Net Results

TigerBlog was watching the Washington-Tampa Bay playoff game Sunday night when he remembered that the Brooklyn Nets also had a game at the same time.

Why not check out the score to see how Tosan Evbuomwan was doing? 

Actually, it turned to be an opportune time. The game between the Nets and the Utah Jazz was 1) in overtime and 2) being shown live on NBA TV. 

When TigerBlog checked out the live stats, he saw that Evbuomwan was having a huge night. As he watched the remainder of the game, it was clear that Evbuomwan's impact was everywhere. 

The Princeton alum is new to the Nets. He's also made a huge contribution quickly to a team that is struggling with injuries.

The Nets would lose to the Jazz 112-111, yes. Had they won, it would have been because of Evbuomwan, who had a career-high 22 points on 7 for 8 shooting from the field. He also hit a pair of foul shots with five seconds remaining in OT to put the Nets ahead 111-110, only to see Utah get the game-winner three seconds later. 

A career night for @Tosan_Evb!

Last night against the Utah Jazz, he finished with a career and team-high 22 points on 7-for-8 shooting and five rebounds!#MakeShots 🐯🏀 | #PrincetonPros pic.twitter.com/rQO5wE09kI

— Princeton Men’s Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) January 13, 2025

Evbuomwan had 11 points in his first two games with Brooklyn, an average of 5.5. Since then, he has had 13, 10 and 22 points, an average of 15 per game. 

Here is what Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez had to say about Evbuomwan after the game in Utah: 

"Amazing. He's 7/8 from the field, 22 points. He's always under control and looks like a guy who has been there before. He's 23... I'm very happy to see him [play], keep working with him, keep developing him. He's doing his job."

Evbuomwan was the leader of the 2023 Princeton Sweet 16 team. He got his feet wet last year with the Pistons and Grizzlies, got off to a blistering start in the G League this season and now has a great opportunity in Brooklyn. In all he's averaging 11.2 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 57.1 percent from the field and 36 percent from three in 24 minutes per night.

Meanwhile, his alma mater won its first Ivy League game this past Saturday, defeating Harvard 68-64 in Cambridge. The win was the seventh straight for the Tigers over the Crimson.

Xaivian Lee, who will get his own chance to the one that Evbuomwan has seized, led Princeton with 22 points. What a year Lee is having, right? He's now had five games of at least 20 points, and that doesn't even count the one where he had the first recorded triple-double by a Princeton men's player (18 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists against St. Joseph's).

Another great sign was the effort that Caden Pierce had, with nine points and eight rebounds against Harvard after he had been injured two games earlier, against Akron. 

Next up for Princeton, like it usually has been all of these years, is a trip to Dartmouth (tip is Saturday at 2) after a trip to Harvard. Unlike those decades, this time those trips are separated by a week, as the Ivy League schedule has been spread out more the last few years. 

Dartmouth is one of the other three teams who won its league opener, along with Cornell and Yale. The Big Red surprised, if that's the right word, Columbia, who had a great pre-league record of 11-2, by a 94-82 score. Yale took down Brown 79-58. 

As for the Big Green, they defeated Penn 73-70, running their winning streak to three after a four-game losing streak before that. Included in the current run is a 30-point win over Vermont, and Dartmouth also has a win over Boston College on its resume. 

There will be a quick turnaround for all 16 Ivy teams between the games Saturday and then the Monday games on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For Princeton's men, that would mean the home Ivy opener, when Columbia will be in Jadwin Gym at 2.

You can also follow the Nets between now and the weekend, since the team is now on a five-game Western trip that continues tonight in Portland.