Princeton: 2022-23 Ivy Men's Basketball Champions

 

PRINCETON – Four years ago, in a version of planes, trains and automobiles that already has entered Princeton basketball lore, assistant coach Brett MacConnell discovered an obscure prospect in Newcastle, England.

That leap of faith paid off spectacularly Sunday.

The prospect, Tosan Evbuomwan, led the Tigers to the Ivy League Tournament title with a hardwood masterpiece in a 74-65 victory over Yale. Running the offense, scoring and defending the Bulldogs' top guard, the senior forward dominated as the Tigers earned their 26th NCAA Tournament berth and first since 2017.

"This means the world," Evbuomwan said. "Princeton is my home. Newcastle is my second home at this point."

He tallied 21 points, five rebounds and four assists, passing Princeton coach Mitch Henderson on the Tigers' all-time assist list. Not bad for a 6-foot-8 power forward.

"This has been a challenge with Tosan for three years, to get him to impose his physical will on the game," Henderson said. "And I thought we took strength from that this weekend. We’ll never have anyone here for a very long time who’s that good of a passer.”

On the defensive end, Evbuomwan limited Yale’s explosive sophomore John Poulakidis to 7 points on 2-of-6 shooting.

"Pretty inspiring," Princeton guard Matt Allocco said. "Everyone knows offensively Tosan is special, but today in particular I thought he was unbelievable. He’s the best player in this league on both ends. He was terrific today, willed us, carried us there.”

As a result Princeton (21-8) is going dancing for the second time under Henderson. The Tigers shared the Ivy’s regular-season crown with Yale (21-8) but got swept by the Bulldogs home and away – and also lost to them in last year’s Ivy Tourney final as well.

This was different as nearly 5,000 fans packed Jadwin Gym, making the most of Princeton’s first turn as the host of this four-team event. The Ivy League added a tournament in 2017, becoming the last Division 1 conference to do so. That year, Princeton prevailed at the Palestra and went on to push Notre Dame to the brink in the Big Dance’s opening round, falling when Devin Cannady’s 3-pointer missed the mark at the buzzer.

Getting back there has been a mission for Henderson, who played in three NCAA Tournaments as a Princeton guard from 1996-98.

“I think about it every day walking into the gym and looking at the banners…especially as an alum," Henderson said. “It’s one of the coolest things in sports.”

After the final buzzer Sunday he encountered John Thompson III, who starred at guard at Princeton before leading the Tigers to two NCAA Tournaments as a head coach. Thompson is widely associated with Georgetown, which he coached to a Final Four in 2007, but he's a Princeton man through and through.

“All is right with the world," Thompson told him.

This Tigers team, a likely No. 14 seed, has the firepower to cause trouble for some high-major. It starts with Evbuomwan, a point forward who scored 21 in Saturday’s semifinal win over Penn and was the runaway choice for tournament MVP. But there are sharpshooters too in guards Ryan Langborg (14 points vs. Yale), Allocco (15 points, 7 rebounds) and a rising-star freshman in forward Caden Pierce (12 points, 10 rebounds). Princeton's last March Madness win came in 1998, Henderson's senior year. The Tigers also stunned UCLA in an instant classic in 1996, the final triumph for legendary coach Pete Carril.

Carril died in August at age 92.

“I’ve thought about him a lot," Henderson said. "So much of what I say is him."

He said Carril would particularly have enjoyed how this Princeton squad got better as the season went on. Peaking late was a Carril specialty.

"A lot of this is honoring him," Henderson said. "He’d be very proud."

Princeton: 2016-17 Ivy League Men’s Basketball Champions

Hopefully the Princeton fans and players like to dance, because the Tigers punched their ticket to the biggest one in the nation.

Princeton defeated Yale by a score of 71-59 in the inaugural Ivy League tournament game behind an energetic crowd filled with a majority of fans clad in the iconic black and orange. The Tiger players and fans alike celebrated the win as the clocked ticked to zero, storming the court and shooting off confetti as Princeton punched their ticket to their first NCAA tournament since 2011.

It wasn’t a picture perfect game for the Tigers by any means. Princeton started off slow on offense as the Yale defense forced plenty of early turnovers and airballs. After senior Steven Cook’s turnaround jumper in the first 15 seconds, the Tigers would wait nearly four minutes to score their next field goal – a tip in by freshman Will Gladson at the 15:36 mark.

But the Tigers knew, as they have all season, that their defense would always keep them in games. Having one of the top defenses in the Ivy League all season, the Tigers put that on display here, preventing Yale from ever getting any sustained success on offense. Highlighted by Cook’s emphatic dunk on an attempted Yale lay-up, the defense held serve until the offense found their rhythm and took this game over.

The offense found its rhythm at the 11:40 mark when junior Amir Bell connected on a mid-range jumper to end another scoreless drought. The Tigers followed this up with a three-pointer by Cook to give the Tigers a 14-11 lead. A few minutes later, Cook would strike again, elevating high to slam the ball in and force a foul, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Yale would strike back, taking a 26-24 lead late in the first half, but Princeton would right the ship and reclaim the lead heading into halftime up 31-29.

In the second half, the Tigers smelled blood in the water and relentlessly attacked the Bulldogs. What ensued in the second half was a three-point clinic by the Princeton offense. A corner three from Cook put the Tigers up six at the 17:41 mark and forced Yale into a timeout. Sophomore Devin Cannady would later connect with his own three from NBA range. Sophomore Myles Stephens had a three-point play of his own driving to the basket and generating the foul on a nice layup. Gladson would add another three at the 8:05 mark, putting the Tigers up 58-45. Yale would have one final run in them midway through the second half, but a deep three by Stephens put him over 20 points for the game and took the life out of the Bulldogs.

The Tigers overcame some serious foul trouble throughout the game. Bell picked up two fouls earlier in the game and Cook picked up four in the game. Yale was in the bonus early and often but could not find the bottom of the basket, converting less than 70 percent of their free throws. On the other hand, Princeton wrapped up this game making their free throws and by the final minute were receiving endless standing ovations from the crowd.

Despite a valiant effort from Yale’s Sam Downey, the star of this game is Princeton's Stephens. The Princeton star showed why he was the defensive POY for the Ivy League and finished with 23 points, showing his offensive prowess as well. Complimenting him on the scoreboard were Cook and Cannady who both had double-digit points. But make no mistake, this was a team effort like it has been all season, and as a team they will celebrate.

The Tigers overcame a slow start and roared their way to a decisive Ivy League tournament title. They will indeed be dancing – we will find out where and against who later tonight.

Congratulations to Yale on an incredible season of their own right. But this day has – and forever will – belong to the Princeton Tigers. A wire-to-wire conference season and the second-longest winning streak in the NCAA.

It doesn’t get any better than this.