Princeton draws No. 12 seed in Big Dance
The Princeton women’s basketball team’s seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Courtney Banghart will begin in Raleigh, N.C.
The Ivy League champion Tigers (24-5) received a No. 12 seed Monday night and will take on No. 5 seed Maryland (25-7) on Friday at noon. The winner will face the winner of No. 4 seed North Carolina State vs. No. 13 seed Elon.
Mississippi State is the No. 1 seed in the Kansas City regional.
Princeton has lost in the first round in five of its previous six trips to the Big Dance. The exception was 2015, when the Tigers started the season 31-0 before losing in the NCAA second round to Maryland, then a No. 1 seed.
After going 16-14 last season and making the NIT, Princeton has rebounded this season. The Tigers have won 11 of their last 12 games including the Ivy League Tournament final against Penn on Sunday in Philadelphia, 63-34.
Sophomore Bella Alarie leads Princeton in scoring (13.3 points per game) and rebounding (9.6 rebounds per game). Senior Leslie Robinson is also averaging close to a double-double with 10.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest.
The Terrapins finished second in the Big Ten this season with a 12-4 conference record and are ranked 16th in the country. They lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game on March 4, 79-69.
Guard Kaila Charles is Maryland’s star player, featuring averages of 20 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists.