Pregame Shootaround 3.8.13: Princeton looks to retain control of Ivy League race

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Game of the Day: Rutgers at Seton Hall (7:00 p.m., ESPN3)

Regardless of what happens at the Prudential Center the Scarlet Knights and Pirates will both play on Tuesday in the first round of the Big East tournament, so there isn’t much on the line in that regard. But this matchup is an important game when it comes to the direction of both programs, who have failed to take advantage of the elite talent available in New Jersey.

Rutgers dropped a tough decision to Marquette in their last outing, and the frustration of once again failing to get over the hump hit head coach Mike Rice hard during his postgame press conference. It’s been a frustrating season in South Orange as well, but in junior Fuquan Edwin the Pirates have one of the Big East’s most improved players. This isn’t the best game on tonight’s slate when looking at the quality of the teams, but when considering the future for both programs this one’s very important.

Who’s Getting Upset?: Princeton (at Yale, 7:00 p.m.) 

With Harvard (9-3 Ivy) losing at both Princeton and Penn last weekend the Tigers (9-2) have assumed control of the Ivy League race with just three conference games remaining. Mitch Henderson’s team hits the road and they’ll have revenge on their minds, as Yale ended Princeton’s 22-game Ivy home win streak back on February 9.

The Bulldogs shot 54.8% from the field and outscored Princeton by nine (16-7) at the foul line in the first meeting, with Javier Duren scoring 13 points and Sam Martin adding 11 off the bench. Princeton turned the ball over 16 times in the first meeting, resulting in a loss despite Denton Koon (16 points) and Ian Hummer (14 points, six assists and five rebounds) combining to score 30 points.

Mid-Major Matchup of the Day: Illinois State vs. Northern Iowa (9:30 p.m., ESPN3)

Looking for a team in the Missouri Valley other than Creighton or Wichita State capable of grabbing the league’s automatic bid? The answer may very well come from this quarterfinal, with UNI beating the Redbirds 80-72 in the regular season finale for both last Saturday. Illinois State has lost four of its last five but with Tyler Brown and Jackie Carmichael the talent is there for Dan Muller’s team to make a run in St. Louis.

The difference in last week’s game: rebounding. UNI killed Illinois State on the glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds with Seth Tuttle accounting for nine of those. Anthony James scored 19 points and Marc Sonnen knocked down six of UNI’s ten three-pointers in the victory.

Five Things to Watch For

1) Three conference tournaments tip off Friday, as the Southern, Metro Atlantic and Sun Belt conferences take the floor. Which of the teams in action are most capable of getting hot? Keep an eye on Western Kentucky (Sun Belt), who won four in four days last season, and Fairfield (9-9).

2) Akron looks to clinch the outright MAC title against rival Kent State, and the Zips will attempt to do so without starting point guard Alex Abreu. Abreu was suspended indefinitely on Thursday following an arrest on charges of marijuana trafficking.

3) The Atlantic Sun and Ohio Valley conferences will both play their semifinals on Friday night, with the four best teams advancing in the OVC tournament. Belmont/Murray State would be the expected matchup there but don’t overlook either Tennessee State or Eastern Kentucky.

4) Mercer’s the host team in the A-Sun, but the regular season champions will have their hands full with USC Upstate’s Torrey Craig. The first team All-Atlantic Sun selection averaged 25.5 points per game against the Bears this season, but Mercer kept him off the glass (4.0 rpg) as they won both meetings.

5) BYU begins WCC tournament play tonight as they take on San Diego in the second quarterfinal of the night. These two split the regular season series (home team winning both), and the Toreros will need a big night from forward Chris Manresa if they’re to slow down BYU’s Brandon Davies.

Other Notable Games 

3:30 p.m. Indiana State at Evansville (ESPN3)
7:00 p.m. Columbia at Harvard
7:00 p.m. Tennessee State at Belmont (ESPNU)
7:00 p.m. Kent State at Akron (ESPN2)
8:00 p.m. Stetson vs. Florida Gulf Coast (ESPN3)
11:30 p.m. San Diego vs. BYU (ESPNU)

Raphielle also writes for the NBE Basketball Report and can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.