PRINCETON TIPOFF...

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he matchup - Princeton (5-2) at Temple (3-5).

Time, place - 7 p.m. today at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia

TV, radio - ESPN2. WPHT (1210 AM), WHWH (1350 AM), WPRB (103.3 FM).

Game notes - None of today's players were alive when the teams last played, a 59-48 Princeton win Jan. 14, 1975. The series is tied, 8-8 ... Tigers forward Andre Logan (knee) may play, but forward Luke Owings won't because of a stress fracture in his left foot. With the injuries, coach Joe Scott has used only seven players the last three games ... Opponents have scored five or fewer field goals in four of the last eight halves of basketball ... The Tigers, who average 11.4 turnovers, are 4-0 when committing fewer turnovers than an opponent ... Temple is only 1-3 at home, but have faced the nation's second-toughest schedule according to collegerpi.com. ... Junior Mardy Collins is averaging 16.3 points, 4.6 assists and 3.9 steals and backcourt mate Mark Tyndale is averaging 13.5 points and 4.8 rebounds. The Owls' tall starting lineup averages 6-foot-8 1/2 per player.
 

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Temple's Chaney in a coaching zone of his own


The way the principles of the Princeton offense have spread rapidly across the country from the collegiate level down to the high school level and up to the NBA, it's a sure sign of flattery to an architect like Pete Carril and a disciple like current Tigers coach Joe Scott.

So anybody stunned to see how the Seattle SuperSonics are enjoying one of the NBA's bigger turnarounds this season would not be surprised to learn the team brought Temple coach John Chaney out to the Emerald City this past summer to spread the gospel of his program's vaunted matchup zone.

"We talked about the philosophy of why we play in the zone," said Chaney, whose former assistant Dean Demopoulos is now a Sonics assistant coach. "They can't play the same kind of zone as us. They play more of a ball zone, like the way Villanova used to play."





Incredibly, as Chaney coaches in his 1,000th career game tonight, it will be for the first time against Princeton. Maybe it's not so surprising, though. Few coaches are ever anxious to play the Tigers' patient style.

"I've never played them before," said Chaney, who is 711-288 in his 33-year career. "They're very frustrating to play. They're an excellent, fundamentally sound team, and they pay attention to detail."

Chaney likens some of Princeton's style to its Ivy League rival, Penn, a team the veteran coach is more familiar to playing. He may as well throw in his Owls, too, because the Tigers are off to a 5-2 start because of a new matchup zone that opposing coaches keep scratching their head over.

The schedule has worked out to Princeton's favor as its last three opponents - Holy Cross, Rutgers and Monmouth - have played so much zone that the Tigers are a little better prepared for Temple. Plus they have had more than a week to prepare for tonight's first Princeton-Temple game since 1975.

Scott, though, cautioned, "That zone is going to be different. It changes a lot. But like I told our guys, we have a lot of things and I think our guys have developed some confidence against zones."
 
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