SACRAMENTO, Calif. — — Blake Peters made five 3-pointers in the second half and Princeton upset another power conference team reach the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals for the first time in 56 years by defeating Missouri 78-63 on Saturday.
Well. No. 15 seed Princeton (23-8) followed up a first-round win over Pac-12 tournament champion Arizona by dominating SEC No. 10 seed Missouri (25-10) from the start.
The Ivy League school, known for intimidating and occasionally upsetting powerhouses a generation ago, has reached the Round of 16 for the first time since 1967, when only 23 teams entered the tournament.
Princeton will play the winner of the Sweet 16 between Baylor and Creighton on Sunday night in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Tigers are the second Ivy League school to reach the Sweet 16 in the last 43 tournaments. It joins Cornell in 2010. No academically ranked team that does not award athletic scholarships has gone further since Penn reached the Final Four in 1979.
Fans who made the cross-country trip to California began chanting “Sweet 16! Sweet 16!” at the last minute.
It’s the third straight year a No. 15 seed has advanced to the Sweet 16, following Oral Roberts in 2021 and another New Jersey school, St. Peters, last year. The only other time a 15 seed made it this far came in 2012 when Florida Gulf Coast did it.
Ryan Langborg led Princeton with 22 points and Peters added 17 points.
DeAndre Gholston scored 19 points and Noah Carter added 14 for Missouri, which was seeking its first Sweet 16 berth since 2009.
Princeton showed no signs of getting overwhelmed against another powerhouse conference team that dominated the game from the start. Keeshawn Kellman had two dunks and a blocked shot in a 16-second span midway through the half.
Princeton extended its lead to 10 points on a corner 3 by Zach Martin and went up 33-19 under Evbuomwani.
Missouri responded by scoring the final seven points of the half to close the gap to seven.
Whenever Missouri threatened early in the second half, Princeton had an answer Peters hit five 3-pointers. The fourth gave Princeton a 62-43 lead, and Missouri never threatened after that.
THE BIG PICTURE
Princeton: Princeton was more than a physical matchup with Missouri with a 44-30 rebounding edge and 16 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second-chance points. Caden Pierce led the way with 16 rebounds.
Missouri: Coach Dennis Gates had a successful 25-win first season at Missouri, but the bottom line was still disappointing.
NEXT
Princeton is looking for its first Elite Eight appearance since 1965, when Bill Bradley was the star.
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