Princeton’s Men’s Basketball Magical March Ends Against Clayton in Suite 16 – Wake-up Call
Louisville, Kentucky – All good things must come to an end.
This includes the Princeton Men’s Basketball Team’s Magical March.
The Tigers’ challenge to the Elite Eight is KFC Yum! We’re here at the heart of the Southern Region Semifinals on Friday night.
Manager Mitch Henderson said, “We fought until the end and didn’t get results. But that doesn’t define us in the slightest. This is a very special group. I love them.” I love being their coach.”
In the Sweet 16 for the first time in 56 years after defeating Arizona and Missouri in the first two rounds, Princeton (23-9) was looking to become the second-ever 15 seed to reach the Elite 8.
Backed by a roaring building, mostly dressed in orange, the Tigers shot shot after shot with the Blue Jays in the first 20 minutes, before the now-elite Big East schools, taking the lead at the end of the first half. For the first time in the history of Eight, it created a defection in the second half.
Ryan Kalkbrenner had 22 goals, Baylor Scheierman had 21 and Creighton (24-12) had 58.2% of the shots. All five of the Blue Jays’ starters posted his double-digit averages, putting him one point behind Ryan Nemhard, who is shy of achieving it. Trey Alexander scored 19 and Arthur Karma scored 10.
“We’ve seen great size and length against Arizona, but we’ve never seen Kalkbrenner’s agility,” Henderson said. “The way they’re giving him the ball in different positions…I said I wanted him to be 10-20, but he was 9-12. They play easy baskets when they need to.” I got it, I didn’t get back into the game because I thought the last four minutes of the first half were decisive.”
Seniors Ryan Langborg and Tosan Evbuomwan combined for 48 points, and Princeton took the lead by 16 points before advancing to the 1-3-1 zone. The Tigers cut the deficit to 7 with a pair of Ebuumwan’s free throws with 3:30 remaining, but Kalkbrenner scored twice at the rim sandwiched around Karma’s free throws to make it 1 in a 5-0 spurt. :11 brought the lead back to 11. left.
Evvumwan finished his Princeton career with 24 points, six rebounds and nine assists, while Langborg had a career-high 26 on 11-of-17 shooting.
“I hope they watched those games and saw our great team and the great talent we have,” Evomwan said. basketball, and I’m very proud of my team.”
Tosan vs. Kalkbrenner
There was a lot of talk about the match between Evbuomwan and Kalkbrenner.
Evbuomwan once again proved to audiences across the country how tough he was with his covers. The 6.8-foot forward put Clayton on heel and on his one possession in the first half, crossed Big East defensive Kalkbrenner, his Player of the Year, and scored on a right-hand layup.
Ebb Omwan also knocked down two 3-pointers.
Kalkbrenner was much better in the second half as the Blue Jays quickly got him inside and scored the first five points of the second half. Princeton had trouble defending the pick-and-roll all night, pushing the lead to 11 with a quick 9-2 run as Clayton kept the Tigers at arm’s length for the rest of the way.
“He’s more unique than most of the Fives we play,” Kalkbrenner said. “He’s got great ball skills, he can drive, he can shoot a little bit, he’s a really good passer. It’s just one of the things I had to do as much preparation as possible.”
Clayton coach Greg McDermott can also be considered a fan of this Princeton team.
“We beat a really good basketball team,” McDermott said. …When you are guarding them, you have to be ready at all times.”
orange crush
Princeton fans show up en masse, and the KFC Yum! Center feels like Jadwin South.
“We wouldn’t be here without the fans, the alums, everyone who came to support us,” Langborg said. “Every time we hit a few shots, they were going nuts. I am grateful.”
Henderson added: We told everyone, wait till you see. I talked to fans at the hotel before I came, and I did a lot of interviews on TV this week, but I never felt nervous or nervous. I was very excited before coming here. That was the coolest thing. We love school, we are very happy with school, but we felt love.
Down Goes Number 1 (All of Them)
By the time Princeton and Clayton tipped off at 9:22 EST, they had 15 seeds more than the No. 1 seed left.
That’s because fifth seed San Diego State recovered from a nine-point gap in the second half to knock out top-seeded Alabama 71-64 in their first game in Louisville. Miami defeated No. 1 seed Houston in the Midwest region.
Darion Trammell scored 21 points and the Aztecs (30-6) blocked eight shots as part of a defensive effort that held the Crimson Tide (31-6) 3-of-27 on a 3-point try. San Diego State beat Alabama 32-16 by nine points. Expected top-five NBA pick Brandon Miller was 3-for-16 from the field and he was limited to nine points.
https://www.mcall.com/2023/03/24/princeton-mens-basketballs-magical-march-comes-to-an-end-against-creighton-in-sweet-16/ Princeton’s Men’s Basketball Magical March Ends Against Clayton in Suite 16 – Wake-up Call