March Madness: Princeton STUNS No. 2 seed Arizona 59-55, as ex-Leeds manager Marsch watches on
Princeton STUNS No. 2 seed Arizona 59-55, as fired Leeds manager Jesse Marsch goes wild cheering on his alma mater
Princeton stunned No. 2 seed Arizona in Sacramento, California on Thursday, eliminating the Pac-12 Tournament champions in the first round of March Madness.
The Tigers, trailing for most of the second half, finished the game on a 9-0 run when Arizona couldn’t get their offense to slow down.
Among the jubilant Princeton fans in the crowd was former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch, who played at the school for four seasons and also served as assistant coach there.
The former Red Bulls and RB Leipzig manager, who was sacked by Leeds on February 6, can be seen raising his fist as the Tigers closed in on victory in the dying seconds of the game. Marsch departed the club with him only above the relegation zone on goal difference.
Beyond Marsch’s playing and training days at the school, Princeton basketball coach Mitch Henderson, also a former student of the school, was described as one of Marsch’s best friends by Princeton Alumni Weekly.
Princeton Tigers guard Blake Peters (24) reacts after scoring a basket against the Arizona Wildcats
Jesse Marsch was spotted in Sacramento loving Arizona’s surprise at Princeton
Ryan Langborg led Princeton to its first lead with 2:03 left as the Tigers won their first NCAA Tournament game in 25 years.
In fact, the last time Princeton won an NCAA Tournament game, current coach Mitch Henderson was a player on the team.
The 15th-seeded Tigers (22-9) held the Pac-12 Tournament champion scoreless in the final 4:43, and Tosan Evbuomwan scored 15 points.
Princeton advanced to play seventh-seeded Missouri in the second round of the Southern Region. The Tigers beat Utah State 76-65.
Meanwhile, Azuolas Tubelis scored 21 points for the Wildcats (28-7), who haven’t won a tournament game in consecutive years since 2014-15.
Courtney Ramey, who made a game-winning shot in the Pac-12 Tournament, missed a contested 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining that could have tied the game. Kerr Kriisa also missed from long range after an offensive rebound, sending Princeton into an early celebration.
It marked the third consecutive year and the 11th time overall that a No. 15 seed had won a first round game. Arizona is the only school to have been on the wrong end of one of those upsets twice, also losing to Steve Nash and Santa Clara in 1993.
Matt Allocco #14 of the Princeton Tigers shoots the ball against Kerr Kriisa #25
Jesse Marsch lasted less than a year at Leeds after joining the club in February 2022