Princeton's record is not really 2-10.
Sure they've only beaten Lehigh and Wyoming.
Sure they've lost 10 games, including one in which they scored 21 points and one to Division III Carnegie Mellon.
But Princeton guard Scott Greenman will be the first to tell you that the Tigers are not 2-10, rather 0-0.
"Whatever our record was before is thrown out the window now," Greenman said, referring to the last 12 games not as the non-conference season, but as the "preseason."
The Tigers, whose roster has been slowly shrinking due to internal team issues, enter Ivy League play trying to avoid a repeat of last year.
In Joe Scott's first season as coach in 2004-05, Princeton went 6-8 in the Ivy League -- the first time in program history that the team suffered a losing season.
Now most of the talent that underachieved last year, including Judson Wallace and Will Venable, is gone, leaving a significant void in the offensive scheme.
The Tigers average 43.7 points per game -- far and away the worst in the nation -- and they have only eclipsed 46 points three times.
And Greenman admits that for a team so famous for running an offense that the system is named for it, the Tigers have been sticking too close to the Princeton offense.
"Earlier in the year, we might have been too focused on running an offense rather than trying to score."
But in the last week, Scott has been focusing on a more aggressive offensive attack.
"We've practiced really well this week," Greenman said. "The players have responded."
Last season, the Tigers dropped their Ivy League opener to Brown in a stunner at Jadwin Gym.
Such a home loss this year would not come as a shock, as Princeton opens against Columbia before facing Cornell.
And given recent history, the Tigers certainly know the importance of the opening weekend's games.
"Getting off to a good start this weekend is huge," Greenman said.
