“Princeton Upsets Arizona In March Madness Opener”

• The Princeton Tigers stunned the Arizona Wildcats in the first round of March Madness.
• With the win, Princeton advances to play Missouri with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line.
• While the wins are historically rare, it’s the third straight year that a 15-seed has defeated a 2-seed in the opening round.

Just past 6 p.m. on Thursday evening, brackets across the country got busted big-time, as No. 15 Princeton upset No. 2 Arizona in the first round of March Madness.

The magic happened late for Princeton.

With 4:45 left to play, Arizona hit a layup to take a 55-50 lead.

It’s the last point they would score for the rest of the game, as Princeton ended the game on a 9-0 run and took their first lead of the game with just two minutes left to play.

—NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 16, 2023

After holding off a desperate final possession from the Wildcats, the Tigers punched their ticket to the second round.

—Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) March 16, 2023

No. 15 teams escaping the first round is a historically rare feat, with 2-seeds winning roughly 92% of matchups dating back to 1993.

But the 15-2 upset has gotten more common of late, as this is now the third straight year one has taken place. Last year, No. 15 Saint Peter’s upset No. 2 Kentucky in the first round, and in 2021, No. 15 Oral Roberts took down No. 2 Ohio State.

Princeton might not be done yet either. Last year, fellow New Jersey-based Saint Peter’s carried its Cinderella run all the way to the Elite Eight before falling to North Carolina.

Princeton will attempt to continue their run on Saturday against Mizzou. Should they win that game, the Ivy League winners will be just the fourth 15-seed in tournament history to reach the Sweet 16.