There's something about these small New Jersey schools come March.
Ivy League champion Princeton provided the second big shocker of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, toppling Arizona in the first round, 59-55.
After never holding the lead at any point of the first half, and trailing by as much as 10 points at different points of the second half — including with eight minutes to go — the Tigers got their first lead of the game with just over two minutes left.
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The Wildcats, heavy favorites and a trendy pick to reach the Final Four after winning the Pac-12 Tournament title, didn't score in the final 4:45 of the game.
The win was Princeton's first in the NCAA Tournament since 1998 and their 14th of all-time.
It also marks the 11th time a 15-seed won a game in tournament history, and the third straight year a 15 seed has one at least one game. In 2022, fellow New Jersey school St. Peter's University made the most improbable run to the Elite Eight, knocking off Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue before losing to UNC.
The shocking win came about three hours after Furman took down Virginia in the first round. The No. 13 seeded Paladins moved on to the second round of the tournament in the South Region, while the No. 4-seed Cavaliers were sent home much earlier than expected.
That result came in dramatic fashion with a game-winning, 3-point shot from Furman's JP Pegues with 2.2 seconds left.
