Princeton, N.J. ? Eight games. Three Top 10 teams. Princeton may be the perennial Ivy League champion, but enough is enough.
“That’s an understatement,” Princeton coach John Thompson said following Wednesday night’s 78-62 loss to Kansas, ranked No. 4 in the AP poll. “We always play a tough schedule, but three Top 10 teams in eight games is extreme.”
First, Princeton bowed to St. Joseph’s by 11 when the Hawks were ranked ninth, then the Tigers fell to Maryland by eight. Princeton played St. Joseph’s on a neutral court; Maryland at the Terrapins’ home-away-from-home in MCI Center outside Washington, D.C.
So finally the Tigers have a Top 10 team at home and what happens? They fall behind by as many as 19 early, make a late first-half comeback, then suffer a 10-0 lick to open the second half and never threaten again.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Thompson said. “We have played within the last few years some of the better teams in the country and I think that team right there is possibly the best we’ve played. The problems they present have our hearts pounding.”
In particular, KU’s defense forced the deliberate Tigers into 20 turnovers.
“They pressure the ball,” Thompson said. “It’s their big guys as well as their perimeter players. Their big guys can cover small guys.”
In so doing, Kansas allowed the Tigers to make only eight of 26 three-point attempts.
“That’s our main weapon,” said Andre Logan, a 6-foot-7 sophomore and one of three Tigers who scored 10 points, “and they made it tough for us to shoot them. They’re a very good team and there’s nothing much you can do when a team plays like that.”
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Three-point goals: 3-11 (Collison 1-1, Hinrich 1-3, Boschee 1-5, Langford 0-1, Lee 0-1). Assists: 19 (Boschee 5, Gooden 4, Hinrich 4, Miles 3, Collison, Langford, Simien). Turnovers: 15 (Miles 5, Hinrich 3, Gooden 2, Carey 2, Simien 2, Collison). Blocked shots: 1 (Collison). Steals: 15 (Gooden 3, Collison 3, Miles 3, Hinrich 2, Boschee 2, Langford, Simien). |
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Three-point goals: 8-26 (Persia 3-6, Wallace 2-3, Bechtold 2-6, Robins 1-5, Logan 0-2, El-Nokali 0-2, Venable 0-2). Assists: 16 (Persia 5, El-Nokali 3, Robins 2, Wente 2, Logan, Wallace, Neu, Wysocki). Turnovers: 20 (Robins 6, Logan 4, Bechtold 3, El-Nokali 3, Venable 3, Wente). Blocked shots: 2 (Bechtold, Robins). Steals: 11 (Persia 3, Venable 3, Logan 2, Bechtold, El-Nokali, Wysocki). |
Kansas | 35 | 43 | 78 |
Princeton | 29 | 33 | 62 |
Still, Logan wasn’t ready to say Kansas is the best team the Tigers, now 2-6, have faced this season.
“They’re good. I’ll tell you that,” Logan said. “But the best? I don’t know.”
Not so freshman guard Will Venable, who led the Bengals with 11 points.
“They were the best,” Venable said of the Jayhawks. “They were the team with the most substance. They set out to do what they wanted to do and they did it.”
Thompson, a former Princeton player and son of the former Georgetown coach of the same name, said he wasn’t fooled by the Tigers’ late first-half spurt. Princeton outscored the Jayhawks 17-4 during the 71*2 minutes prior to intermission.
“I thought we were going to run out of gas pretty soon,” Thompson said when asked if he thought halftime came too soon. “But if you look at how we started the second half, maybe it did.”
Princeton didn’t score until Ed Persia, a reserve guard who had drilled a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer, canned a trey with 14:28 showing after Kansas had boosted its lead to 45-29.
“One of the patterns with our team is we start slow,” Persia said. “We needed to keep that momentum going.”
As good as Kansas is, Thompson nevertheless believes the gap between the Tigers and the Jayhawks is a trickle, not a stream.
“It’s small things here and small things there,” Thompson said, “that are the difference between our team and that team. That’s a terrific team but it’s a game of inches.”
Persia, a 6-1 sophomore from Beaumont, Texas, who scored nine points off the bench and had five assists, bought into that mantra, too.
“It seems every team we play has all-around talent and is deep,” Persia said. “Our team can match up with any of them. We’re right there. We’re close.”
Echoed Venable, son of former San Francisco Giants outfielder Max Venable: “I don’t think it has anything to do with the other team. It’s us.”
Sports editor Chuck Woodling can be reached at 832-7147.
