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Princeton University Athletics
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March 20, 2000 | Men's Basketball
March 20, 2000
The Princeton University men's basketball team won its 12th straight Division I scoring defense title, though it wasn't easy. It took a variety of events in the Temple-Seton Hall NCAA tournament game Sunday afternoon for the Tigers to keep their crown.
Princeton finished its season last Wednesday with a 55-41 loss to Penn State in the NIT opening round. For the year the Tigers allowed 1,637 points in 30 games, an average of 54.57.
Temple entered the NCAA tournament having allowed 1,694 points in 31 games, an average of 54.65. After holding Lafayette to 47 in the first round, the Owls lowered their average to 54.41 and moved ahead of the Tigers into first entering the tournament's second round.
Were Temple's season to end in the second round, then Princeton would have needed the Owls to surrender 63 points for the Tigers to retake the lead.
In that second round game, Temple and Seton Hall were tied at 57-57 when the Hall had a chance to win in the final seconds of regulation. Instead, Kevin Wilkins' shot hit the rim, forcing overtime. Seton Hall then won the game 67-65, leaving Temple with a final scoring defense average of 54.79.
Had Wilkins' shot gone in at the regulation buzzer, then Temple and not Princeton would have won the scoring defense crown. Princeton would not have won if at any point in either its 30 games or Temple's 33 games, there had been a swing of five points.