No. 15 seed Princeton stuns Missouri to reach Sweet 16

Blake Peters made 5 3-pointers within the second half and the No. 15 seeded Princeton shocked one other energy convention group to succeed in the NCAA Match regional semifinals for the primary time in 56 years by beating No. 7 seed Missouri 78-63 on Saturday.

As the ultimate minute ticked off the clock, the Princeton followers began chanting “Candy 16! Candy 16!” and coach Mitch Henderson cleared the bench with the victory simply in hand.

This upset was no small-school fluke in opposition to a extra heralded group. It was a totally dominating efficiency that despatched Princeton to a spot it hadn’t been in additional than a half-century.

“The world seems to be at us as two upsets,” ahead Tosan Evbuomwan stated. “However I really feel like we’re imagined to be right here. We now have a number of confidence in each other, what we’re doing. There’s positively no letup with this group.”

Princeton (23-8) adopted up a first-round win over Pac-12 match champion Arizona by overwhelming Missouri (25-10) of the Southeastern Convention from the beginning.

The Ivy League college identified for giving powerhouses scares and infrequently pulling off upsets a era in the past has reached the spherical of 16 for the primary time since 1967, when solely 23 groups even made the match.

“I’ve no phrases for you,” Peters stated. “We now have such an unbelievable part (of followers) right here. I’ve the most effective teammates on the earth. I like every certainly one of them. once we exit and imagine in one another, something is feasible. I do know it is cliche, however something is feasible.”

Princeton will play the winner of Sunday’s sport between Baylor and Creighton within the Candy 16 in Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday night time.

The Tigers would be the second Ivy League college to make the Candy 16 previously 43 tournaments, becoming a member of Cornell in 2010. No group from the academically prestigious league that does not give athletic scholarships has gone additional since Penn made the Ultimate 4 in 1979.

“I’ve at all times dreamed of taking part in deep into the match,” stated Henderson, a participant on Princeton’s groups in 1996 and ’98 that received first-round video games. “As a participant, bought to the second spherical a pair instances. By no means bought past it.”

This marks the third straight 12 months a group seeded fifteenth made it to the Candy 16, following Oral Roberts in 2021 and fellow New Jersey college Saint Peter’s final 12 months. The one different time a 15 seed made it this far got here in 2013 when Florida Gulf Coast did it.

Ryan Langborg led Princeton with 22 factors and Peters added 17.

DeAndre Gholston scored 19 factors and Noah Carter added 14 for Missouri, which was searching for its first berth within the Candy 16 since 2009.

“We had been in a position to get the lead one time,” coach Dennis Gates stated. “We held the lead for 30 seconds in all the sport. Each time we bought the lead or once they had the lead, we lower it to 6, they got here again down and did what a very good group would do: Make a shot or make a play.”

Princeton confirmed no indicators of being outclassed in opposition to one other energy convention group, controlling the play from the beginning. Keeshawn Kellman had two dunks and a blocked shot in a span of 16 seconds halfway by means of the half.

Princeton constructed the result in 10 factors on a nook 3 by Zach Martini and went up 33-19 on a drive by Evbuomwan.

Missouri responded by scoring the ultimate seven factors of the half to enter the break down seven.

Each time Missouri threatened early within the second half, Princeton had a solution with Peters hitting 5 3-pointers. The fourth gave Princeton a 62-43 lead and Missouri by no means threatened after that.

“Blake Peters has been making pictures coming off the bench for us for weeks,” Henderson stated. “This can be a very, very assured group. We’re so thrilled to be going to the Candy 16. It’s an absolute pleasure being round these guys. They simply grit their tooth they usually do it.”