Princeton, N.J. ? Eight games. Three Top 10 teams. Princeton may be the perennial Ivy League champion, but enough is enough.
“That’s an understatement,” Princeton coach John Thompson said following Wednesday night’s 78-62 loss to Kansas, ranked No. 4 in the AP poll. “We always play a tough schedule, but three Top 10 teams in eight games is extreme.”
First, Princeton bowed to St. Joseph’s by 11 when the Hawks were ranked ninth, then the Tigers fell to Maryland by eight. Princeton played St. Joseph’s on a neutral court; Maryland at the Terrapins’ home-away-from-home in MCI Center outside Washington, D.C.
So finally the Tigers have a Top 10 team at home and what happens? They fall behind by as many as 19 early, make a late first-half comeback, then suffer a 10-0 lick to open the second half and never threaten again.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Thompson said. “We have played within the last few years some of the better teams in the country and I think that team right there is possibly the best we’ve played. The problems they present have our hearts pounding.”
In particular, KU’s defense forced the deliberate Tigers into 20 turnovers.
“They pressure the ball,” Thompson said. “It’s their big guys as well as their perimeter players. Their big guys can cover small guys.”
In so doing, Kansas allowed the Tigers to make only eight of 26 three-point attempts.
“That’s our main weapon,” said Andre Logan, a 6-foot-7 sophomore and one of three Tigers who scored 10 points, “and they made it tough for us to shoot them. They’re a very good team and there’s nothing much you can do when a team plays like that.”
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Three-point goals: 3-11 (Collison 1-1, Hinrich 1-3, Boschee 1-5, Langford 0-1, Lee 0-1). Assists: 19 (Boschee 5, Gooden 4, Hinrich 4, Miles 3, Collison, Langford, Simien). Turnovers: 15 (Miles 5, Hinrich 3, Gooden 2, Carey 2, Simien 2, Collison). Blocked shots: 1 (Collison). Steals: 15 (Gooden 3, Collison 3, Miles 3, Hinrich 2, Boschee 2, Langford, Simien). |
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Three-point goals: 8-26 (Persia 3-6, Wallace 2-3, Bechtold 2-6, Robins 1-5, Logan 0-2, El-Nokali 0-2, Venable 0-2). Assists: 16 (Persia 5, El-Nokali 3, Robins 2, Wente 2, Logan, Wallace, Neu, Wysocki). Turnovers: 20 (Robins 6, Logan 4, Bechtold 3, El-Nokali 3, Venable 3, Wente). Blocked shots: 2 (Bechtold, Robins). Steals: 11 (Persia 3, Venable 3, Logan 2, Bechtold, El-Nokali, Wysocki). |
Kansas | 35 | 43 | 78 |
Princeton | 29 | 33 | 62 |
Still, Logan wasn’t ready to say Kansas is the best team the Tigers, now 2-6, have faced this season.
“They’re good. I’ll tell you that,” Logan said. “But the best? I don’t know.”
Not so freshman guard Will Venable, who led the Bengals with 11 points.
“They were the best,” Venable said of the Jayhawks. “They were the team with the most substance. They set out to do what they wanted to do and they did it.”
Thompson, a former Princeton player and son of the former Georgetown coach of the same name, said he wasn’t fooled by the Tigers’ late first-half spurt. Princeton outscored the Jayhawks 17-4 during the 71*2 minutes prior to intermission.
“I thought we were going to run out of gas pretty soon,” Thompson said when asked if he thought halftime came too soon. “But if you look at how we started the second half, maybe it did.”
Princeton didn’t score until Ed Persia, a reserve guard who had drilled a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer, canned a trey with 14:28 showing after Kansas had boosted its lead to 45-29.
“One of the patterns with our team is we start slow,” Persia said. “We needed to keep that momentum going.”
As good as Kansas is, Thompson nevertheless believes the gap between the Tigers and the Jayhawks is a trickle, not a stream.
“It’s small things here and small things there,” Thompson said, “that are the difference between our team and that team. That’s a terrific team but it’s a game of inches.”
Persia, a 6-1 sophomore from Beaumont, Texas, who scored nine points off the bench and had five assists, bought into that mantra, too.
“It seems every team we play has all-around talent and is deep,” Persia said. “Our team can match up with any of them. We’re right there. We’re close.”
Echoed Venable, son of former San Francisco Giants outfielder Max Venable: “I don’t think it has anything to do with the other team. It’s us.”
Sports editor Chuck Woodling can be reached at 832-7147.
