Typically on Akron weeks the Bull Run Inquisitor is left without a volunteer. The Zips blogosphere is somewhat lacking and I am a bit too lazy to hunt down real life journalist
Ok, you caught me, the real life journalist seldom return my calls.
So anyway on weeks like this the Inquisitor catches up on all those tivoed episodes of the View he cant usually get around to watching. This year, however, UB's Football date with the Zips falls on the same day, nay, the same hour, as our Basketball date with the Princeton Tigers and it just so Happens the Tigers *do* have a Blog, sort of.
Like most things Princeton you have to pay through the nose to participate.
Where Bull run is like your corner sports bar, frequented by Blue Collar workers who can come to watch the game with no cover Princeton is that snooty club where you pay to sit around listening to smooth classics while chuckling at 'the little people'.
Hey I don't begrudge them the business model, if I could get you leeches to pay per month I would go that route but then again I would have to bother with things like grammar and spelling.
I did not bother to reach out to the site, seemed like i'd get the cold shoulder.
But then guess who stumbled through my door?
Jon, who runs Princeton Basketball Dot Com, sat down and challenged the inquisitor, who is after all of low birth, to a game of wits.
Before getting down to the torture the Inquisitor decided to have a quick snack. When he started to eat his seafood with the salad fork Jon had enough. Driven mad by the breach of etiquette he gave up this weeks enemy intel.
1) How has this season stacked up, so far, with your expectations
The fact that Princeton is 0-2 is not as surprising as the manner in which they have come to be 0-2. The effort in the season opener versus Wagner was not satisfactory, particularly the defensive rebounding (which was expected to be a team strength given the roster's size) and the 28 turnovers. On Wednesday at NC State the Tigers played at a more manageable pace and were far better on offense and on defense, but DeShawn Painter’s long jumper from just inside the three point line that broke a 58-58 tie with four seconds left ruined this much-improved performance.
2) When I looked over your team heading into this season 20 wins seemed reasonable. You had a new coach who ran a similar system and had history. Was 20 wins unrealistic?
I don't that's impossible, but Princeton is going to need to find consistent offensive support for Ian Hummer (17.0 ppg) and Douglas Davis (16.5 ppg). Those two have joined forces to score 67 of the team's points as the rest of the roster has combined to total 48 points. Without a third scoring option it will be quite difficult to reach that total with everything hoisted on Hummer and Davis' shoulders.
I'll be curious to see how the team looks following the five games they're playing across nine days.
3) One thing I am noticing is a scary lack of depth on your side, is it talent or experience that you're lacking most?
First year coach Mitch Henderson has about 10 guys who appear to make up his rotation - eight of whom are playing double digit minutes - so depth isn't an issue. The main issue looks to be replacing the contributions of a graduated Dan Mavraides in the backcourt. A "committee" of T.J. Bray, Ben Hazel, Jimmy Sherburne and Denton Koon all split time with Davis in the backcourt versus Wagner but Bray got the majority of the minutes in Raleigh and he certainly steadied the ship.
4) Who is a player people should be watching tomorrow in addition to Hummer and Davis?
Brendan Connolly, Princeton's 6'11" starting center. Players and coaches both talked during the preseason about how Connolly was poised for a breakthrough his junior year but he's been hampered with foul issues and a lack of confidence in his post moves the first two games. If that can change on Saturday it would bode well both for a Tiger victory and for the rest of the season.
5) Has this edition of Princeston surprised you in any way?
I expected them to be stronger defensively and more assertive on the defensive glass.
6) Fill in the blank: The Tigers get of the schnide if.
Davis gets some help in the backcourt, Hummer gets some help in the frontcourt and the Bulls don't bully the Tigers on the glass.
Thanks to Jon for setting this up and do give his site a look