- NetScouts Basketball

Sacramento, CA – No. 15-seeded Princeton continued its NCAA Tournament run with another upset, this time getting past No. 7-seed Missouri 78-63. The UCLA Bruins survived a close contest with Northwestern in a 68-63 win. The two teams advance to the Sweet 16 from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.

What was surprising about Princeton’s win was how easy it looked. They got back on defense, stayed in front of Missouri and made it hard for them to penetrate and utterly dominated the boards. It makes you wonder how SEC teams would generally compete against the better Ivy League schools. The two teams shot virtually the same overall from the floor, with Princeton shooting 27-of-62 and Missouri connecting on 25-of-61. The big difference was in rebounding and second chance points. Princeton outrebounded Missouri 44-30 and outscored them in second chance points by an overwhelming 19-2 margin.

The only time Missouri led the game was after a Noah Carter three-pointer that gave them a 3-2 lead in the opening minutes. Then Ryan Langborg took over, connecting on three early 3’s to put Princeton ahead. Langborg, who led Princeton in scoring with 22 points, hit on 4-of-12 from deep in the game. The two teams both went on seven point runs at the end of the half, with Princeton’s run giving them a 33-19 lead and Missouri’s run cutting their deficit to 33-26 at halftime. Their run gave Missouri hope for the second half, but it was not to be.

After Missouri got within 43-37 Princeton’s Brock Peters got going. Peters made five three-pointers and scored all of his 17 points in the second half. Helped by four of Peters’ 3’s, Princeton then went on a 23-8 run to take a 21-point lead at 66-45. That ended any hopes of a Missouri comeback and Princeton coasted to the surprisingly easy win. Princeton’s 6-6 Caden Pierce helped them dominate the boards, ending the contest with 16 rebounds, seven of them on the offensive end which helped in their domination in second chance points. There was no question on which Tiger team was the better one today.

The second game went according to form as UCLA rallied late for the five-point win. The Bruins got out of the gate well and helped by six straight points from Jaime Jaquez Jr. took a 28-15 lead. They led 35-25 at halftime and seemed in control after an Amari Bailey hoop that gave them a 41-28 lead. Then Northwestern made their run and helped by 11 points from Chase Audige, tied the game at 45. UCLA then scored six straight points and while the Wildcats cut the lead to one point at 51-50, they could not get closer the rest of the way. The Bruins closed the game at the free throw line, making eight straight.

UCLA was led by 24 points and eight rebounds from Jaquez Jr.. Bailey added an efficient 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, making both his three-point attempts, and added six assists. Tyger Campbell had an off-day shooting (0-of-7) but made all 12 of his free throw attempts and added seven assists against no turnovers. UCLA got starting freshman center Adem Bona back for the game. Bona, who separated his shoulder at the Pac-12 tournament, added six points and two blocks in 21 minutes. He added some deflections that resulted in UCLA possessions and helped provide energy on the defensive end.

For Northwestern point guard Boo Buie led the way with 17 points while Audige added 16. 7-foot center Matthew Nicholson was impressive, making all seven of his field goal attempts, while scoring 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

UCLA will play the winner of the TCU-Gonzaga game next, at the West regional in Las Vegas.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

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Sacramento, CA – No. 15-seeded Princeton upset no. 2 seed Arizona to highlight the first round of NCAA games held in Sacramento. The Tigers lulled the Wildcats into their slower-paced game, got some backdoor conversions and turned their defense up late in the game. Princeton held Arizona without a field goal in their last seven attempts while they closed the game on a seven-point run for a 59-55 victory. They forced Arizona to four turnovers in the last six minutes of the game and held the Wildcats scoreless over the last four minutes and 43 seconds.

The game was close throughout with Arizona having a 31-30 lead at halftime. They then went on a 16-5 run to take a 47-35 lead on a three-pointer from Kylan Boswell. That’s when things went downhill for the Wildcats. 6-8 Tosan Evbuomwan scored on three straight layups on drives from the high post. From there the Tigers get within three points several times, the last on a Matt Allocco layup that cut the deficit to 53-50. The last time Arizona scored was on a Azuloas Tubelis dunk that gave them a 55-50 lead. Two jumpers from Ryan Langborg (8 points) gave the Tigers a 56-55 lead with 2:05 left. Princeton closed the scoring with three points from the foul line. During Arizona scoreless run at the close of the game they had three turnovers and missed seven straight shots, four by Courtney Ramey.

Evbuomwan led Princeton with 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists, competing well with Tubelis and giving him problems with his quickness in driving to the basket. Tubelis led Arizona with 22 points while 7-0 center Oumar Ballo added 13 points and 12 rebounds. The smaller Tigers battled Arizona evenly on the boards, ending the game with a 38-37 advantage. Princeton won despite shooting 4-of-25 on three-pointers. Arizona was not much better with 3-of-16 shooting from deep.

In the opening game Missouri broke open a close game midway in the second half and topped Utah State 76-65. The Tigers were helped by hot second half shooting from D’Moi Hodge and Kobe Brown. Each hit three second half three-pointers to help Missouri pull away. Brown was particularly impressive, showing a diversified game for a 6-8, 240-pounder. Brown hit 3’s off the dribble, scored inside on post moves and was active throughout the game. He finished with 19 points on 7-of-8 shooting (3-of-4 3’s) and led the team with eight rebounds, Hodge led the team with 23 points, making 5-of-19 from deep. 6-9 forward Taylor Funk led the Aggies with 16 points but shot only 2-of-10 on 3’s. The difference in the game was three-point shooting with Missouri connecting on 10-of-25, and Utah State only making 4-of-24. Missouri and Princeton will play in the first game here on Saturday afternoon.

The night session went according to plan with No. 7-seed Northwestern topping No. 10 Boise State 75-57 and No. 2-seed UCLA easily dismantling UNC Asheville 86-63. The two teams will play in the nightcap on Saturday.

Point guard Boo Buie led Northwestern to their win with 22 points, five rebounds, five assists and only one turnover. The game was close throughout but Northwestern led for the entire game. Boise Stare has never won an NCAA Tournament game. This was their ninth straight loss. They were led by point guard Max Rice with 17 points.

In the nightcap UCLA, playing without starting center Adem Bona, ran away from the start, scoring the first 14 points and things did not get better for the Bulldogs from there. The Bruins had a 21-point halftime lead and expanded it in the second half. UCLA was led with 17 points each from Jaime Jaquez Jr. and freshman Amari Bailey. Bailey has seen an expanded offensive role since Jaylen Clark was lost for the season and he has delivered, both at the Pac-12 Tournament and in today’s game. Point guard Tyger Campbell ran UCLA’s offense efficiently as usual, ending the game with ten assists and only two turnovers.

This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner 6-8of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.

We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.

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