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With the Elite 8 just a win away for No. 15 Princeton as it prepares for No. 6 Creighton in Louisville Friday, here are eight reasons for not only Tiger folk but the entire Ancient Eight to savor the Tigers’ historic Sweet 16 run:
As the Princeton men’s basketball team was coasting past the Missouri Tigers on Saturday en route to the program’s first trip to the Sweet 16 in the modern NCAA Tournament era, my phone began to buzz with text messages from friends and family members, many of whom were asking the same question: How is Princeton doing this?
For the first time in program history, Harvard women’s basketball is headed for the third round of the WNIT.
The Crimson advanced to the third round of the WNIT Monday night with an 89-87 win at Massachusetts, propelled by memorable performances from sophomore guard Harmoni Turner and junior guard Lola Mullaney.
Columbia is back in the WNIT Super 16 after a 78-73 defeat of Fordham in a tight interborough contest Monday night.
The Lions closed a nail biter on a 12-2 run to secure the victory.
”We stepped up and made some big plays,” Columbia coach Megan Griffith said.
FINAL: Utah 63, Princeton 56
A wonderful season featuring 24 wins, an Ivy League title and Ivy Tournament crown comes to an end in the NCAA Round of 32. #GetStops 🐯🏀 pic.twitter.com/ig2EGL62x8
— Princeton WBB (@PrincetonWBB) March 20, 2023
The No. 10 Princeton women’s basketball team ran out of steam against No. 2 Utah, which beat the Tigers Sunday night, 63-56, in a second-round NCAA Tournament matchup at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
The loss brought an end to another outstanding and history-making season for the Princeton women, who finished the season 24-6. By winning their first-round contest against No. 7 North Carolina State on Friday, the Tigers became the first program in Ivy League history to win games in back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.
No. 15 Princeton men’s basketball made history with authority Saturday, emphatically dispatching No. 7 Missouri in a 78-63 win at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento to advance to the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance in the modern NCAA Tournament era. Our George “Toothless Tiger” Clark recaps the action of a lifetime:
MOVING ON TO THE SWEET 16! 💦#MakeShots 🐯🏀 pic.twitter.com/nfOUEUj2yG
— Princeton Men’s Basketball (@PrincetonMBB) March 19, 2023
No No. 15 seed has ever dominated a NCAA Tournament game to that degree. It’s hard to envision any No. 15 seed doing so anytime soon.
— IvyHoopsOnline (@IvyHoopsOnline) March 19, 2023
Postseason wins are never to be taken for granted.
Columbia women’s basketball was expected to prevail in its WNIT opening-round matchup against Fairleigh Dickinson at Levien Gym Friday, and it did just that in a ho-hum 69-53 victory.
But as the Knights fell to the Lions Friday night, their No. 16-seeded men’s counterparts shocked the basketball world by toppling No. 1 Purdue in the Round of 64 in a 63-58 triumph.
It says a lot about the advancement of Columbia (24-5, 12-2 Ivy) under coach Megan Griffith that the Lions have transitioned from going without a postseason win for its first 36 years in Division I to being well-positioned to make a deep WNIT run for the second season in a row.
And the Lions made history of their own against Fairleigh Dickinson (24-8, 14-2 NEC) Friday night.
One of the greatest shots in Princeton Basketball history.
Relive the call of @grace_stone10’s game-winning three-pointer! #GetStops 🐯🏀 pic.twitter.com/HLPLMZNnSv
— Princeton WBB (@PrincetonWBB) March 18, 2023
The No. 10 Princeton women’s basketball team made history for the university and the Ivy League Friday night, storming back from the brink of elimination to sink No. 7 North Carolina State, 64-63, in a first-round NCAA Tournament matchup at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City.
With the stunning come-from-behind win, Princeton became the first Ivy League women’s program to win a game in back-to-back NCAA tournaments. Princeton also became the first Ivy school in history to win games in both the men’s and women’s brackets in the same year.
Senior guard Grace Stone nailed a clutch corner three with 4.7 seconds left to complete a 9-0 run to close out the game, but not before Madison St. Rose, the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, forced a fumble on NC State’s final possession to seal the win.
The Tigers found a way to triumph despite trailing most of the game against a larger and very talented Wolfpack quintet. Kaitlyn Chen, the Ivy Player of the Year, and Stone each led the Tigers with 22 points. First-team All Ivy senior guard Julia Cunningham added 14 for the Tigers, who have now won 16 games in a row.
Harvard sophomore point guard Harmoni Turner posted a triple-double to lead the Crimson to a 103-63 victory over Towson in the first round of the WNIT Thursday night.
Turner’s 21 points on 8-for-17 field-goal shooting, 13 assists and 10 rebounds made her only the second Harvard player and sixth Ivy athlete ever to record the feat.
By the end of the joyous evening at Lavietes Pavilion, six different Crimson players scored in double figures, the team had a season-high 26 assists, and the program notched its first 100-plus-point game since February 2019.