Princeton, N.J. ? Eight games. Three Top 10 teams. Princeton may be the perennial Ivy League champion, but enough is enough.
“That’s an understatement,” Princeton coach John Thompson said following Wednesday night’s 78-62 loss to Kansas, ranked No. 4 in the AP poll. “We always play a tough schedule, but three Top 10 teams in eight games is extreme.”
First, Princeton bowed to St. Joseph’s by 11 when the Hawks were ranked ninth, then the Tigers fell to Maryland by eight. Princeton played St. Joseph’s on a neutral court; Maryland at the Terrapins’ home-away-from-home in MCI Center outside Washington, D.C.
So finally the Tigers have a Top 10 team at home and what happens? They fall behind by as many as 19 early, make a late first-half comeback, then suffer a 10-0 lick to open the second half and never threaten again.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Thompson said. “We have played within the last few years some of the better teams in the country and I think that team right there is possibly the best we’ve played. The problems they present have our hearts pounding.”
In particular, KU’s defense forced the deliberate Tigers into 20 turnovers.
“They pressure the ball,” Thompson said. “It’s their big guys as well as their perimeter players. Their big guys can cover small guys.”
In so doing, Kansas allowed the Tigers to make only eight of 26 three-point attempts.
“That’s our main weapon,” said Andre Logan, a 6-foot-7 sophomore and one of three Tigers who scored 10 points, “and they made it tough for us to shoot them. They’re a very good team and there’s nothing much you can do when a team plays like that.”
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Three-point goals: 3-11 (Collison 1-1, Hinrich 1-3, Boschee 1-5, Langford 0-1, Lee 0-1). Assists: 19 (Boschee 5, Gooden 4, Hinrich 4, Miles 3, Collison, Langford, Simien). Turnovers: 15 (Miles 5, Hinrich 3, Gooden 2, Carey 2, Simien 2, Collison). Blocked shots: 1 (Collison). Steals: 15 (Gooden 3, Collison 3, Miles 3, Hinrich 2, Boschee 2, Langford, Simien). |
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Three-point goals: 8-26 (Persia 3-6, Wallace 2-3, Bechtold 2-6, Robins 1-5, Logan 0-2, El-Nokali 0-2, Venable 0-2). Assists: 16 (Persia 5, El-Nokali 3, Robins 2, Wente 2, Logan, Wallace, Neu, Wysocki). Turnovers: 20 (Robins 6, Logan 4, Bechtold 3, El-Nokali 3, Venable 3, Wente). Blocked shots: 2 (Bechtold, Robins). Steals: 11 (Persia 3, Venable 3, Logan 2, Bechtold, El-Nokali, Wysocki). |
Kansas | 35 | 43 | 78 |
Princeton | 29 | 33 | 62 |
Still, Logan wasn’t ready to say Kansas is the best team the Tigers, now 2-6, have faced this season.
“They’re good. I’ll tell you that,” Logan said. “But the best? I don’t know.”
Not so freshman guard Will Venable, who led the Bengals with 11 points.
“They were the best,” Venable said of the Jayhawks. “They were the team with the most substance. They set out to do what they wanted to do and they did it.”
Thompson, a former Princeton player and son of the former Georgetown coach of the same name, said he wasn’t fooled by the Tigers’ late first-half spurt. Princeton outscored the Jayhawks 17-4 during the 71*2 minutes prior to intermission.
“I thought we were going to run out of gas pretty soon,” Thompson said when asked if he thought halftime came too soon. “But if you look at how we started the second half, maybe it did.”
Princeton didn’t score until Ed Persia, a reserve guard who had drilled a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer, canned a trey with 14:28 showing after Kansas had boosted its lead to 45-29.
“One of the patterns with our team is we start slow,” Persia said. “We needed to keep that momentum going.”
As good as Kansas is, Thompson nevertheless believes the gap between the Tigers and the Jayhawks is a trickle, not a stream.
“It’s small things here and small things there,” Thompson said, “that are the difference between our team and that team. That’s a terrific team but it’s a game of inches.”
Persia, a 6-1 sophomore from Beaumont, Texas, who scored nine points off the bench and had five assists, bought into that mantra, too.
“It seems every team we play has all-around talent and is deep,” Persia said. “Our team can match up with any of them. We’re right there. We’re close.”
Echoed Venable, son of former San Francisco Giants outfielder Max Venable: “I don’t think it has anything to do with the other team. It’s us.”
Sports editor Chuck Woodling can be reached at 832-7147.
