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Princeton University Athletics
Tigers Face UTEP in State Farm Sun Bowl Tournament Championship Game
December 28, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 28, 2004
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In more ways than one, the Princeton men's basketball team has been here before.
First, there's the literal sense. The Tigers were at UTEP's Sun Bowl Tournament exactly eight years ago, and that team led by names like Goodrich, Johnson, Henderson, Earl and Lewullis won the tournament championship thanks to a double-digit win over the hosts.
Then there's the figurative sense, the much more important sense to the 2004-05 Tigers. Princeton (6-3) faces an NCAA tournament contender on the road in a tough environment yet again in the early season, this time a matchup with the host Miners (9-2) in the championship game of the 2004 tournament at approximately 10 p.m. EST Tuesday night.
Princeton played its finest stretch of basketball this season in the first half Monday night against Tulane, taking leads of 20-2 and 31-8 thanks to tremendous offensive execution and stiff defensive pressure. The Tigers will need all of that execution tonight against the Miners, an NCAA tournament team a year ago that walloped Alabama State by a big margin in Monday's other semifinal game.
Senior center Judson Wallace had 20 of Princeton's final 24 points against Tulane and had a game-high 22 points overall. Wallace had gone to the free-throw line 33 times in Princeton's last three games, making 28 of those attempts.
UTEP has won five straight games overall after a loss to Texas Tech at home Dec. 4. The Miners may be playing without the services of senior center Will Kimble and junior forward John Tofi, each of who either injured or reinjured an ankle or foot Monday night against Alabama State.
The Tigers conclude a season-opening stretch Tuesday night that saw Joe Scott and his team play nine of 10 games away from Jadwin Gym. Princeton will play five of its next six games at home after tonight, including games this weekend against Loyola (Friday, 2 p.m.) and Davidson (Sunday, 2 p.m.).