Princeton secured the third bid from the Ivy League for the NCAA Women’s March Madness Tournament on Sunday, marking the first occasion that three Ivy League teams have qualified for the tournament.
However, the Tigers still have work to do. In order to get to the first round against six-seed Michigan, they first must get through the Iowa State Cyclones in an 11-seed, first-four battle.
The Tigers will face the Cyclones led by sophomore center Audi Crooks, who is averaging 23.2 points per game on 60.2 field goal shooting, at Notre Dame’s Joyce Center Wednesday.
Guest Staff Picks:
Princeton 69, Iowa State 67 – Ellie Mitchell ’24, Former Princeton Women’s Basketball Star
I’m excited for the team, it’ll be a fun matchup and nothing we can’t handle. If we can limit Audi Crooks’ touches and force the rest of the team to have to try to beat us, we’ll be successful.
I think Iowa State will underestimate us, but the team always plays their best when they have something to prove, so I’m excited to watch them tomorrow night.
Princeton 70, Iowa State 62 – Matt Allocco ’24, Former Men’s Basketball Star
We have great guard play and I’m expecting Ashley and Skye to have big games. Also expecting our tournament experience to help us in a tight game.
Princeton 62, Iowa State 59 – Caden Pierce, Junior Men’s Basketball Player
Tigers pull it out down the stretch in a defensive battle.
Princeton 61, Iowa State 54 – Dalen Davis, Sophomore Men’s Basketball Player
The women had a tough loss in the Ivy tournament and will be looking to get back on track and make a run in the NCAA tournament.
The Daily Princetonian Staff Picks:
Iowa State 68, Princeton 64 – Hayk Yengibaryan, Senior Sports Writer
I’m a huge fan of the three bid Ivy, and I believe all three teams deserved a bid, but it’s going to be two by Wednesday night.
Iowa State has been battle-tested all year, consistently playing the best teams in the country. It’s easy to forget that Bill Fennelly’s squad was ranked eighth in the AP preseason poll. This team has the talent but has been unable to put it together for the majority of the season. However, I believe they’re playing their best basketball of the season, going 7–2 in their last nine games. Their last regular season game was a 22-point win against No. 5 seeded Kansas State, and they went toe to toe with four-seeded Baylor in the Big 12 playoffs.
The Cyclones are led by sophomore center Audi Crooks, a force to be reckoned with, who has scored 32 and 36 in two of their last three games. I believe Princeton Head Coach Carla Berube will have a good game plan for Crooks, one that may involve consistently blitzing her in the paint. The problem lies with the fact that Iowa State shoots 36 percent from beyond the arc, good for fourth in the conference. If you double Crooks, you have to live with the fact that guards Sydney Harris and Emily Ryan are going to get their buckets.
If Princeton wants to be competitive in this game — which I think they will be — they must force turnovers. The Cyclones have struggled all year in protecting the basketball. Their 476 turnovers this season rank in the top 10 in the country. Thankfully, the Orange and Black pride themselves in “Getting Stops.”
This is going to be a great game, but give me Audi Crooks to break Princeton’s hearts with a 25+ point performance in South Bend.
Iowa State 76, Princeton 68 – Doug Schwartz, Associate Sports Editor
After an exciting Selection Sunday, Princeton finds themselves back in March Madness for the sixth consecutive year. The at-large bid speaks volumes to not only the competitiveness of the Ivy League, but also the respect that Berube and company have garnered from the NCAA.
In order for Princeton to win, they are going to need a full team effort. Not only will Chea and Belker need to have a hot shooting night, but Tall and Hill are going to need to be efficient with their looks as well. On defense, Hill is going to have her hands full with Iowa State’s star Audi Crooks.
Crooks is going to be a challenge for the Tigers, as the sophomore is averaging 23.2 points per game on over 60 percent shooting. As a first-year, Crooks scored 40 points in an empathic win over No. 10 Maryland in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Crooks, a bonafide star who has been here before, is bound to give Princeton problems.
Crooks and her squad came into the year with high expectations: the Cyclones were ranked No. 8 in the AP preseason poll. While their season did not go to plan thanks to several big losses in Big 12 play, Iowa State has collected some notable wins, including one against ranked Kansas State to end the season. The Cyclones, despite their season woes, have played against extremely high levels of competition, and that experience will ultimately be too much for the Tigers to handle.
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate News editor, senior Sports writer, and Education Director for the ‘Prince.’
Doug Schwartz is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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