Men’s Basketball Making Adjustments After Month of Pre-Conference Play

This Princeton men’s basketball team, like so many others before it, is characterized by grit and perseverance, as best evidenced by  four come-from-behind victories it pulled off in their first five games.

The Tigers’ first loss — to a size-advantaged and physical Loyola Chicago team — had more than 15 lead changes over the course of the game. The game was a hard fought showing in which Princeton was heavily out-rebounded by a likely NCAA tournament team.

When the Tigers made their way to South Carolina for the Myrtle Beach Invitational Tournament, however, things took a negative turn. They lost to Wright State by 18 points in the opening game, a matchup characterized by flawed defensive execution. Princeton wasn’t able to guard the perimeter effectively, allowing the Rowdy Raiders to take wide-open three point shots that they kept making (they shot more than 50% from three that night).

“We played privileged and we kind of expected to just walk in and be the better team,” Caden Pierce ’26 told PAW. “And Wright State showed us that we definitely weren’t.”

A nail biter against Texas State the next day saw Xaivian Lee ’26 put up monster numbers (30 points, six rebounds, five assists), but the Tigers fell 83–80. It wasn’t until the 7th place game in Myrtle Beach, against Portland, that the Tigers played a truly dominant basketball game, winning  94–67.

With a deeply talented bench, head coach Mitch Henderson ’98 has a lot of time to make adjustments before Ivy League play. Malik Abdullahi ’28 earned a Rookie of the Week nod from the Ivy League following a standout performance against Northeastern in week 2. In the Portland and Nazareth games, CJ Happy ’28 showed off his shooting skills (16 points vs. Portland, 18 vs. Nazareth).

Henderson has also taken advantage of pre-conference play to test different lineups. Philip Byriel ’25 has become a surprise standout. He played just 11 games last season, but this year has had a regular place in the starting lineup and has been a valuable asset in both rebounding and shooting for the Tigers.

Blake Peters ’25, a talented three-point shooter, started every game last year. This season, Henderson has adjusted to having Peters come in off the bench.

“Blake … really can do anything and [we can] plug him in anywhere,” said Henderson. “He knows exactly where to be all the time, and he’s tough.”

Jack Scott ’26 had been starting, but following a thumb injury in the first game of the Myrtle Beach tournament, Peters stepped into that spot. Henderson noted that he’s concerned about size in that particular starting lineup.

Looking ahead, the Tigers will face St. Joseph’s Dec. 3. Last year, they lost a tough game against the Hawks 74–70, largely as a result of a lackluster showing from the free throw line (shooting just 33%). Henderson noted that both Dalen Davis ’27 and Lee have improved since last season, but still expressed caution.

“I’m expecting it to be a very difficult game for us,” Henderson said.

You can watch the Tigers take on St. Joe’s on ESPN+ at 7pm EST Dec. 3.