College Hoops Top 50

Last Year: 24-5; Ivy League regular season champions, lost in the first round of the NIT

Head Coach: Mitch Henderson (14th Year; 232-122 at Princeton, with two NCAA Tournament appearances)

Projected Starting Lineup

G Dalen Davis – 6’0″, 190 Sophomore

G Xaivian Lee – 6’4″, 180 Junior

G Blake Peters – 6’1″, 192 Senior

F Caden Pierce – 6’7″, 220 Junior

F Jacob Huggins – 6’8″, 225 Sophomore

Experienced Reserves

G Deven Austin – 6’6″, 200 Sophomore

G Jackson Hicke – 6’5″, 200 Sophomore

W Jack Scott – 6’6″, 210 Sophomore

F Philip Byriel – 6’9″, 230 Senior

Freshmen

G Jack Stanton – 6’2″, 184

F Malik Abdullahi – 6’7″, 207

C CJ Happy – 6’9″, 226

Does it shock you that, even in the age of NIL, a genuine college basketball powerhouse is being built in the Ivy League? It’s true: the proof is in Princeton, NJ.

There, head coach Mitch Henderson, a former Princeton player, has turned his alma mater into an every-year contender to play in the NCAA Tournament. He’s won regular season and tournament titles in the Ancient Eight; he even took the Tigers to the Sweet Sixteen a couple years back. And this fall, it’s looking a whole lot like he’s got his best team yet.

This season, Princeton will be led by a pair of proven stars who have already begun making their names known far beyond the usual east coast collegiate circles. Forward Caden Pierce – the returning Ivy League Player of the Year – and Xaivian Lee – who nearly kept his name in the NBA Draft this past spring – are genuine, no-qualifiers-required stars. They are also entering their third season playing together, and appear for all the world to be on the verge of leading Princeton into uncharted territory. 

Over his two years as a Tiger, Pierce’s rise has been meteoric. First he was named conference Rookie of the Year, and then last season, Pierce emerged as one of the most versatile forwards in the country. Part of an athletic family, Pierce’s father, Greg Pierce, played football for Northwestern and his brother, Alec Pierce, is a starting wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. A quality outside shooter with the toughness to function as his team’s 5-man for stretches, Pierce sets a standard with his play for everyone else to match. In his Player of the Year performance, Pierce finished third in the Ivy League in scoring and rebounds, eighth in assists and steals, and he led the conference with a 54.6% rate from the floor. 

He doesn’t have cookie-cutter size or athleticism, but Pierce possesses a thoroughly excellent mind for the game. In many ways, he commands the Princeton attack. So adept a passer is Pierce that he often initiates the action whether out of the post or on the wing, and his feel for finding the open man and keeping the ball moving towards quality shot attempts is beyond his years. During conference play last year, Pierce posted averages of 18.5 points, 9.6 boards, and 3.6 assists per game – on an excellent 63.3% true shooting rate. This year, without Zach Martini’s steady presence beside him and his own reputation sure to be a point of discussion in opposing film rooms, Pierce will need to be even better. Don’t bet against that happening, because as St. Joe’s coach Billy Lange declared after his Hawks outlasted Princeton last December, Pierce “could play for any program in the country.”

Though he took slightly longer to start making a huge impact, Lee’s meteoric sophomore year has firmly established him as someone to be feared and guarded closely on each possession. On a team loaded with veteran guards two years ago, Lee played just over 13 minutes and averaged just under five points per game as a freshman. Last year, the Canadian-born guard became the Tigers’ leading scorer and finished second in the Ivy League in points for the season. 

Lee is the very definition of smooth, and the playmaking guard rarely seems to play at anything other than the pace he prefers. His sixth sense for slipping past defenders creates quick, clean opportunities around the lane, and Lee was wonderfully efficient driving close for a score last winter. He sank a strong 62.2% on attempts near the rim, per Bart Torvik, and it’s there that Lee attempted the majority of his shots. As his jumper becomes a more consistent weapon – Lee shot about 34% from both mid-range and the land of trey last year – his drive game and crafty scoring around the basket will seem even more effective. The thing about Lee shooting three’s is, though he doesn’t make ’em all, his range and belief are peerless. He averaged 25.9 feet on the triples he made last year, showing off deep-deep range that ranked ninth nationally, per Synergy Sports. As his hot start turned into a big year, Lee grew more confident as the team’s top playmaker, handing out 2.57 assists for every turnover. He consistently grabs defensive boards and quick-starts the Tigers down the floor, and Henderson has begun to trust his dynamic lead guard’s feel for when to push the tempo a bit and make hard-charging plays. 

“The core of the team is returning and I’m thankful for that…It speaks to the leadership group we have here and the bonds that have been formed”

– Mitch Henderson

“The core of the team is returning and I’m thankful for that,” Henderson told Hayk Yengibaryan of The Princetonian this summer. “It speaks to the leadership group we have here and the bonds that have been formed over the past years, the last two seasons especially.” With one of the best headlining duos outside of the power conferences, Princeton’s core has mighty sills to build upon. 

