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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Set For First-Round Matchup With Texas Thursday Night
March 17, 2004 | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2004
DENVER, CO - The Princeton men's basketball team met the media and participated in an open practice at the Pepsi Center Wednesday in preparation for Thursday's first-round NCAA tournament game against Texas. Game time is 7:20 p.m. EST (5:20 p.m. MST).
The Tigers were the seventh of the eight teams at the Denver site to hit the floor Wednesday, taking the court at 7:10 p.m. local time in front of a smattering of Tiger fans and local residents. Princeton had participated in a full practice earlier in the day at Regis University. Former Princeton assistant coach and current Air Force head coach Joe Scott brought his team onto the court immediately following the Princeton practice.
Juniors Judson Wallace and Will Venable, along with head coach John Thompson, also participated in the press conference prior to the team's open practice. "We're happy to be here," said Wallace, a first-team All-Ivy selection who is averaging better than 15 points and six rebounds per game entering the NCAA tournament. "But now that we won the league title and got here, we've set new goals. If you go in thinking that you can't win, you've already dug your own grave."
Both Princeton and Texas players spoke about the familiarity between the teams based on last year's meeting between the Longhorns and Tigers in Austin, a game won by Texas 57-54. Princeton led that game 21-18 at halftime and nearly tied it at the buzzer on a Ed Persia three-point attempt.
"In the back of our minds it's good to know that we had some success with them (Texas), but we are both different teams," said Venable. "This is another year, and it's a whole new ball game."
"Last year when we played Princeton it was a close game," said Texas's Brandon Mouton, the team's leading scorer. "Princeton is a good ball club and it will be a hard-fought game."
Thompson, who also led the Tigers to the 2001 NCAA tournament in his first-year as head coach, said that his team is ready to play and not looking at Thursday's game as a matchup of David vs. Goliath.
"We don't really use being the underdog as motivation," said Thompson. "At this time of year everyone is playing well. No matter who you are, you are going to play against a quality team."
Texas head coach Rick Barnes, who has coached against Princeton three times while the head coach at both Providence and Texas, knows his team is up for a challenge against the Ivy League champion Tigers.
"Princeton does what they do and they're not going to change, and for that reason they are very, very good at it," Barnes said. "I'm impressed with their defense. They don't give up too many easy baskets at all, especially in transition."
Maryland and UTEP play the first game in Denver at 12:40 EST, followed by Syracuse and BYU at approximately 3:10. North Carolina and Air Force meet at approximately 9:50 EST in the final game of the day at the 19,555-seat Pepsi Center.