milwaukee. Champaign, Illinois. Fresno. Ames, Iowa (twice). Muncie, Indiana.

This was back when this time of year was dominated by holiday tournaments that no longer exist, usually four-team events both before and after Christmas. It was always a big deal to win the first game and avoid the dreaded "consolation" game, something Princeton was very good at doing. 

Ah, those were the days. All-tournament teams. MVPs. It reminds TigerBlog of one of his favorite Pete Carril moments, after one of those events. 

TB asked Carril what he thought about one of his players who had made the all-tournament team. Carril's response: "So did the guy he was guarding." 

Even all these years later, TB still laughed out loud as he typed that.

For all of those experiences, he can't imagine what the Vermont women's basketball team members thought when the 2024-25 schedule came across their phones. A trip to Minneapolis for the second game of the year? That was nothing compared to what was to follow. 

Vermont made the 4,256-mile trip to Anchorage, Alaska, for games Nov. 22 and 23. Next up? Two more games five and six days later in Cancun. Distance from Burlington? This one was only 3,656 miles. 

Or did the team go straight from Anchorage to Cancun? That's 5,775 miles. 

That is an incredible 10-day stretch for any team. Has any college basketball team ever had a four-game stretch with the first two in Alaska and the next two in Mexico? 

Vermont's next game is also on the road, though this trip is nothing quite like the other two. In fact, it's in Jadwin Gym, where the Catamounts will tip off at noon tomorrow against Princeton. 

It's a big Saturday tomorrow for Princeton Basketball, with the women's game at home and the men's game at the Prudential Center in Newark against Rutgers, also at noon tomorrow. It's a return to the court for the teams after first semester exams after they last played on Dec. 10 (the men) and Dec. 11 (the women).

The Vermont women will come to Jadwin on short rest, after they played yesterday at Buffalo, where they dropped a tough 70-68 decision to a Bulls team that is now 10-0. 

The Catamounts are 5-8 on the year with all the travel and the tough opponents. Their record the last three years combined was 70-30 (that's around a 70 percent winning percentage, right?) with an NCAA tournament appearance two years ago and a run to the WNIT semifinals last year. 

Princeton defeated Vermont 67-47 a year ago in Burlington. The leading scorer in that game was Madison St. Rose, who put up 23.

St. Rose, of course, is out injured. Without her, Princeton has gone 4-2, with wins over Rutgers, Seton Hall, Temple and Rhode Island and losses at Portland (who is still unbeaten) and Utah. 

As for the Princeton-Rutgers men's game, as TB wrote Monday, this is a chance for the Tigers to go up against the phenomenal Scarlet Knights duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, who rank first and third in Division I in points per game among freshman, with more than 40 per game between them. 

What does Harper have in common with Bill Bradley, at least through 11 career games (as opposed to the 83 Bradley played)? They both have a career-low of 14 points. Harper has had at least 20 points nine times in those 11 games, with games of 36 against Notre Dame and 37 against Alabama in back-to-back outings. 

Rutgers also has former Tiger Zach Martini, a key member of Princeton's Sweet 16 team of two years ago. 

Whether you're in Jadwin or Newark, or in front of your TV or computer, make sure you take advantage of your Saturday hoops. 

The wrapping presents can wait until later.