Mark MacDonald did not make the road trip with Brown and Friday’s pregame radio broadcast revealed that he had left the program. In a pre-taped segment, Brown coach Craig Robinson said that he hadn’t personally spoken with MacDonald about his decision at that point, so he was unable to comment beyond confirming the news. MacDonald had been sidelined since going down with an injury in the November 18 upset of Providence. The junior big man averaged 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 20.0 minutes in the first four contests this season, and had struggled uncharacteristically with his outside shooting early on, hitting 3 of 11 (27.3 percent) threes after connecting on 37.6 percent from outside the arc his first two seasons.

Slant: On a team without much size, MacDonald’s 6-9, 235-pound frame was useful. He preferred to play on the perimeter instead of banging in the paint, but in Robinson’s offense that was a good trait for a center. MacDonald’s transition to the Princeton offense’s point-center role hadn’t been a smooth one, as evidenced by his 5-9 assist-turnover differential. The departure leaves Brown without a player over 6-8 on the roster, and should solidify freshman forward Matt Mullery’s spot in the rotation. MacDonald joins Keenan Jeppesen as the second prominent mid-season defection for Robinson, which isn’t abnormal after a coaching change, particularly with such a dramatic change in playing style.