The biggest bummer for Henderson – as is often the case – is that the Ivy League does not allow graduate players to continue competing beyond their fourth year. That has meant, each spring since the Covid-19 pandemic ended, his Tigers have bid adieu to quality, veteran players who can only use their extra season of eligibility elsewhere. This year, Henderson & Co must replace Matt Allocco, an extremely reliable all-conference star who will finish up at Notre Dame, as well as experienced forward Martini, who’s gone to Rutgers. 

All of which means that, for Blake Peters and Dalen Davis, the time is now. Pierce, Davis, Peters, and incoming freshman Jack Stanton are all from the Chicago area, where Henderson has established a real pipeline to Old Nassau. The first time many hoops fans may have seen Peters was at the ESPY awards, where he was a ‘Best Play’ nominee for a full-court, buzzer-beating, game-winning heave early in high school. The second time many hoops fans may have seen Peters was in a second round game at the NCAA Tournament two years ago, as he splashed five triples to help Princeton advance to the Sweet Sixteen. 

Over the past two seasons, Peters has knocked down 118 triples at a 35.2% rate. Last winter, he got better as the season went on, making 38.1% from deep in Ivy League play. Peters may not be quite as natural a playmaker as some of his teammates, but he’s a smart and sound defender – and he’s only committed 28 turnovers in 1,296 career minutes played. He’s also shooting a terrific 53.3% on two-point tries through his first three seasons. It’s just that Peters has taken 30 shots inside the arc…as compared to 349 launches from beyond it. Some day, fans may see him serving in a key capacity in the national government; Peters has those types of goals in mind. For the next few months, though, Tigers fans are hoping to see Peters making more heady plays and swishing lots more three-balls. 

Two years ago, Peters was the team’s top scoring threats off of the bench. Last year he stepped into the fifth starter’s role to provide the three-point-happy Tigers (they attempted 29.4 triples per game last year) with another quality deep threat. This year, Davis is hoping to make just as smooth and effective a move from ‘top reserve’ to ‘key starter’ as Peters has done. Henderson relied upon his starters in the extreme most of last season; the top five were out there for 77.4% of the minutes Princeton played last year. As a result, the flashes of exciting production that Davis showed as a rookie have seemed all the more tantalizing this summer as Tigers fans look ahead to his sophomore season. 

Everyone who plays significant minutes for Henderson must be a capable passer, and creativity comes naturally to Davis. Whether he’s finding teammates or getting his own looks, Davis showed up noticeably in some key spots as a freshman. Though St. Joe’s knocked Princeton from the ranks of the unbeatens in an exciting December matchup on Hawk Hill, Davis came off the bench to score 13 points, including 3/3 from deep. He hit four more triples and added a trio of steals in a 16-point performance against Columbia, and then showed up with a heroic effort against Brown in the Ivy League tourney. Though the Bears denied Princeton a chance at the conference’s automatic bid, Davis scored a career-high 21 points. 

His first-year shooting splits were exciting for a Tiger side which loves to shoot jumpers; in addition to his promising 36.9% rate from downtown, Davis hit a strong 48.8% of his many mid-range attempts, per Bart Torvik. It’s likely that Davis will see his minutes double from the 15 per game he played last year. With Pierce and Lee proven as scorers and playmakers, they will see a huge amount of defensive attention, and Henderson will need to get them steady support. Pierce and Davis played for Team USA in late July at the 2024 FIBA 3×3 Nations League Americas Conference, and they played well. The experience serves as another bond of trust and chemistry among the Tigers’ core players going forward. The talent is there for Peters and Davis to step forward as the latest standouts, and expectations will be high. 

It’s also hoped that Deven Austin will be ready to roll after missing last season due to injury. The rangy wing showed more than a few flashes of becoming an impact player in the near future as a freshman. He has easier bounce than most of his teammates, and Austin can harry smaller perimeter players with his length and lateral quickness. Capable of defending up and down the lineup, Austin could offer a bit of an x-factor as Henderson looks for different ways to free up Pierce. He scored very efficiently as a rookie, too – Austin shot 51.2% from the floor and made a stupendous 11 of 19 (57.9%) three-point tries. Such marksmanship is pretty unsustainable, but it hints at the sort of versatility Austin could offer the Tigers. 

Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks)

+ 8.1 – Average Score Margin (30th)

0.283 – Free Throw Attempts Per FG Attempt (303rd)

1.769 – Assists Per Turnover (4th)

21.7% – Offensive Rebounding Rate (320th)

10.3 – Made 3FG Per Game (8th)

Princeton has become an excellent program by playing efficient, consistent ball predicated upon sharing and shooting the ball. Henderson – and his predecessors – have known that they are unlikely to pull future NBA lotto picks with prototype size in the lane, so they have succeeded without relying upon such things. This year, with everything else seemingly in place, the Tigers’ biggest question mark by far is up front. Princeton’s adversaries are going to throw the kitchen sink and all the cleaning products that live below it at Pierce this winter, and he’s going to need some help. 

