Princeton Tigers
Ivy League (24-4, 14-0)
Princeton has once again won the Ivy League under Coach Courtney Banghart. This will be the Tigers third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Coach Banghart quickly turned this squad into an Ivy League powerhouse and there is no reason to think that the Tigers are not capable of making a decent run in the big dance.
Big Wins: 11/19 Villanova (56-41), 11/21 Marist (68-51), 12/29 at Hofstra (74-69)
Bad Losses: 12/1 Delaware (70-81), 12/9 at Navy (52-65), 12/13 DePaul (67-78)
Coach: Courtney Banghart (5 seasons at Princeton)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Tigers have the tools to beat just about anybody. The frontcourt is loaded with talent and depth. Forward Niveen Rasheed is one of the best players outside of the big six conferences. The 6-0 junior averages 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals per contest. She consistently stuffs the stat sheet. Rasheed will do most of her scoring around the basket, but she step outside and knocks down some three-pointers and just that threat alone makes her extremely tough to defend. Kate Miller and Devona Allgood usually join Rasheed in the starting frontcourt. Miller is a good glue player and Allgood is the big, imposing 6-3 center under the basket. Megan Bowen, another 6-3 center, makes it so the Tigers can always have a strong post player in the paint. Rasheed is the best rebounder in the frontcourt, but everybody else will help out. Even guards like Lauren Polansky are very strong on the glass.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Princeton’s impressive rebounding margin is slightly skewed since the Tigers have dominated the glass against Ivy League competition. And that is where this team might run into trouble…they have not played a really good team since December. Cruising through the Ivy League is nice, but the competition is about to get much, much tougher. Princeton beat Saint Joseph’s, Villanova, Marist, Davidson, Hofstra and Drexel in November and December. They lost to Delaware, DePaul and Stanford. The Tigers were certainly tested, but that was a while ago. Polanksy and Lauren Edwards are veteran perimeter players and they will need to make sure that Princeton continues to play their game and keep the team composed even when they fall behind. The Tigers have not been in a close game in a long time and how they react once they are could be the difference between a quality NCAA Tournament run and a disappointing early exit.
Probable Starters:
Lauren Polanksy, Junior, Guard, 2.7 ppg, 2.4 apg, 4.0 rpg
Lauren Edwards, Senior, Guard, 11.5 ppg, 1.8 apg, 4.8 rpg, 1.0 bpg
Kate Miller, Junior, Forward, 5.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg
Niveen Rasheed, Junior, Forward, 16.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.4 spg
Megan Bowen, Junior, Center, 6.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Devona Allgood, Senior, Center, 10.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg
Kristen Helmstetter, Sophomore, Forward, 3.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg
Nicole Hung, Sophomore, Guard, 7.0 ppg, 1.2 apg
Laura Johnson, Senior, Guard, 3.2 ppg, 1.3 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.9 (30th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 53.0 (20, 1)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.3 (40, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 35.2 (28, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.3 (124, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.0 (89, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.1 (126, 5)
Rebound Margin: 11.8 (5, 1)
Assists Per Game: 14.2 (66, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 16.6 (127, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
Princeton 2011 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Georgetown
Princeton 2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to St. John's
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
