No. 15 Princeton keeps rolling in thrashing of Mizzou
SACRAMENTO, Calif.– No. 15-seeded Princeton advanced to the Sweet 16 with 78-63 win against No. 7 Missouri on Saturday, ending up being the second Ivy League team to do so considering that the guys’s NCAA basketball competition expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
It is the third straight year a No. 15 has actually advanced from the tournament’s opening weekend and the fourth overall.This wasn’t a common upset, either. The 15-point win was the most uneven win by a No. 15 seed in competition history, and the Tigers controlled the game nearly the entire way.Editor’s Picks
1 Related Princeton constructed a 14-point first-half lead, just to see it slip to seven by halftime. But even then, coach Mitch Henderson had actually seen enough. He was persuaded his group not just had what it took to play a full game with the SEC challenger, however win.
” [At halftime] I said we’re going to get on that flight tonight no matter what,” Henderson stated. “When we get on that flight, we’re going to be us, and the very best variation people can beat the very best version of them. And they did it.”
Missouri, led by first-year head coach Dennis Gates, fell short in its effort to make the Sugary food 16 for the first time considering that 2009.
“We were able to get the lead one time,” Gates said. “We held the lead for 30 seconds in the whole game. Whenever we got the lead or when they had the lead, we sufficed to 6, they returned down and did what a great group would do: Make a shot or make a play.”
Just 2 days after taking down No. 2 seed Arizona in spite of a bad shooting night, Princeton establishes its stroke against Missouri. Senior Ryan Langborg– who didn’t garner any All-Ivy League honors– led all scorers with 22 points. He was effective from outdoors, shooting 4-of-12 from 3, and made plays going to the basket.
“He was the very best player on the floor tonight, and if you want to argue, I enjoy to argue with you,” Henderson stated. “I indicate, he was incredible, and he’s been awesome for 5 straight games.”
It was far from a one-man program. Freshman Blake Peters scored 17 points, going 5-of-8 on 3-pointers, all in the 2nd half. Star forward Tosan Evbuomwan, a native of England, commanded the most attention and utilized that to develop open shots for his teammates.
“Tosan’s passing, you will not see that once again at Princeton for 50 years,” Henderson stated. “He’s an extremely distinct passer. When he first pertained to us– it was the very first week of practice– it resembled a fantastic, blinding light from paradise. Like, this is going to be a great deal of fun.”
But even for Henderson, who won 2 first-round games as a player for Princeton (1996 and 1998), it would have been difficult to anticipate this type of success. The 78 points the Tigers scored versus Missouri were the most a Princeton team has scored in the NCAA competition in the modern era.Princeton will
play the winner of Sunday’s game between Creighton and Baylor on March 24 in Louisville, Kentucky.