Ivy League teams in the Sweet 16: Princeton joins prestigious company

Princeton brought the Ivy League back to the Sweet 16.

The Tigers — a No. 15 seed — entered the second weekend on an impressive run that included upsets from No. 2 Arizona 59-55 and No. 7 Missouri 78-63 in the South Region. Now Princeton is traveling to Louisville, Kentucky for the Sweet 16.

The Tigers meet the winner of Sunday’s game between No. 3 Baylor and No. 8 Creighton. Princeton makes its seventh Sweet 16 appearance.

TSN’s MARCH MADNESS headquarters
Live NCAA Bracket | TV Guide | prediction tool

Princeton will also seek to become the first Ivy League team to advance to the Elite Eight in the extended bracket era. The conference has some history in the Sweet 16 and beyond.

Who is the last Ivy League team to make the Sweet 16?

Cornell made the Sweet 16 in 2010 – the first by an Ivy League school since the NCAA tournament was expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

The Big Red were a No. 12, beating No. 5 Temple 78-65 and No. 4 Wisconsin 87-69 the first weekend of this season.

The Big Red were led by forward Ryan Wittman and 7-foot center Jeff Foote.

Cornell’s run ended in Sweet 16 against No. 1 Kentucky, which had a roster with NBA stars John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. The Wildcats beat the Big Red 62-45. Cornell finished 29-5.

Ivy League schools in Elite Eight and Final Four

Three Ivy League schools have passed the Sweet 16. Dartmouth, Penn and Princeton all made the Elite Eight. The Quakers were the last team to make the Elite Eight in 1979.

Dartmouth

Dartmouth played five Final Four games in the early days of the NCAA tournament, including four straight from 1941 to 1944. The Big Green added another appearance in 1958.

Dartmouth twice advanced to national championship play. The Big Green lost 53-38 to Stanford in 1942 and Utah 42-40 in 1944.

Penn

Penn made two of his three Elite Eight appearances in 1971 and 1972 under coach Chuck Daly, who later led the Detroit Pistons to NBA championships in 1989-90. The Quakers made their third Elite Eight appearance in 1979, making the Final Four under coach Bob Weinhauer.

Guard Tony Price led a second-round win over No. 1 North Carolina. Penn’s run ended in a 101-67 loss to Magic Johnson-led Michigan State in the Final Four.

Princeton

Princeton, led by two-time All-American Bill Bradley, made their first appearance in the Elite Eight in 1965. The Tigers averaged 93.7 points per game in tournament wins against Penn State, NC State and Providence.

That led to a Final Four matchup against Michigan, which the Tigers lost 93-76. Bradley — who went on to win two NBA championships before becoming a U.S. Senator — averaged 35.4 tournament points. He scored 58 points in a 118-82 win over Wichita State in the third-place game then being played.

MORE: Does Princeton award scholarships?

Princeton’s Sweet 16 lookout

The Tigers made history under coach Mitch Henderson, who played for legendary coach Pete Carril. Henderson was a guard on the 1995-96 team that achieved that season’s legendary 43-41 win over defending champions UCLA in the first round.

The Tigers are led by Tosan Evbuowwan, who scored 15 points in the first round against Arizona; and guard Ryan Langborg, who scored 22 points against Missouri.

Princeton is the fourth No. 15 to move up into the Sweet 16. This club includes Florida Gulf Coast (2013), Oral Roberts (2021) and Saint Peter’s (2022).

Will the Louisville run continue?