Creighton vs Princeton: 2023 NCAA Tournament game preview, TV schedule, prediction
Princeton looks to become the second straight 15-seed to reach the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament. Can they get past the Creighton Bluejays to do so?
TV schedule: Friday, March 24th, 9:00 pm ET (approx), TBS
Arena: KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky
This year’s NCAA Tournament feels as wacky and wild as ever, with parity becoming more and more prevalent in the sport. That being said, there’s still just one double-digit seed left in the Sweet 16. That means this season’s Cinderella is Princeton (23-8), who became the third-straight 15 seed to make it to the second weekend.
The Tigers pulled off the major upset over 2-seed Arizona, 59-55. Tosan Evbuoman led the team with 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, with seven players scoring at least six points in the game. It was the defense that won the game for the Ivy League team against Arizona at the end, getting a number of stops to prevent the favorites from getting the lead.
Princeton got upset No. 2 against Missouri, 78-63 in an impressive offensive performance. The Tigers 12/33 from three-point range, led by 22 points from Ryan Langborg. Caden Pierce pulled down 16 rebounds, while Matt Allocco produced 10 points and seven assists.
As impressive as Princeton’s offense has been, they’ll need to be firing on all cylendars to beat Creighton (23-12). The Bluejays have already dealt with two pairs of potent offenses to get to the Sweet 16 in NC State and Baylor, both ending up being 9-point wins. Center Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 31 points in the win over the Wolfpack, while Ryan Nembhard dropped 30 to beat the Bears.
Creighton was a preseason top-10 team entering this season but injuries and Kalkbreener’s illness midway through dug them a hole. They not only have seemingly gotten out of it but the Bluejays are playing its best basketball as of late.
Ranking each remaining Sweet 16 team. dark. Next
One paper, the Bluejays have a clear advantage and there isn’t a clear player that can deal with Kalkbrenner down low on the Tigers’ side. But this is March and crazier things have happened. If Creighton can’t defend the three-point line, this can be close down the stretch but in the end, look for the clock to strike midnight on Princeton.
Prediction: Creighton 80, Princeton 64