Before this season started, Ivy League coaches touted the Princeton men's basketball team as one that could break into the top 25 polls. The Tigers faced some serious competition early on, including tests at current No. 4 Syracuse in the second game of the season and at current No. 2 Duke in the beginning of this month.
It even had one vote in the preseason ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll.
But today they have no votes, despite being 24th in the Ratings Percentage Index with a 9-5 record.
The Orange and Black had chances to show that it belonged in the nation's elite against the Orange and the Blue Devils, and even against teams like Temple and Texas-El Paso. The Tigers lost to all of these teams.
"I'm disappointed we didn't win all of them," Princeton head coach Joe Scott said of his team's very difficult non-conference slate.
Adding to the challenge of the schedule is the fact that the defending Ivy League champions have only played four games at home, none of them against a team ranked above 90 in the RPI.
One of those home games came Monday night against Division III Haverford, a game Princeton easily won 60-33.
However, Scott believes that the experience the Tigers gained against their top-tier opponents -- competition not faced by other Ivy League schools -- will be invaluable later on.
"I think it will help us down the road," he said.
In his first year at the helm of his alma mater, Scott has made several changes to strategy on both ends of the court.
The famous Princeton offense, which relies heavily on the three-point shot, has been tweaked a bit to have even more long-distance shooting.
Last season, the Tigers averaged 17.9 three-point attempts per game. This season they are averaging 21.9.
The increased shooting, however, has not led to better accuracy from beyond the arc. After making 33.8 percent of their threes in 2003-04, Princeton has made only 30.9 percent this season.
"We haven't shot the ball well," Scott said.
On the defensive end, Scott has also made some significant changes.
He now has the Tigers mostly in a matchup zone, which is more aggressive than a normal zone, and has led to a better scoring defense so far this season. Last year, the Orange and Black allowed 56.8 points per game, while this year it is giving up 52.9.
Scott was prepared for the hiccups early on in the season with his new regime.
"Any time there's a coaching change it's hard," he said.
For the most part, though, Princeton has done what it has needed to in order to justify its position as the favorite to win the Ivy League. While the Tigers may not be the runaway Ancient Eight pick as they may have been to start the season, they still are the consensus favorite to get back to the NCAA Tournament.
Princeton has taken care of business, so to speak, beating every team it played with an RPI below 100. Its worst loss based on RPI came in double overtime to a respectable Wyoming team on the road.
And while it is in the nature of Princeton basketball not to get involved in blowouts, the Tigers have only lost one game by more than 13 points -- a 68-42 trouncing at UTEP on Dec. 28.
Even though they have fallen to the elite teams they have played, they have not been blown out.
As far as individual play is concerned, one of the Tigers' biggest strengths this season has been the continued stellar play of forward Judson Wallace and guard Will Venable, both seniors.
The two were first-team All-Ivy selections last year and have proven themselves again this season, combining for 46 percent of the Tigers' scoring output and nearly 44 percent of their rebounds.
Wallace leads the team in both categories, and Venable is second.
In addition to Wallace and Venable, Princeton is also helped by one of the deepest benches in the Ivy League.
Senior forward Andre Logan, who was injured at the start of the season, and sophomore guard Max Schafer both started at the end of the season for the Tigers, and both have primarily come off the bench so far.
As Ivy League play approaches, Princeton cannot be as confident as it may have been starting the season.
Penn coach Fran Dunphy weighed in on his archrival's being among college basketball's best.
"Time will tell."
