Rutgers has been on the rise in recent years, while Princeton is coming off an astonishing run to the Sweet 16.
There has never been a better time for the two New Jersey rivals to rekindle their series.
The Scarlet Knights and Tigers will tip off the new season Monday on a neutral floor in Trenton, N.J.
Princeton owns a 75-45 lead in the all-time series, which went dormant after December 2013. Mitch Henderson is plenty familiar with the rivalry, having played for the Tigers in the 1990s before coaching the program to its first Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament’s modern era last March.
“It’s so nice that it’s the opener,” Henderson said. “… It’s so good for the local community, so good for New Jersey basketball. Like Rutgers and Seton Hall, we think of ourselves in that vein, our alums do. I loved that game when I was a student.”
As for why it’s at a neutral site, Henderson said Rutgers may not have wanted to schedule a home-and-home series. The game is being billed as the “Jersey Jam” and will be streamed nationally via Peacock.
Princeton must move on without versatile forward Tosan Evbuomwan. Guard Matt Allocco (10.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists per game) is the top returning scorer, and wing Caden Pierce (8.2 points, 7.3 rebounds) was last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year.
“We really figured out a way to play with Tosan and his skill set,” Henderson said. “Now we have to figure out a way to play without Tosan, and the skill set of this group.”
Rutgers came up short in its bid for a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance, instead heading to the NIT after a 19-14 regular season.
“Last year doesn’t come up a lot, it really doesn’t,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said. “We’re on to the new challenges of this year.”
The biggest piece back for Rutgers is center Clifford Omoruyi, who put up 13.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game with 13 double-doubles. The dunking machine no longer has Paul Mulcahy, Cam Spencer or National Defensive Player of the Year Caleb McConnell around the perimeter.
Newcomers to watch include four-star recruit Gavin Griffiths on the wing and guard Jamichael Davis, who scored 14 and 16 points respectively in a double-OT exhibition loss to St. John’s.
“We’ll be a little bit different, but we’ll have such depth now that we didn’t have last year,” Pikiell said. “Maybe we can withstand injuries more and do some different things.”
–Field Level Media