Jack Scott is really more of a small forward, but after deciding to return to Princeton, his experience will be invaluable. He nearly signed with William & Mary and their rising new coach Brian Earl this spring, but instead the 6’6″ Scott will be asked to attack the glass by Henderson. So long as someone larger can operate on one side of Pierce, Scott will be a good rebounder and defender who cuts hard and makes opponents pay for losing him in coverage. If asked to consistently masquerade as the 4 to Pierce’s 5, Scott won’t be quite as effective. Jackson Hicke is also a tweener, but he showed as a freshman that he can do some of the same things Scott can. 

The biggest hope in the post is that Jacob Huggins, a freshman last year, can play at least 20 quality minutes in the middle and that Henderson can play the tinker with the other 20 minutes as matchups dictate. Huggins has the size, developing strength, and assertive approach to give the Tigers a solid presence inside. He can set a good screen and is mobile enough to set a few in rapid succession, and Huggins will finish good looks near the rim. With so much attention sure to be focused on Pierce, Huggins needs to clean the glass, set his picks, tip in the odd putback, and not miss bunnies when he gets them. Henderson won’t be asking for too much from the second-year forward, and if Huggins can get that list done without too many fouls or turnovers, he will become a hugely valuable player. Senior Philip Byriel is also back, and has the size to be effective. He’s never been anything but a deep reserve thus far and likely will be again, but if Byriel could kick in 10 productive minutes here and there, it would be welcomed. 

Really, much is going to be hoped for from what may be the best freshman class in program history. In a perfect world, each of three rookies will make a contribution in their own ways, and those efforts will push Princeton over the top. Though he’s the least-ballyhooed of the three, forward CJ Happy has the most size. Though Happy is not quite an enforcer, he’s 6’9″ and understands good positioning and how to box out for a rebound. If he can average anything close to 10 useful minutes per contest as a freshman, Happy will be an important part of the Tigers’ plan to support Pierce. 

The highest-rated of Princeton’s freshmen is Malik Abdullahi, a bouncy forward who’s working on a pro-style physique which should have him ready to make an instant impact. He’s got excellent, functional length which is enhanced by his hops, and Abdullahi plays with the intensity of a guy who’s still trying to earn his spot. He’s not just highly athletic; Abdullahi is also a clever player who puts himself in great position at both ends of the floor and has seen what top competition at the prep level looks like. With a commitment to quality defense and the ability to guard bigger or quicker players effectively, Abdullahi could prove to be a huge x-factor for a team that’s searching for its best fit next to Pierce. 

Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on

N Rutgers – December 21

vs Loyola Chicago – November 15

N Bradley/Texas State – November 22

@ St. Joseph’s – December 3

vs Duquesne – November 8

“He rebounds, defends multiple positions, runs the floor for lobs and does all of the little things that help contribute to winning,” Eric Bossi of 247 Sports raved upon seeing Abdullahi play late last year, “He’ll be one of the best athletes in the Ivy League from the moment he arrives on campus and has already done a lot of winning at Miami (Fla.) Columbus where he plays with the Boozer twins.” Coming up beside a couple of superstar prospects like Cayden and Cameron Boozer, Abullahi may be uniquely primed to step in alongside Lee and Pierce. 

The Tigers’ next outstanding shooter may be arriving in the person of Jack Stanton. Another of Henderson’s aforementioned Chicagoland additions, Stanton is a pure marksman and can absolutely light it up from the outside. He’s quick on the draw, knows how to slip to his spots or fight through defenders to get there, and has already shown Princeton-like savvy with head-fakes and first steps toward the wing, only to cut hard towards the net. Stanton understands good offense, and knows how to take advantage of a defense that’s scared of his three-ball. 

“He’s armed with a rifle of a jump shot and matching confidence. He’s tough, keeps moving away from the ball and doesn’t need much space to launch,” Bossi decreed upon seeing Stanton play in late 2023. Princeton needs secondary scoring, and both Abdullahi and Stanton will get to show off if they can prove themselves early on. 

Expectations are nothing new in Trenton. The Tigers have gone 70-23 over the past three seasons and won the Ivy League’s regular season title each time. They’ve only made the NCAA Tournament once during that span, though – the Sweet Sixteen run two years back. Everyone around the program can feel it: this group has that sort of potential.

“I’m as focused and fired up for a season as I’ve ever been,” Henderson declared this summer. “You’ve got to appreciate the opportunity that we have.” It’s very difficult to win both League and tournament titles with the quality there’s been atop the Ivy League in recent years, but Princeton has the star power and young talent to stand head and shoulders above their conference foes if all goes to plan. Henderson and his staff must identify, manufacture, or simply inspire someone or some coalition to shore up the post, because Princeton has everything else you could ask for. The Tigers are an excellent program that can beat just about anybody, and they’re about to prove it all over again.