Princeton pumped following upset over No. 2 Arizona in NCAA tournament

The Princeton Tigers face the Missouri Tigers Saturday night.

Matt Trapani and Ali Reid

Mar 17, 2023, 9:03 PM

Updated 403 days ago

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Could New Jersey see another Cinderella story in the NCAA tournament? No. 15 Princeton Tigers beat out No. 2 Arizona with a 59-55 first round victory on Thursday.
March Madness has continued to hold up its reputation of the impossible becoming possible as Princeton advances to play Saturday night.
“Was up at like 6 a.m. Couldn’t believe it. It felt real for once,” says Princeton forward Zach Martini. “I think we are trying to savor this moment because this truly is something special. It’s been 27 years since our last win in the tournament.”
This is the third consecutive year that a No. 15 seed team has knocked out a No. 2 seed.
“What it means for a No. 2 seed is that the road to get there is easier. So now Princeton takes over that role. Does that mean they will run through this easily? No, because they will be an underdog each and every game,” says Johnny Avello, of DraftKings.
How much does that matter? Only .065% of the millions of March Madness brackets completed remain intact following Princeton’s upset.
“The president had Arizona winning the whole thing in his bracket,” says Martini.
Gov. Phil Murphy and Sen. Cory Booker posted on Twitter to remind President Joe Biden to never bet against New Jersey. The Princeton Tigers face the Missouri Tigers Saturday night.
“I think they have a chance. I mean, they beat Arizona,” says Princeton High School student Noah Wadler.
In another game to watch, Princeton's women's team will also be playing in the NCAA tournament in their first round against NC State.
“They are constantly winning, so we have to keep up with them,” Martini says. “I am confident they will get it done.”


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