Reporter’s Notebook: The day after round one in Iowa City

Princeton women’s basketball coach Carla Berube’s kids are interviewed on the jumbotron at Carver-Hawkeye Arena during Princeton’s NCAA Tournament game versus West Virginia Saturday. (Photo by Steve Silverman)

It’s been more than a day since the No. 9 Princeton women’s basketball team lost its first-round game in the NCAA Tournament to No. 8 West Virginia, 63-53. yet the reality of the Tigers’ season coming to an end hasn’t completely set in for your faithful Ivy Hoops Online correspondent. 

A few thoughts and onsite reports from the day after round 1 at the Iowa City pod of the Big Dance:

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No. 9 Princeton women’s basketball bows to No. 8 West Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament

No. 9 Princeton and No. 8 West Virginia tip off in their NCAA Tournament opening-round matchup Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. (Photo by Steve Silverman)

IOWA CITY, Iowa – No. 9 Princeton women’s basketball team ran into a buzzsaw in the first round of the 2024 women’s NCAA Tournament, falling to No. 8 West Virginia, 63-53, Saturday in Iowa City.

The loss ended an outstanding season for Princeton and marked the close of an era for a historic triumvirate of senior co-captains–Kailtyn Chen, Ellie Mitchell, and Chet Nweke–who led the program to new heights during their sensational careers at Old Nassau.

The Tigers (25-5, 15-1 Ivy) came into this contest against the Mountaineers (25-7, Big 12 13-7) filled with confidence and high hopes. And it first, it looked as though those hopes might be vindicated.

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NCAA Tournament Reporter’s Notebook: Controversy swirls on the eve of round one in Iowa City

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Greetings from Iowa City, Iowa, the heartland of girls and women’s basketball.  

Your faithful Ivy Hoops Online correspondent grew up in the Hawkeye State, so covering Princeton women’s basketball at this venue has been a nice homecoming for me.  In fact, the last time I visited Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City was for a Boston concert with a group of my high school buddies 45 years ago.  To be honest, I barely remember the concert, other than it was loud.

But one thing I remember clearly from those long ago days is how important girls’ high school basketball was to the state of Iowa. Back then, the girls’ game was quite different than today.  Each team played six players at a time, three on offense and three on defense, and neither the offensive nor the defensive players were allowed to cross the half-court line.  

Women’s basketball has come a long way since then, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the passion for the sport.  When I was growing up here, no event was more important to the people of Iowa than the girls’ high school basketball tournament, which took place every year at Veterans Memorial Auditorium in downtown Des Moines.  

Now, the chief passion in the state is Caitlin Clark and the University of Iowa women’s basketball team.  The No. 1 Hawkeyes kick off the first round of games here Saturday afternoon against the No. 16 Holy Cross Crusaders.  Later in the day, the No. 9 Princeton Tigers will face off against the No. 8 West Virginia Mountaineers.

Surrounded by photographers, Caitlin Clark walks down the hallway of Carver-Hawkeye Arena to a pregame press conference. (Photo by Steve Silverman)

How big of a circus is the Caitlin Clark show here in Iowa City?  So big, that a gaggle of cameramen and reporters from all over the nation this morning staked out the Iowa women’s locker room in the bowels of Carver-Hawkeye Arena just to get a glimpse of the star player as she walked down the hallway to the team’s pregame day press conference.  Then, after the player part of the press conference ended and it was time for coach Lisa Bluder to take questions from the media, nearly every reporter shuffled out of the room, leaving only yours truly and a couple of others to ask questions of the person who actually runs the team.

Here are some other impressions, news, and notes from Iowa City on the day before the round one games begin:

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No. 9 Princeton women’s basketball vs. No. 8 West Virginia – NCAA Tournament preview

Snow flurries fall upon the entrance to Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City Friday. (Photo by Steve Silverman)

IOWA CITY, Iowa – As the curtain rises on first-round games from Iowa City in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, all eyes will focus on Caitlin Clark and her No. 1 Iowa Hawkeyes.  Clark has ignited an explosion of interest in women’s college basketball with her electrifying shooting and record-breaking scoring.  

But there are three other teams competing in the Iowa City pod this weekend, including the No. 9 Princeton women’s basketball team (25-4, 15-1 Ivy), which begins play in No. 8 West Virginia Mountaineers (24-7, 13-7 Big 12).

Let’s take an in-depth look at how these two teams from vastly different places in the women’s college basketball landscape match up against each other:

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“Business as usual”: No. 1 Princeton women’s basketball still class of Ivy League in 75-58 win over Columbia for fifth straight Ivy League Tournament title

Princeton celebrates securing a fifth consecutive Ivy League Tournament crown at Levien Gym Saturday. (Photo by Steve Silverman)

Two down, one to go.

Princeton women’s basketball added an exclamation point to its already triumphant Ivy League season Saturday by soundly defeating the Columbia Lions, 75-58, for its fifth consecutive Ivy League Tournament championship.

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Tiger Takeaways from Princeton men’s basketball’s Ivy Madness semifinal loss to Brown

Princeton coach Mitch Henderson paces the sideline in the final minute of his team’s 90-81 upset loss to Brown in their Ivy League Tournament semifinal matchup Saturday. (Photo by Steve Silverman)

A valiant comeback by the Princeton men’s basketball team came up short at Levien Gym on Saturday afternoon as the No. 1 Tigers fell to the No. 4 Brown Bears, 90-81, in their Ivy League Tournament semifinal matchup Saturday. Here are three takeaways from the shocking end to Princeton’s magical Ivy League season:

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How No. 1 Princeton women’s basketball held on to defeat No. 4 Penn, 59-54, in Ivy League Tournament semifinal

NEW YORK – The No. 1 Princeton women’s basketball team withstood a furious rally by the No. 4 Penn Quakers on Friday evening to advance to the championship game of the Ivy League Tournament in a 59-54 victory.  

The Tigers entered the contest with an 11-game winning streak against their rivals from Philadelphia.  The 12th win was anything but easy.  The Tigers were led by sophomore Madison St. Rose, who tallied 19 points, all but three of them coming in the second half.

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It’s a wide-open field in the Ivy Madness men’s semifinals

The men’s competition in the Ivy League Tournament kicks off on Saturday afternoon at Columbia University and for the first time since the advent of Ivy Madness there is no clear favorite.  While the Princeton Tigers enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed and the regular season champion, each of the four teams competing on Saturday at Levien Gym legitimately has a chance to advance to the championship game on Sunday.

Let’s take a closer look at the two semifinal matchups in the men’s competition:

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It’s déjà vu all over again on women’s side as Ivy Madness kicks off in New York City

The Ivy League Tournament kicks off on Friday night at Levien Gym with an exciting slate of semifinal games in the women’s competition.

The bracket this year has a familiar look as the same four teams from last year’s tournament will face off against each other in this year’s edition of Ivy Madness.  

The No. 1 Princeton Tigers, co-champions during the regular season, will take on the No. 4 Penn Quakers, while the No. 2 and co-champion Columbia Lions will seek to avenge a disappointing loss in last year’s semifinal against the No. 3 Harvard Crimson.  

Let’s take a closer look at each of these semifinal matchups:

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WATCH: Q&A with Princeton women’s basketball coach Carla Berube

In an in-depth interview with Ivy Hoops Online contributor Steve Silverman Tuesday ahead of this weekend’s Ivy League Tournament, Princeton women’s basketball coach Carla Berube talks about the challenge of beating tournament opponent Penn three times in one season, whether the team has a chip on its shoulder, how the team prepares for multiple potential tourney opponents and much more: