BYU hosts experienced, senior-laden Princeton team in season opener
As season openers go, this one is a big one ? and a challenging one ? for BYU.
Coach Dave Rose is excited about his young team, which is brimming with potential, taking the floor for its first game. But the opponent is formidable.
The Cougars host Princeton in an ESPN Tip-off Marathon contest Monday (8 p.m. MST, ESPN2) at the Marriott Center. It?s the first time BYU has hosted a Tip-off Marathon game.
?I?m looking forward to a big crowd, a big game, a big opening night on Monday,? Rose said. ?Our guys will be ready for a lot of reasons. Friday is when college basketball can tip. We?re not going to tip on Friday or Saturday or Sunday. So these guys will be ready on Monday, I can promise you that.?
Princeton is the preseason favorite to win the Ivy League and it returns 99 percent of its scoring from last season?s team that finished 22-7 and received a bid, like BYU, to the NIT.
The Tigers? experience is one factor that concerns Rose. Princeton took an international trip to Italy over the summer and it boasts four senior starters.
?One advantage they have is, they?ve been together as a group quite a while,? Rose said. ?Princeton, if you look at the projected RPI ratings for this year based on returning players and new players, theirs is the best RPI of our preseason schedule, in the 30s. It will be a very interesting opponent to start the season.?
One of the Tigers? senior starters, forward Hans Brase, didn?t play last season due to an injury. As a junior, he averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
?This is the most experienced team I think I?ve ever coached,? said Princeton coach Mitch Henderson. ?We have seven seniors, six of which have played a significant amount of minutes and five of which have started at some point in their career, although I don?t think we?ll start all five of them. I?d describe us as being very solid.?
Six Princeton players have started at least 35 games in their careers. Senior forward Spencer Weisz, for example, has 78 starts under his belt.
By contrast, BYU returns only four players from last year?s roster and the Cougars have six freshman this season. Rose is trying to integrate returning players with returned missionaries and players right out of high school.
?We?re going to see a lot of things that will excite you,? Rose said of his team. ?And we?ll see a lot of things that will go, ?Whoa, that probably wasn?t the right play.? But you watch them grow. I?m excited to get started.?
Another concern for BYU is Princeton?s deliberate style. Monday?s showdown will feature the contrast of the Tigers wanting to slow down the pace while the fast-breaking Cougars will be looking to run.
?This team shoots a lot of 3?s over the years. When you get up and pressure them, they are a backdoor group,? Rose said of Princeton. ?We can kind of compare this to a lot of Air Force games that we played years ago. Sometimes you can get these groups and get them rattled and out of what they do. It?s really hard to get this group out of what they do. They?re really patient and disciplined and they?re together.?
BYU will play at Princeton next year in a game that ESPN will also televise. For now, Rose is hoping his young team can get off to a strong start.
?It?s a great game on paper; it?ll a great game on the court,? he said. ?It?s a great opener for us.?
As season openers go, this one is a big one ? and a challenging one ? for BYU.
Coach Dave Rose is excited about his young team, which is brimming with potential, taking the floor for its first game. But the opponent is formidable.
The Cougars host Princeton in an ESPN Tip-off Marathon contest Monday (8 p.m. MST, ESPN2) at the Marriott Center. It?s the first time BYU has hosted a Tip-off Marathon game.
?I?m looking forward to a big crowd, a big game, a big opening night on Monday,? Rose said. ?Our guys will be ready for a lot of reasons. Friday is when college basketball can tip. We?re not going to tip on Friday or Saturday or Sunday. So these guys will be ready on Monday, I can promise you that.?
Princeton is the preseason favorite to win the Ivy League and it returns 99 percent of its scoring from last season?s team that finished 22-7 and received a bid, like BYU, to the NIT.
The Tigers? experience is one factor that concerns Rose. Princeton took an international trip to Italy over the summer and it boasts four senior starters.
?One advantage they have is, they?ve been together as a group quite a while,? Rose said. ?Princeton, if you look at the projected RPI ratings for this year based on returning players and new players, theirs is the best RPI of our preseason schedule, in the 30s. It will be a very interesting opponent to start the season.?
One of the Tigers? senior starters, forward Hans Brase, didn?t play last season due to an injury. As a junior, he averaged 11.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
?This is the most experienced team I think I?ve ever coached,? said Princeton coach Mitch Henderson. ?We have seven seniors, six of which have played a significant amount of minutes and five of which have started at some point in their career, although I don?t think we?ll start all five of them. I?d describe us as being very solid.?
Six Princeton players have started at least 35 games in their careers. Senior forward Spencer Weisz, for example, has 78 starts under his belt.
By contrast, BYU returns only four players from last year?s roster and the Cougars have six freshman this season. Rose is trying to integrate returning players with returned missionaries and players right out of high school.
?We?re going to see a lot of things that will excite you,? Rose said of his team. ?And we?ll see a lot of things that will go, ?Whoa, that probably wasn?t the right play.? But you watch them grow. I?m excited to get started.?
Another concern for BYU is Princeton?s deliberate style. Monday?s showdown will feature the contrast of the Tigers wanting to slow down the pace while the fast-breaking Cougars will be looking to run.
?This team shoots a lot of 3?s over the years. When you get up and pressure them, they are a backdoor group,? Rose said of Princeton. ?We can kind of compare this to a lot of Air Force games that we played years ago. Sometimes you can get these groups and get them rattled and out of what they do. It?s really hard to get this group out of what they do. They?re really patient and disciplined and they?re together.?
BYU will play at Princeton next year in a game that ESPN will also televise. For now, Rose is hoping his young team can get off to a strong start.
?It?s a great game on paper; it?ll a great game on the court,? he said. ?It?s a great opener for us.?
