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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton-Texas Preview
March 17, 2004 | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2004
Atlanta, First Round
Thursday, 7:20 p.m. EST
Pepsi Center; Denver
Senior forward Brian Boddicker said it doesn't matter what seed the Longhorns have because anyone can win in the tournament on any given day.
"I'm looking forward to getting into the tournament," said Boddicker, who averages 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds. "All the games are tough and the teams are all good. I think once the tournament starts, you can throw the seeds out the window because every team can play and you have to play hard at all times.
"We can't look ahead, we have a game against Princeton to worry about."
Princeton won the Ivy League title to get back into the tournament for the first time since 2001, and comes into this first-round matchup on a nine-game winning streak.
The Tigers are feeling good about their chances after playing the Longhorns tough during the 2002-03 regular season. Texas won 57-54, but the game featured 11 ties and nine lead changes.
"We should have beaten them," Princeton guard Ed Persia said. "Even though we didn't, we played very, very well against them and they lost an All-American player in T.J. Ford from that team."
The NCAA appearance will be the second for Princeton under coach John Thompson. The Tigers qualified three years ago after a 16-11 season, and were eliminated in the first round by North Carolina.
Thompson, however, says the Tigers are approaching this year with a different mindset.
"Our team is much better," he said. "(In 2001) we needed a special permit to win the league. We were an undermanned team. This year's group is different. We have a different attitude. We have shown we can play with anyone."
Princeton's last win in the NCAA Tournament was 1998 when it beat UNLV 69-57 before losing to Michigan State 63-56.
The winner of this game will face either No. 6 North Carolina or No. 11 Air Force in the second round on Saturday.
| PROBABLE STARTERS | |
| Princeton | Texas |
| F Andre Logan (8.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg) | F Brad Buckman (5.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg) |
| F Will Venable (10.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg) | C Jason Klotz (7.3 ppg, 3.8 rpg) |
| C Judson Wallace (15.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg) | G Kenton Paulino (4.8 ppg, 1.9 apg) |
| G Max Schafer (2.6 ppg, 1.1 apg) | G Mouton (13.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg) |
| G Scott Greenman (8.1 ppg, 1.7 apg) | G Ivey (9.0 ppg, 4.2 apg) |
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Princeton - Automatic bid, Ivy League champion. Texas - At-large berth.
ALL-TIME TOURNAMENT RECORD: Princeton - 13-26, 22 years. Texas - 23-24, 21 years.