After making it into March Madness by the skin of their teeth, the Tigers won’t be wasting any time getting started in the Big Dance.
Princeton women’s basketball (21–7 overall, 12–2 Ivy League) will play in the first play-in game of the tournament, facing off against Iowa State (22–11, 12–6 Big 12) at 7 p.m. in South Bend, Indiana. After the bracket was revealed on Sunday, NCAA selection committee chair Derita Dawkins revealed that Princeton was the last team in the field.
“We’ve certainly been knee deep in Iowa State Cyclones,” Head Coach Carla Berube told The Daily Princetonian. “They have a talented team.”
Princeton will be playing on an accelerated timeline, with just four days of rest between the Ivy semifinal and their First Four matchup. On the other hand, Iowa State has not played since March 7.
“We like that we’re playing [in the Ivy tournament] right towards the end of the season,” Berube said.
The Cyclones also had to wait on the edge of their seats. Starting the season ranked eighth in the country, Iowa State had a topsy-turvy season before winning seven of their last nine games. The Cyclones finished 12–6 in conference play, but notably, they haven’t lost to an unranked opponent since early January.
Iowa State is led by sophomore center Audi Crooks, a unanimous first-team All-Big 12 selection. On the outside, the Cyclones have a corps of sharpshooters, with their four other starters all averaging over 35 percent from three-point range.
The ‘Prince’ previewed the matchup, focusing on three critical storylines that will run through the game.
Similar season narratives
Both Iowa State and Princeton have one senior starter and four sophomores to round out the starting five. Iowa State’s senior guard Emily Ryan has excellent vision on the court, averaging over six assists per game. She is joined by Crooks, forward Addy Brown, and guards Arianna Jackson and Kelsey Joens in Iowa State’s starting five.
While experience will likely not be a major factor given this age balance, Princeton’s sophomore corps still has come a long way since the beginning of the season, when they still were learning how to play with each other.
“Chemistry … when you don’t have your most experienced leader, your leader on the court, just takes some time,” Berube said, referencing junior Madison St. Rose’s season-ending injury four games into the season. “Our sophomores are becoming great leaders.”
Also like the Tigers, the Cyclones had no bad losses in conference play. In the Big 12, they had a defined floor and a defined ceiling, going 12–2 against unranked opponents but 1–5 against ranked competition.
Can the Tigers stop Audi Crooks?
It’s no secret that Iowa State’s offense runs through Audi Crooks. The sophomore center was an All-American last year as a first-year, and she picked up where she left off, averaging over 23 points and seven rebounds per game. She ranks fifth in the country in usage rate, a statistic that represents how much a player is involved while on the floor. At 6’3”, she is a type of player Princeton has not seen in Ivy competition and is a unique challenge for Princeton to prepare for.
“It’s not easy. It’s challenging for sure,” Berube said of defending Crooks. “There’s nobody like Audi or Iowa State in the Ivy League.”
The responsibility to stop Crooks falls upon Princeton’s forward corps. Senior forward Parker Hill, who stands at 6’4”, will likely draw the majority of the minutes. Berube confirmed that junior forward Tabitha Amanze and senior forward Katie Thiers will also be in the rotation (Thiers is a contributing Features writer for the ‘Prince’). Princeton tried to emulate Crooks on the scout team in practice, hopefully giving their starters a taste of what to expect.
“Shout out to Paige [Morton],” sophomore guard Fadima Tall said in a pregame presser.
A clash of styles
Offensively, the Cyclones and the Tigers play with very different tendencies. Fitting with their defensive ethos, Princeton thrives in low-scoring games. The Tigers play much more deliberately, choosing to exhaust more of the shot clock on each possession and coaxing the opposing defense into making mistakes and letting up.
On the other hand, Iowa State runs an electric offense. They are sixth in the country in assists per game and 27th in points per game, demonstrative of their fast-paced approach. They will be looking to rush the Tigers into playing quickly and freely, forcing Princeton to make mistakes.
“We’re going to [play our brand of basketball] by playing fast and getting up and down the court fast, and they’re going to have to adjust,” Iowa State forward Addy Brown told the press.
With just under 24 hours to go until tipoff, which will be on ESPNU, the Tigers are excited for the opportunity at hand and eager to play more basketball, with the taste of the loss to Harvard still fresh in their mouths.
“We’re now hungry to show that we are a winning team and get some W’s,” Belker said.
Max Hines is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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