Peters, Pierce pace Princeton
Blake Peters, an Evanston product, made five three-pointers in the second half and No. 15 seed Princeton (23-8) shocked another power-conference team to reach the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals for the first time in 56 years with a 78-63 victory over 10th-seeded Missouri (25-10) on Saturday in Sacramento, California.
The Tigers out of the Ivy League followed up a first-round win over Pac-12 tournament champion Arizona by dominating the Tigers of the SEC from the start.
“I have no words for you,” Peters said. “We have such an unbelievable section [of fans] here. I have the best teammates in the world. I love each and every one of them. I know it’s cliche, but anything is possible.”
Princeton was more than a match physically with Missouri with a 44-30 rebounding edge and 16 offensive rebounds that led to 19 second-chance points. Freshman Caden Pierce, a Glenbard West product, led the way with 16 rebounds.
The Tigers reached the round of 16 for the first time since 1967 when only 23 teams even made the tournament. They will be the second Ivy League school to make the Sweet 16 in the last 43 tournaments, joining Cornell in 2010.
Ryan Langborg led Princeton with 22 points and Peters added 17. Every time Missouri came close early in the second half, Princeton had an answer with Peters hitting five threes. The fourth gave Princeton a 62-43 lead and Missouri never threatened after that.
Alabama 73, Maryland 51
The top-seeded Crimson Tide (31-5) held the eighth-seeded Terrapins (22-12) to 35.2% shooting in a rout in Birmingham Alabama.
Texas 71, Penn State 66
Dylan Disu had 28 points on 14-for-20 shooting, steadying the second-seeded Longhorns (28-8) down the stretch after a late surge by the 10th-seeded Nittany Lions (23-14) in Des Moines, Iowa, and send them to their first regional in 15 years. Camren Wynter scored 16 for Penn State.
Tennessee 65, Duke 52
Olivier Nkamhoua tallied 27 points, including 13 in a row during a decisive stretch in the second half, as the fourth-seeded Volunteers (25-10) bullied the fifth-seeded Blue Devils (27-9) in Orlando, Florida. The victory sent first-year Duke coach Jon Scheyer home after two NCAA Tournament games.
San Diego State 75, Furman 52
Micah Parrish paced a balanced scoring attack for the fifth-seeded Aztecs (29-6) against the 13th-seeded Paladins (28-8) in Orlando in advancing to their first Sweet 16 since 2004.
Houston 81, Auburn 64
Marcus Sasser scored 22 points as the topseeded Cougars (33-3) stifled the ninth-seeded Tigers (21-13) in Birmingham.