Arena #149: Jadwin Gymnasium - Princeton vs. Lehigh

After a few weeks off to actually do some work and celebrate the holidays, I had to take advantage of the week between Christmas and New Year’s to get some random games in, and the best spot to do that was the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) since I haven’t really covered that part of the country much to date.  For Arena #149, I started at Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton, NJ for a Sunday afternoon non-conference matchup between the Princeton Tigers and the Lehigh Mountain Hawks.  Jadwin Gymnasium was certainly a unique venue for a basketball game as it’s configured as a multi-purpose facility to support track and other sports in addition to basketball, yet when set up for basketball it didn’t have that cavernous feel that a lot of other multi-purpose venues I’ve been to have.  Impressively, there was a more robust crowd than I expected for a Sunday afternoon and opposite a Giants/Eagles game and without the students being on campus.  As for the on-court action, the game was reasonably competitive throughout, but it never seemed like Princeton was not in control of the game and the Tigers took home the win.

A rainy afternoon outside Jadwin Gymnasium

Inside Jadwin Gymnasium

Opening tip between the Tigers and Mountain Hawks

Princeton attacking the rim in the second half

Arena #120: Prudential Center - Seton Hall vs. Saint Louis

For the Saturday nightcap, and third game of the day, we make the mile walk back to the Prudential Center to see the Seton Hall Pirates take on the Saint Louis Billikens.  Now I’m not a huge fan of multi-purpose arenas as I think those with NHL and basketball teams compromise basketball sight lines for hockey sight lines, but in situations like this it helps a school like Seton Hall get to play in a large, modern venue with a host of amenities for their fans.  I admit I didn’t know much about Seton Hall or Saint Louis going into this matchup, but I hoped for a competitive game and boy did we get that!  No matter what two teams are playing, it’s always fun when a game comes down to the final possession like this one did.  The Pirates trailed most of the night, but closed the deficit late and had a chance to take the final shot down 2 to force OT or take home the win.  Sadly for the home fans, the Hall was unable to convert at the buzzer and the Billikens took home the win in front of a surprisingly decent crowd of probably half capacity or so for this non-conference tilt.

Outside the Prudential Center on a Saturday evening

Quite an impressive arena, buoyed by the fact that the NHL's Devils also play here

Opening tip between the Pirates and the Billikens

A battle for the rock during the second half of play inside The Rock

Arena #119: NJIT Wellness & Events Center - New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) vs. Cornell

After a quick detour to the Big Apple for two days to watch my UConn Huskies in the 2k Empire Classic at the Garden, we headed across the river to Newark for a full day of sporting events.  We started at the Prudential Center in the early afternoon for some NHL action before making the mile walk or so from the Pru to the campus of the New Jersey Institute of Technology or NJIT for a contest between the NJIT Highlanders and the Cornell Big Red.  I’m sure there aren’t too many people that even realize NJIT is a Division 1 school (they transitioned a few years ago), but they had a quaint, but surprisingly modern, arena, including a fairly sizable team store located on the concourse.  For a fan like myself who likes to feel like I’m part of the action, I love these kind of arenas where I can sit in the first couple rows for cheap and hear shoes squeaking and coaches cussing out their players.  Having seen Cornell get handled pretty easily by Colgate a few days earlier in Ithaca, I wasn’t sure how competitive this game would be, but it turned out Cornell found their offense in a week’s time as they hung 86 on the Highlanders in this one.  The game was actually pretty competitive throughout with Cornell hitting their free throws late to ice the game and end up with a sizable win at the final horn.

Entrance to the NJIT Wellness and Events Center

Small, but appropriate arena size for a school like NJIT

Always a fan of the state outline silhouetted as part of the center court logo

Cornell taking the ball to the hoop against the Highlanders

Cornell for 3!