Last year we looked back on the season by examining a series of small moments. For 2011-12, how about something new?
THE FIRST-ANNUAL SITE AWARDS!
[fanfare of trumpets]
Nominees and recipients in a variety of categories both expected and unexpected after the jump. I hope you'll create your own awards and hand out (virtual) trophies to winners in the comments.
The Daily Princetonian is the latest to file a year end piece on the 2011-12 season.
The spring training of Will Venable continues to be a strong one.
Hoop Scoop's annual College Coach Rankings are in the latest issue of Basketball Times. Familiar names of note from various Top 50 and Top 30 categories after the jump.
Saturday, March 24th:
Mercer vs. Fairfield - 7:00 pm ET - CIT
A real quiet Saturday, save for Fairfield hosting Mercer in the CIT semifinals.
Oregon State has room for optimism.
This story about the increase of ball screens in college basketball talks with Bill Carmody and is a nice companion article to conversations I've had with Princeton coach Mitch Henderson about the same subject during the season.
Saturday, March 24th:
Mercer vs. Fairfield - 7:00 pm ET - CIT
The Princeton Packet wraps up the Tigers' trip to the CBI.
Will Venable is on a roll in spring training.
Meet Georgetown recruit D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera.
FC Barcelona and Judson Wallace are one game away from Euroleague's Final Four.
Dan Mavraides scored 10 points as Aris won their fourth straight Greek Championship game.
Saturday, March 24th:
Mercer vs. Fairfield - 7:00 pm ET - CIT
Northwestern is officially bringing back Bill Carmody for a 13th season.
Fairfield (22-14) will play on into the CIT semifinals after a 67-61 win over Robert Morris. The Stags host Mercer University on Saturday night.
In the CBI, Oregon State (21-15) fell to conference foe Washington State by 17. The Cougars will play Pitt in the tournament's best-of-three finals beginning in Pullman, WA.
Prior to this game there was an article on how the Beavers hoped to make this postseason experience pay off financially.
The Town Topics wraps up Princeton's tilts versus Evansville and Pittsburgh.
Former Tiger John Smyth makes a list of best Westport-area players in the history of March Madness.
The career of Douglas Davis now complete, I can do what I've wanted to do for a good while now: Review the four year statistics of Davis '12 against those of the man he moved by into second place on Princeton's all-time scoring list, Kit Mueller '91.
You'll find a comprehensive stat-by-stat comparison after the jump, plus some quotes from Mueller on being surpassed by his Delco Pro-Am teammate Davis.
Wednesday, March 21st:
Robert Morris vs. Fairfield - 7:00 pm ET - CIT
Washington State vs. Oregon State - 10:00 pm ET - CBI - HDNet
Fairfield hosts Robert Morris in the CIT quarterfinals tonight.
After a brief hiatus, Sit Down With Sydney is back.
Still playing as well is Oregon State who host Washington State in the CBI semis.
Second on Princeton's scoring list is more than enough for Douglas Davis.
Here is a junior from California who says he has been contacted by the Tigers' coaching staff.
Stephen Bardo says Bill Carmody deserves another year at Northwestern.
A lengthy piece titled The Last Wallflower follows NU during the past two months. It is a compelling read.
The Wildcats' John Shurna will take part in the Hampton Hotels Men's Three Point Contest at the Final Four.
With a second half three point shot, Douglas Davis passed Kit Mueller '91 for second place on Princeton's all-time scoring list.
Of course, my camera blurred out for this play but better to see it out of focus than not at all.
Wednesday, March 21st:
Robert Morris vs. Fairfield - 7:00 pm ET - CIT
Washington State vs. Oregon State - 10:00 pm ET - CBI - HDNet
In addition to our recap, read about Princeton's last game of the season on goprincetontigers.com, in the Trentonian, in the Tribune-Review, in the Post-Gazette, on CBS Pittsburgh and on pittsburghpanthers.com.
Scoring 101, Oregon State (21-14) advanced to the College Basketball Invitational semifinals with a 20 point win over TCU.
Tim Doyle says that the plug should not be pulled on Bill Carmody.
Around the Ivy League: The season also ended for Penn (20-13), who lost to Butler 63-53 in the CBI.
Postgame audio - Coach Mitch Henderson, Ian Hummer, Mack Darrow & Douglas Davis:
Princeton’s year came to an unexpectedly undramatic end on Monday night in the second round of the College Basketball Invitational, as the Tigers fell by 21 at Pitt.
Everything that was attained easily six days previous in Evansville was exceptionally hard versus a Big East foe. Frustrated by the Panthers’ defense jumping out to snuff hand off screens and slice apart ball screens, Princeton played their opening 20 minutes with an uncharacteristic lack of poise and rightfully trailed 49-25 at the break.
Even when the ball was going in, such as a first half stretch where the Tigers made three consecutive shots behind the arc but still could not decrease the Panthers’ lead, Princeton was unable to slow, stop or delay a Pitt team that opened 8-14 from distance.
“We knew when [Pitt] scored points they were dangerous. Two games in a row, a team that makes just over five threes a game makes nine,” head coach Mitch Henderson said. “We just couldn’t handle that.”
Going inside with greater regularity after intermission, the Tigers turned a -26 crevasse into an 11 point deficit with more than seven minutes remaining but on a pair of possessions that could have drawn within single digits, quality looks from Ian Hummer and Brendan Connolly bounded out.
“I thought we played well for spurts in the second half, but they were better,” Henderson assessed.
