Creighton advances to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1941 as Princeton’s journey ends
Creighton advances to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1941 as Princeton’s Cinderella story at March Madness ends in an 86-75 loss
Princeton’s Cinderella story in March Madness came to an end at the hands of Creighton in an 86-75 loss.
The sixth-seeded Bluejays (24-12) advanced to their first regional final since being part of an eight-team NCAA Tournament in 1941. Creighton will play No. 5 seed San Diego State in the Region final. South on Sunday, and each team will seek its first Final Four.
Ryan Kalkbenner, the two-time Big East defensive player of the year, scored 22 points to lead the Bluejays to their sixth win in seven games. Baylor Scheierman made five 3-pointers and finished with 21 points.
The 15th-seeded Tigers (23-9) were led by Ryan Langborg with 26 points and Ivy League player of the year Tosan Evbuomwan with 24 points, six rebounds and nine assists.
Princeton shook up the standings everywhere by beating No. 2 seed Arizona in the first round, then upset seventh seed Missouri last weekend in Sacramento, California.
Creighton advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1941, with a win against Princeton
Princeton’s Ryan Langborg hugged with coach Mitch Henderson as defeat inched closer
Playing in their first Sweet 16 since 1967, Princeton hoped to become the first Ivy League champion to reach the Elite Eight since Penn’s Final Four in 1979, the first Tigers team to reach the Final Four since Bill Bradley he took them there in 1965. and the second straight No. 15 seed to play in a regional final. Last year San Pedro became the first 15th seed to accomplish that feat.
Princeton’s offense was nothing like the deliberate, cutting style that defined the late Pete Carril’s tenure as coach. Instead, the Tigers went toe-to-toe against Creighton’s fast-paced offense until they stalled early in the second half.
Creighton used a 9-2 run to take a 56-45 lead, a four-minute stretch during which Princeton coach Mitch Henderson called two timeouts and Evbuomwan committed his third foul.
The Bluejays just wouldn’t stop. As Princeton cut the deficit to 61-52, Creighton responded with seven more points and the Tigers couldn’t get closer than seven points after that.
“Princeton is really good at setting their pace, so you just have to get them out there,” Kalkbrenner said. Their whole goal is to get us out of our rhythm.
After beating North Carolina State and third-seeded Baylor in Denver last weekend, gaining confidence in not requiring oxygen masks like their opponents, Creighton took out the suddenly popular Ivy Leaguers. Now, the Bluejays are one win away from the national semifinals.
‘It’s been incredible, it’s been a dream come true. This is why I came to Creighton in the first place, to make a career out of this group of guys,” said star point guard Scheierman.
It has been an amazing experience. I’m looking forward to continuing that on Sunday.’
Creighton guard Batlor Scheierman finished with 21 points, including five 3-pointers.
The Omaha school continued its strong form after beating NC State and Baylor