Creighton ends Princeton’s Cinderella run in Sweet 16

Creighton used its size, three-points shooting and a swarming 2d-half defense to finish the March Madness run of princeton, beating the fifteenth-seeded tigers 86-75 on friday night time at the sweet sixteen.

The 6th-seeded Bluejays (24-12) advanced to their first regional final considering they had been part of an eight-crew NCAA tournament in 1941. Creighton will play number- Five seed San Diego State in Sunday’s South Region Final, with each team in search of its first very last four.

Ryan Kalkbenner, the two-time Big East Defencive player of the year, scored 22 factors to steer the Bluejays to their sixth win in seven video games. Baylor Scheierman made 5 3s and completed with 21 points.

“kalk, he influences us on the rim on each ends of the ground and defensively gives so much for us,” Creighton instruct Greg Mcdermott said. “I concept he really got going past due inside the first half and carried it over to the second half of. Baylor just performs at every degree. He can make the mid-range. He shoots the three. He sees the floor extraordinarily well, and consider it or no longer, he’s grow to be a quite suitable defender.”

Francisco Farabello #5 of the Creighton Bluejays reacts throughout the first 1/2 in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at KFC YUM! Center in opposition to the Princeton Tigers on March 24, 2023, in Louisville, Kentucky. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Ryan Langborg led the Tigers (23-9) with 26 points and Ivy League player of the yr Tosan Evbuomwan with 24 points, six rebounds and 9 assists.

Princeton shook up brackets in all places by way of beating No. two seed Arizona in the first round, then blew out seventh-seeded Missouri ultimate weekend in Sacramento, California.

Playing in its first Sweet 16 for the reason that 1967, Princeton was once hoping to come to be the first Ivy League champion to make the Elite Eight due to the fact that Penn’s Final Four run in 1979, the first Tigers squad to attain the Final Four considering that Bill Bradley led them there in 1965, and the 2d straight No. 15 seed to play in a regional final. Saint Peter’s remaining 12 months grew to be the first 15 seed to reap that feat.

Princeton’s offense bore no resemblance to the back-cutting, deliberate fashion that described the late Pete Carril’s teaching tenure. Instead, the Tigers went toe to toe in opposition to Creighton’s fast-paced offense till they stalled out at the begin of the 2nd half.

Ryan kalkbrenner #eleven of the creighton bluejays reacts all through the first 1/2 in the sweet sixteen spherical of the ncaa men’s basketball event in opposition to the princeton tigers at kfc yum! Center on march 24, 2023, in louisville, kentucky. (rob carr/getty pics)

Creighton used a 9-2 run to take a fifty six-forty five lead, a 4-minute stretch at some stage in which princeton educate mitch henderson referred to as two timeouts, and evbuomwan drew his 0. 33 foul. The bluejays wouldn’t prevent. While princeton reduce the deficit to 61-fifty two, creighton replied with seven extra points, and the tigers couldn’t get closer than seven factors after that.

“princeton’s genuinely correct at setting up their tempo, so that you’ve simply were given to take them out of it,” kalkbrenner said. “their whole purpose is to take us out of our pace.”

after beating north carolina state and 0. 33-seeded baylor in denver final weekend, drawing confidence from now not needing oxygen masks like their fighters, creighton eliminated the popular ivy leaguers. Now, the bluejays are one win away from the country wide semifinals.