COACH: Sydney Johnson, four years at Princeton, one year in NCAA tournament.
HOW THEY GOT IN: Automatic bid (won Ivy League playoff vs. Harvard).
GO-TO GUYS: Princeton is the rare team whose biggest offensive weapon comes off the bench. Kareem Maddox averages 14 points per game and has the size, range and athleticism that made him virtually impossible for Ivy League foes to stop at times. Dan Mavraides and Douglas Davis form a capable backcourt, and forward Ian Hummer is a big scorer who is deadly in the paint and an excellent passer when double-teamed.
X FACTOR: The Tigers haven't played a team outside the Ivy League since January. It was one of the dominant teams in its conference all year and did well enough overall to finish in the top 50 of the RPI, Princeton will have to adjust to the skill and athleticism of its early-round opponents.
STRENGTHS: This isn't one of those Princeton teams of yore that holds the ball for 30 seconds and then hopes for an open backdoor cutter to get a layup. The Tigers don't play a lot of 41-39 games -- they have a lot of offensive weapons and can hit open looks from anywhere. It is 15-0 when shooting at least 46 percent from the field, and has not lost this season when it scores at least 68 points (15-0). Three of its six losses came back in November, so it's a team playing better than its computer ranking might suggest.
WEAKNESSES: Princeton's guards have been up and down this season, with Mavraides and Davis running hot and cold. It will need both to be on top of their game to advance. The Tigers can get into extended lulls on both ends of the court, as happened in its surprising loss to Brown in Ivy League play. Though the Tigers have solid athletes, they will be meeting a first-round opponent that's more talented than the typical Ivy League squad, which will take some adjustment.
