Princeton women's basketball ranked No. 22 going into Penn matchup

• TWEET
• SHARE
• SHARE

Penn women's basketball claimed its first Big 5 title on Monday night but an even bigger challenge is on the horizon: a ranked opponent to begin conference play.

After a victory over Hampton on Monday, Princeton is now the No. 22 ranked team in the AP poll, the highest ranking for an Ivy League women's basketball team ever. The Tigers are also undefeated, going 16-0 in nonconference play so far before taking on Penn this Saturday.

The Tigers have been demolishing opponents week by week to start the season. Princeton has not only beaten every team it has faced, the Tigers have also won by an 24.7 point average margin of victory.

Princeton is led by Ivy League Player of the Year favorite Blake Dietrick, a senior guard, along with juniors Annie Tarakchian and Michelle Miller. Each of those three players average double digit points per game and at least 4.7 rebounds per game (Dietrick leads the team in points per contest while Tarakchian leads the squad in rebound).

This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise as the Tigers and Quakers were tied atop the Ancient Eight in the Ivy League Preseason Media Poll and Princeton, led by coach Courtney Banghart, had won four straight Ancient Eight titles before Penn upset them last season.

While Penn's 80-64 victory over Princeton came at Jadwin Gym last season, it will be tough for the Red and Blue to pull off the same upset on Princeton's home court. The Tigers are 4-0 at Jadwin this year, winning by an average of 38.5 points per game (highly skewed by a 71-point victory over Portland State). 

All but one of the Tigers' wins this season have been by double digits, although Princeton's last three games have been within 15 points. In terms of common opponents, Princeton defeated Drexel and Hampton, two squads that edged the Red and Blue this season.

If you want to read more about the strong program that Banghart has build at Princeton, Matthew Snyder of Slam Magazine profiled the Tigers earlier this season. Check that out here.