A 3 seed vs. a 14 seed. Just look at the two teams that entered the arena that day. First came Princeton. The small, intelligent boys from the prestigious Ivy League. Every one in America thought this team would rather be studying than playing against the defending NCAA champions. Princeton had a tough road to the tournament. They battled the NBA factory schools like UPenn and Harvard while UCLA only had to play through the weak Pac-10 conference. Ok Im joking, but you get the point.
So, when UCLA came into the arena to defend their NCAA title, nobody gave the other team a shot, let alone Princeton. This is about when the magic happened. Through a barrage of 3 pointers, back door cuts, textbook passing, and in your jock strap defense Princeton proved they could handle Goliath. Before ESPN knew what happened, the score was 41-41 with 9 seconds left. Oh and Princeton had the ball. UCLA had to know what was coming. It still boggles my mind to this day. Princeton inbounds the ball, one pass, one dribble and boom. A backdoor cut. One of the most fundamental aspects of basketball burns UCLA once again. The textbook play gave princeton an easy layup for the lead with 3 seconds left. After UCLA missed a contested fadeaway for the tie, the tigers had done it. They went toe to toe with one of the best and most talented teams in the nations and conquered them. So when Princeton makes the tournament this year as a 15 seed and gets a first round matchup with UCONN, dont be surprised when Princeton wins.
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