It's been a year of almosts so far for Princeton.
In a Dec. 17 tilt at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Tigers (7-6) trailed by just one point early in the second half against the then-third-ranked Duke Blue Devils, eventually giving in, 69-51.
Princeton came within inches of taking then-No. 7 Oklahoma into overtime on Jan. 3, as senior guard Ed Persia missed a buzzer-beating three which would have tied the game. The Sooners went on to win, 58-55.
There's also the Andre Logan missed foul-line jumper at the horn in Princeton's 51-49 loss to Rutgers. And let's not forget the 11-point comeback at Minnesota, in which the Tigers fell just short, 57-53, of the Golden Gophers.
Yes, Princeton was a few jumpers and layups away from an extremely impressive nonconference record, but it always seemed to come up short.
"We definitely expected to beat at least one of these teams coming in," Persia said. "We're not satisfied being close."
And for every impressive "almost" against major conference opponents, the Tigers have equally depressing losses to UC-Irvine and Lafayette.
Much of Princeton's success against these major schools can be credited to its challenging offense of backdoor cuts and screens.
Duke, for example, was unable to stop the Tigers from getting open layups. However, Persia feels that too much credit is given to the famed Princeton offense.
"The system is unbelievable," he said, "but unfortunately, you have to have the people to run the system. This year, we do."
Persia's ability to both pass and score makes him a unique threat at the point. He leads the team with 3.5 assists per game and is second on the squad in scoring, averaging just over 10 points per game. The senior has also failed to miss a free-throw this season.
The guard's success can be partially credited to the inside play of junior Judson Wallace. The center averaged 23 points per game through Princeton's first five contests, scoring 31 in a Nov. 28 win over Holy Cross.
While defenses have adjusted to shutting down Wallace by providing extra pressure, the Atlanta native still leads Princeton in scoring, averaging 15 points per game.
"People are double- and triple- teaming him," Persia said. "He's a great passer. When teams pack it in, he can throw it out. This is the first time that I've been here where we've really had that luxury."
Wallace also leads the team in rebounding.
Another one of Princeton's strongest assets this season has been its notoriously stingy defense. The Tigers held Duke's sharpshooting J.J. Reddick to just 5-of-14 shooting from the field.
Kicking off its Ivy League season this Friday at Brown, Princeton will not be able to rely solely on the complex nature of its offensive system to stay competitive. Unlike Princeton's nonconference opponents, other Ancient Eight squads are familiar with the Tigers' style of play.
"We have to make sure every screen we set is perfect," Persia said. "The [other Ivy] teams do know what we're doing. It works a lot better against teams like Oklahoma. It's just about running it a lot harder."
Persia pointed out several other areas of improvement for the Tigers entering league play, especially rebounding and shooting.
Despite nationally televised games against ranked opponents, the Princeton guard insists that the team is most excited about the upcoming Ivy season.
"It's been the most intense environment around here in the four years I've been at Princeton," he said. "Coaches are freaking out. This is it."
For today, at least, it seems as if Princeton has put all its "almosts" behind it.
"We're putting everything into winning right now," Persia said. "If we want to go to the tournament, we have to do one thing -- win right now."