Princeton, N.J. ? Eight games. Three Top 10 teams. Princeton may be the perennial Ivy League champion, but enough is enough.
“That’s an understatement,” Princeton coach John Thompson said following Wednesday night’s 78-62 loss to Kansas, ranked No. 4 in the AP poll. “We always play a tough schedule, but three Top 10 teams in eight games is extreme.”
First, Princeton bowed to St. Joseph’s by 11 when the Hawks were ranked ninth, then the Tigers fell to Maryland by eight. Princeton played St. Joseph’s on a neutral court; Maryland at the Terrapins’ home-away-from-home in MCI Center outside Washington, D.C.
So finally the Tigers have a Top 10 team at home and what happens? They fall behind by as many as 19 early, make a late first-half comeback, then suffer a 10-0 lick to open the second half and never threaten again.
“I’ll tell you one thing,” Thompson said. “We have played within the last few years some of the better teams in the country and I think that team right there is possibly the best we’ve played. The problems they present have our hearts pounding.”
In particular, KU’s defense forced the deliberate Tigers into 20 turnovers.
“They pressure the ball,” Thompson said. “It’s their big guys as well as their perimeter players. Their big guys can cover small guys.”
In so doing, Kansas allowed the Tigers to make only eight of 26 three-point attempts.
“That’s our main weapon,” said Andre Logan, a 6-foot-7 sophomore and one of three Tigers who scored 10 points, “and they made it tough for us to shoot them. They’re a very good team and there’s nothing much you can do when a team plays like that.”
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Three-point goals: 3-11 (Collison 1-1, Hinrich 1-3, Boschee 1-5, Langford 0-1, Lee 0-1). Assists: 19 (Boschee 5, Gooden 4, Hinrich 4, Miles 3, Collison, Langford, Simien). Turnovers: 15 (Miles 5, Hinrich 3, Gooden 2, Carey 2, Simien 2, Collison). Blocked shots: 1 (Collison). Steals: 15 (Gooden 3, Collison 3, Miles 3, Hinrich 2, Boschee 2, Langford, Simien). |
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Three-point goals: 8-26 (Persia 3-6, Wallace 2-3, Bechtold 2-6, Robins 1-5, Logan 0-2, El-Nokali 0-2, Venable 0-2). Assists: 16 (Persia 5, El-Nokali 3, Robins 2, Wente 2, Logan, Wallace, Neu, Wysocki). Turnovers: 20 (Robins 6, Logan 4, Bechtold 3, El-Nokali 3, Venable 3, Wente). Blocked shots: 2 (Bechtold, Robins). Steals: 11 (Persia 3, Venable 3, Logan 2, Bechtold, El-Nokali, Wysocki). |
Kansas | 35 | 43 | 78 |
Princeton | 29 | 33 | 62 |
Still, Logan wasn’t ready to say Kansas is the best team the Tigers, now 2-6, have faced this season.
“They’re good. I’ll tell you that,” Logan said. “But the best? I don’t know.”
Not so freshman guard Will Venable, who led the Bengals with 11 points.
“They were the best,” Venable said of the Jayhawks. “They were the team with the most substance. They set out to do what they wanted to do and they did it.”
Thompson, a former Princeton player and son of the former Georgetown coach of the same name, said he wasn’t fooled by the Tigers’ late first-half spurt. Princeton outscored the Jayhawks 17-4 during the 71*2 minutes prior to intermission.
“I thought we were going to run out of gas pretty soon,” Thompson said when asked if he thought halftime came too soon. “But if you look at how we started the second half, maybe it did.”
Princeton didn’t score until Ed Persia, a reserve guard who had drilled a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer, canned a trey with 14:28 showing after Kansas had boosted its lead to 45-29.
“One of the patterns with our team is we start slow,” Persia said. “We needed to keep that momentum going.”
As good as Kansas is, Thompson nevertheless believes the gap between the Tigers and the Jayhawks is a trickle, not a stream.
“It’s small things here and small things there,” Thompson said, “that are the difference between our team and that team. That’s a terrific team but it’s a game of inches.”
Persia, a 6-1 sophomore from Beaumont, Texas, who scored nine points off the bench and had five assists, bought into that mantra, too.
“It seems every team we play has all-around talent and is deep,” Persia said. “Our team can match up with any of them. We’re right there. We’re close.”
Echoed Venable, son of former San Francisco Giants outfielder Max Venable: “I don’t think it has anything to do with the other team. It’s us.”
Sports editor Chuck Woodling can be reached at 832-7147.