The Princeton Tigers and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights meet Monday in college basketball action from CURE Insurance Arena. Princeton had a successful campaign last year, going 23-9 overall on the way to an Ivy League championship and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen. As for Rutgers, they posted a 19-15 overall run in 2022-23, falling in the First Round of the NIT. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.

Princeton Tigers 

The Tigers managed a 10-4 Ivy League record last season to go along with their 23-9 overall run. Princeton earned a regular-season co-championship alongside Yale with that record and eventually beat the Bulldogs for the conference tournament title. The Tigers would ultimately make it to the Sweet Sixteen and lose to Creighton 86-75. 

Princeton gets head coach Mitch Henderson back in his 12th season. He’ll have a bit of turnover to work with, as the Tigers return just two of five starters. The team’s top returning scorer is Matt Alloco (10.7 PPG; 4.8 RPG), who will be a leader on the floor. Caden Pierce is coming off Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors, averaging 8.2 PPG and bagging eight double-doubles last season. 

Rutgers Scarlet Knights 

Over on the Knights’ side, they got lost in a tough Big Ten Conference last season. Rutgers managed a 19-15 overall run but went just 10-10 in conference play for a finish pretty far down in the standings. The Knights earned an invite to the NIT, where they lost in overtime to Hofstra in the First Round. 

Rutgers will also return two starters this season, heading into another year from head coach Steve Pikiell (his eighth). Senior center Cliff Omoruyi (13.2 PPG; 9.2 RPG) is back after flirting with the NBA Draft. He’ll be joined by sophomore Derek Simpson (7.1 PPG) and UMass transfer Noah Fernandes (13.4 PPG) as the Knights attempt to make some progress in the conference standings. 

ANDREW’S FREE PICK 

I’ll probably stay with Rutgers in this one. You could make a case either way, though. The Knights have an interesting backcourt this season with Simpson, Fernandes and fellow transfer Austin Williams (16.1 PPG) in the fold. There’s some pretty good defensive capability among those players, as well as the potential for athletic shooting streaks. Simpson specifically should be primed for a breakout season and he’ll improve Rutgers’ fortunes if everyone can stay healthy. Assuming all goes well chemistry-wise, I like the Knights to keep Princeton contained in this opener and power out a cover.