Cinderella Bracket | Graphic by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
The men’s basketball National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament has featured multiple standout teams that have shocked highly-ranked opponents.
The Princeton Tigers
In recent years, certain powerhouses have emerged in the world of NCAA basketball. Chief among these teams include the notable title holders, including Kansas and North Carolina, but this year, all the attention is on Princeton and FDU.
Princeton was the 16-seed going up against No. 2 Arizona in the first round game on March 16. Princeton did not pull ahead in much of the game, but the team did in the right moments.
Trailing by 12 towards the end of the second quarter, Princeton started to creep back up. As Arizona’s offense faltered, Princeton did not let up. As Arizona missed seven of its last shots, Princeton outscored 9-0 in the final four minutes with four turnovers. The giant killers had returned.
Princeton’s head coach Mitch Henderson was on the 1996 Princeton team that upset UCLA, winning the NCAA championship that year. Henderson commented on the comparison.
“That was a really long time ago. This group did something special for its university, for the fans, for the former players and for one another,” Henderson said.
In the next round, Princeton faced No. 7 Missouri, where Princeton’s defense was the standout of the night. Princeton out-rebounded Missouri 40-30 and held Missouri to 41% shooting.
With a 21-point lead against Missouri, Ryan Langborg scored 22 points. For the first time in 56 years, Princeton went into the Sweet 16.
Missouri’s head coach Dennis Gates commented on the game.
“Every time we got the lead or when they had the lead, we cut it to six, [Princeton] came back down and did what a good team would do: make a shot or make a play,” Gates said.
The Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights
The Knights sent a shockwave when the team beat No. 1 Purdue 63-58 in the opening round. FDU held the Boilermakers to only 35.8% shooting with 16 turnovers. When FDU edged into the lead, Purdue had no way to come back.
FDU’s point guard Demetre Roberts expressed confidence in the team and its play.
“Our job was to just come into the game and throw a punch. We knew what type of game this was. We showed why we belong here,” Roberts said.
Despite the Cinderella moment, FDU would lose 78-70 to the Florida Atlantic University Owls in the second round. FAU’s Alijah Martin had the ball with no one defending the guard with five seconds left; Martin decided to go for a 360-degree dunk to solidify the game.
With countless busted brackets, the two Cinderella teams have left a mark on this year’s tournament. The two teams caught lightning in a bottle, and now Princeton is trying to use as much as it can as it advances into the Sweet 16.
