GAME NOTES: Separated by just seven miles, the Princeton Tigers and Rider Broncs open the 2014-15 season against each other on Friday night at Jadwin Gym.

The Tigers are coming off a 21-9 season, which was the best record in Mitch Henderson's three-year tenure as head coach, and their fourth 20-win season in the past five seasons. For the first time since qualifying for the 2011 NCAA Tournament, Princeton was invited to the postseason with a bid to the College Basketball Invitational, even claiming a first-round victory over Duquesne (56-55).

Although the team will have to adjust to life without the league's leading scorer T.J. Bray (18.0 ppg) and minus four seniors, it still has some talent to work with. Hans Brase brought 11.2 ppg and 5.7 rpg to the table, while Spencer Weisz (8.7 ppg), Denton Koon (7.7 ppg) and Ben Hazel (6.1 ppg) will all be expected to pick up some of the slack left by the departures of Bray and Will Barrett (10.3 ppg, 63 3-pointers).

Princeton's 70.6 ppg average from last season and its 64.4 ppg allowed were both the team's most since the 1971-72 campaign. Princeton returns 51 percent of its 3-pointers, with Weisz and Brase co-leading the returnees with 34 apiece.

Rider had trouble on defense in 2013-14, and a result wound up three games under .500 (14-17) overall, and 9-11 in league play. The Broncs had three double-digit scorers on the roster, but two of them (Anthony Myles and Daniel Stewart) are no longer around, which means the pressure will all fall on sophomore Jimmie Taylor who accounted for 12.1 ppg and was responsible for 72 assists. During his freshman campaign, Taylor also shot almost as well from 3- point range (.469) as he did from the floor overall (.470), something that will have to continue if the Broncs hope to have any measure of success this year. Zedric Sadler (8.3 ppg, 89 assists) should also settle in with more involvement, but the guards will need some bulk up front and on the wings if head coach Kevin Baggett expects to finish in the top half of the standings.

Rider finished last season ranked eighth in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage at .397. On the other side of the coin, its .470 field goal percentage allowed was 10th in the 11-team MAAC.

The losses of Barrett and Bray will no doubt hurt the Tigers this season, but they have more than enough weapons to fend off the Broncs, who return 50.8 percent of their scoring from a season ago despite losing their top two scorers.