PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton men’s basketball team will become the fourth Ivy League men’s basketball team to compete in the Sweet 16, since the round began in 1975 when the tournament expanded to a 32-team field. The Tigers join the 1978 and 1979 Penn and 2010 Cornell teams. The tournament was expanded to a 64-team model in 1985.
1978 PENN QUAKERS
The Quakers earned the Ivy League title after going 12-2 in league play. Led by three-time First Team All-Ivy League selection Keven McDonald the Quakers entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed in the East Region, where it took on St. Bonaventure in the first round at The Palestra in Philly. McDonald, the Ivy League Player of the Year, poured in a career-high 37 points, shooting 16-of-25 from the field and secured 11 rebounds as the Quakers went on to beat the Bonnies, 92-83. Penn challenged Duke in the Sweet 16, falling to the eventual national runners up by a score of 84-80.
1979 PENN QUAKERS
Fresh off its Sweet 16 appearance the year prior, the 1978-79 Penn team claimed the Ivy League title and earned a share of the Big 5 championship on its way to advancing the Final Four. Penn was 13-1 in Ivy League play. Ninth-seeded Penn drew eighth-seeded Iona in a prelim round game to start its NCAA tournament journey. Behind a 27-point barrage from Ivy League Player of the Year Tony Price, the Quakers bested the Gaels, 73-69. Price rose to the occasion against the Quakers next opponent, top-seeded North Carolina, with a game-high 25 points and nine rebounds. It was a late James Salters free throw that secured the 72-71 win over the Dean Smith coached Tar Heels. Penn’s next test was a Sweet 16 date with Syracuse in Greensboro, N.C. The Quakers topped Syracuse, coached by Jim Boeheim, 84-76, to advance to the Elite 8 with Price once again leading the team in scoring with 20 points in addition to dishing out six assists. It was more of the same in the Elite 8 when the Quakers took on Lou Carnesecca coached St. John’s. Price led the team with 21 points and Salters again stepped up and hit crucial free throws with 23 seconds remaining to give the Quakers the 64-62 win and earn a berth to the Final Four in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Quakers clashed with Magic Johnson’s Michigan State Spartan team in the national semifinal, falling 101-67. Penn dropped a tight 96-93 decision to DePaul in overtime in the national consolation game.
The Cornell men’s basketball team won the Ivy League title following a 13-1 record in league play. The Big Red had three first team all-Ivy selections: Ryan Wittman, Jeff Foote and Louis Dale. Following a 27-4 regular season, Cornell earned a 12 seed in the NCAA tournament and drew a first round matchup with Temple. The Big Red’s first team all-Ivy trio of Dale, Wittman and Foote combined for 57 points in Cornell’s 78-65 win over the Owls in Jacksonville, Fla. Dale and Wittman again had big scoring outputs in Cornell’s second round game against fourth-seeded Wisconsin. Dale poured in a game-high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting, while Wittman had 24 on 10-of-15 shooting as the Big Red ran away with an 87-69 win over the Badgers. Cornell squared off with Kentucky in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., in the Sweet 16. Behind All-America selections John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, the No. 1 seeded Wildcats topped Cornell, 62-45.
2023 PRINCETON TIGERS
Princeton earned a share of the Ivy title with Yale following a 10-4 campaign in Ivy League play. The Tigers squared off with the Bulldogs in the Ivy Madness title in a rematch of the 2022 final. Princeton topped Yale, 74-65, behind at 21-point performance from Tosan Evbuomwan to earn the Ivy League’s automatic bid for the NCAA tournament. The 15th seeded Tigers trailed Arizona for nearly the entirety of their first round game in Sacramento, Calif. That was until a late shot from Ryan Langborg put the Tigers ahead with just over two minutes left put Princeton in front. The Tigers prevailed 59-55 to become the 11th 15 seed to defeat a 2 seed. Princeton next met Missouri in the second round in a battle of the Tigers. Princeton jumped to an early double digit lead, thanks to 15 first half points from Langborg. Blake Peters scored 17 points, all of which came in the second half, to help secure the 78-63 win. The Tigers are the fourth ever 15 seed to advance to the Sweet 16. They will take on Creighton at 9 p.m. ET on Friday on TBS.