To see the previous teams ranked in the 82 in 72 series, please see below:
72. Virginia Cavaliers
74. Oklahoma Sooners
75. West Virginia Mountaineers
76. Georgia Bulldogs
77. UAB Blazers
80. Missouri Tigers
Additionally, here is where each of our college basketball analysts had Princeton ranked:
| Steven | Maxwell | Kam | Cody |
| 72 | 56 | Unranked | 71 |
Coming off a 24-4 season, the Princeton Tigers are returning 60% of their minutes from a season ago, which includes star guard, Xaivian Lee, and reigning Ivy League Player of the Year, forward Caden Pierce. Lee and Pierce are the only two unanimously voted returning All-League First Teamers from a year ago in the Ivy. For a team from the Ivy League, Princeton is elite in a lot of fundamental categories. According to KenPom, they led the nation in turnover percentage, as they turned the ball over just 12% of the time. However, when they did turn the ball over, it wouldn’t be from a steal for the opponent, as their steal percentage on offense was fourth in the nation and their non-steal turnover percentage was third. Additionally, Princeton shot 80.1% from the free throw line, which was also third in the nation. Finally, the Tigers also shot the three well and they shot it often. A whopping 50.5% of their field goal attempts were from 3 point land (which was second in the nation), and 40.4% of their total points came from 3 point field goals (seventh in the nation).
Despite this, Princeton played at a very slow tempo, as their average length of possession was 19.3 second, which was 344th in the nation. This means Princeton was very patient getting high quality shots, as they shot 56.5% from two point range. However, as evidenced by the three point attempts, less than half of their total shots came from two point range.
For example, this chart from CBB Analytics is staggering. Princeton appears to be on an island of their own in terms of taking care of the ball while also attempting threes at a high level. For reference, Princeton is circled on the chart.
With the slow pace Princeton plays at, if they continue to shoot the ball at a 35% clip at the rate they do and if they take care of the ball the way they do, they’re going to be an extremely tough team to beat. Princeton should be able to dominate in Ivy League play. The Tigers also have assembled quite the non-conference schedule. They will have a neutral site game against Ace Bailey’s and Dylan Harper’s Rutgers squad, as well as a game in Hagan Arena against Saint Joseph’s. Additionally, Princeton is playing in the Myrtle Beach Invitational, along the likes of Bradley, USF, and Middle Tennessee. Princeton also has a neutral site game against Duquesne, a home game against Loyola-Chicago, a game at Furman, and a home game against Akron. This Tigers team has a much tougher non-conference schedule than last season where they went 12-1. This Tigers team should get tested early and fans will realize this team means business by the time Ivy League play begins.
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