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Princeton
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
Princeton earned its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 1998 by overcoming defections and a slow start. All-Ivy center Chris Young signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Three more players left before the year was out, and injuries often made it tough for Princeton to get continuity during practices and games. The Tigers began the season losing seven of their first 11 games, including an 87-50 trouncing in the Preseason NIT at Duke, and a surprising 70-59 loss at fellow tourney-bound Monmouth. But head coach John Thompson III, in his first year as Princeton coach, never lost confidence in his team. "The cupboard wasn't as bare as some people thought. We have some very, very good players," Thompson said. "We had some hurdles to overcome. I had confidence in the guys; they had confidence in me, and I know they had confidence in each other." Princeton won its final five games to claim its 23rd Ivy League title. The final win came in style, whipping rival Penn 68-52 to finish with an 11-3 conference mark. Player to Watch Captain Nate Walton, son of Hall-of-Famer Bill Walton, is the team leader in every major statistical category. He scores 10.5 points a night, averages 5.6 rebounds and hands out 4.5 assists a game. On defense, he swipes 1.5 steals a contest. The senior who withdrew from school two years ago after a foot injury ended his season after five games, is back in class and a crafty player who the team looks for to make things happen.With the Ball Some things never change. The Tigers play a deliberate half-court style, slowing the pace and using the clock. They look for wide-open shots. They look to set picks all over the court. And, as usual, they look for their trademark backdoor pass. This is why higher seeds dread playing Princeton.Defending the Ball Because of its deliberate offensive game, Princeton doesn't allow teams to get off as many shots as they are used to getting in the flow of a normal game. The Tigers allowed a conference-best 57.7 ppg, while forcing teams to shoot just 42 percent. An opponent's best bet is push the ball as much as possible up the court and get easy baskets.Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed Playing to Expectations Falling Short BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: 1.000 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report1985-2000: It only seems as if Princeton has pulled every upset in NCAA tournament history. The truth is that the Tigers, for all their remarkable close calls, have defeated only one higher seed since the tourney expanded in 1985. That it was defending national champion UCLA in Pete Carrill's last game (1996) merely adds to the legend. In another era, Final Four MVP Bill Bradley led the Tigers to a national third place finish in 1965.Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
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Princeton coach John Thompson III says he has tapped his father for advice throughout the season.
