After defeating co-Ivy League champion Harvard in a thrilling playoff game Saturday, Princeton received its seeding in the NCAA tournament Sunday evening. The No. 13 Tigers will face No. 4 Kentucky in the East region.
The Tigers return to the Big Dance for the first time since 2004. This year’s Southeastern Conference tournament champion Kentucky holds the NCAA record for most tournament berths and wins.
Kentucky saw one Ivy League team earlier this season, Penn, in a Jan. 3 matchup. Though the Quakers took a 12-point lead over UK 17 minutes into the first half, the Wildcats stormed back in dominating form to win, 86-62.
Princeton finished the season 25-6 overall, 12-2 in the Ivy League. Despite tying with the Crimson for the Ancient Eight title, the Tigers earned the League’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in dramatic fashion, winning the playoff with their co-champions, 63-62, Saturday in New Haven, Conn.
In the back-and-forth game, Harvard took a one point lead with 38 seconds left on a Brandon Curry layup. On Princeton’s ensuing possession, the ball was knocked out of bounds with 2.8 seconds remaining, but the Tigers maintained possession.
Coach Sydney Johnson called a timeout and drew up one final inbounds play. The pass went in to junior Douglas Davis, a Philadelphia native, who dribbled inside the arc, pump-faked and put up an off-balanced jump shot as time expired. The shot fell through and Princeton fans stormed the court.
“It feels good to get this win and get some payback,” Davis told ESPN after the game.
Princeton fell to Harvard seven days earlier in Cambridge, Mass.
“These guys have given their heart, so I wanted it badly for them,” Johnson said in a postgame interview with ESPN. “I’m so emotional right now, but it’s just about our guys.”
Harvard appeared to be on the bubble for an at-large bid to the tournament, but the Crimson did not hear their name called on Selection Sunday.
Princeton and Kentucky will play Thursday in Tampa, Fla.
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