No. 8 West Virginia is set to face No. 9 Princeton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. Though the name Princeton might not jump off the page, they are more than worthy of a tough matchup for the Mountaineers.
Princeton finished the season with a 25-4 overall record, and went 13-1 in Ivy League play. They were also 3-1 in neutral site games. Princeton has wins over Oklahoma and Indiana, and they lost by three to UCLA.
Princeton ranks near the top in many categories, as they are efficient on both ends of the floor. They are 24th in the country in field goal percentage, shooting about 46 percent on the season, while they are 15th in offensive rating, scoring 109 points every 100 possessions.
They are able to control the glass on the offensive end as well, as they are 13th in offensive rebounding percentage at 39 percent.
On defense, the Tigers are good with turnovers and limiting points by the opponent. They are 17th in the country in scoring defense at 56 points per game, and are 22nd in the country in turnover margin, at 4.76.
Princeton is led by Kaitlyn Chen. Chen was the Ivy League Player of the Year a season ago, and she’s averaging just under 16 points per game, shooting 49 percent from the field, and has five assists per game. Six times this season she has scored 20 or more points, including 24 against UCLA, and 31 against Villanova. She also scored 20 in Princeton’s win over Oklahoma.
Princeton also has another high scorer in Madison St. Rose, averaging 14.5 points per game on 43 percent shooting. Ellie Mitchell is a force on the glass, scoring only 5.5 points per game, but she is averaging 10.0 rebounds per game. Mitchell, Chen, and St. Rose, have started all 29 games for Princeton this season.
Princeton’s head coach is Carla Berube who is 100-16 in four seasons with the Tigers. They have had success in the NCAA Tournament, making the second round each of the past two years. They beat No. 6 Kentucky, and No. 7 NC State.
Tip-off for Saturday’s game is at 5:30 p.m. EST. The game is at Carver-Hawyeke Arena in Iowa City, Iowa.
