Princeton’s upset of Arizona turns clock back to 1996, but also stands out on its own

Mitch Henderson was part of both of Princeton’s biggest NCAA Tournament victories, over UCLA in 1996 as player and as head coach Thursday when Tigers upset Arizona. (Photos by Princeton Athletics)

On March 14, 1996 in Indianapolis, Princeton sent shockwaves through the college basketball world when the 13th-seeded Tigers defeated reigning national champion UCLA, 43-41, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Twenty-seven years later, history repeated itself when Princeton, this time a No. 15 seed, pulled off another stunner in its first-round South Regional matchup Thursday, bouncing No. 2 seed Arizona in a 59-55 upset that drew flashbacks to the late great Pete Carril’s takedown of the mighty Bruins. And in more ways than just the Pac-10/12 opponent, final score, and Mitch Henderson’s involvement as a player in 1996 and head coach on Thursday, the two seismic victories are similar, but also different.

“I see a lot of similarities beyond Mitch Henderson's connection with both teams,” Sydney Johnson, the Tigers’ leading scorer in the win over UCLA and eventual head coach at both his alma mater and Fairfield, said Thursday. “One thing that just jumped out at me was the fact that both teams kind of broke through in really kind of thrilling fashion. We won a playoff game against our heated rival Penn, who had beat us more than a few times leading up to that, and then you look at this 2023 Princeton team that really struggled to beat Yale for some time now. They finally broke through and knocked them off to earn that automatic berth to the NCAA, so just the ways that those two teams kind of overcame a pretty big hurdle.”

“And then secondly in terms of seeding, kind of playing heavy favorites with UCLA being the defending national champion, and Arizona just being a power in college basketball and a No. 2 seed. Both teams, in some sense, were playing with a little bit of house money. Not a lot of people were banking on us winning, and obviously the Tigers got it done, so you check a few boxes in terms of some similarities there.”

Whereas the 1995-96 Princeton outfit — with Johnson, then-point guard Henderson and Gabe Lewullis — was a guard-oriented, back-cutting team, this iteration of the Tigers possesses an X-factor that would be just as valuable in the Ivy League a quarter-century ago as he is today, Johnson argues.

“I think the big thing, to be honest, is Tosan Evbuomwan,” he said of the 6-foot-7 Englishman averaging 15 points and six rebounds per contest. “He’s an absolute stud, he’s a pro. He’s unguardable, and he’s been that way. I kind of get worked up because I don’t feel like he gets talked about enough even in the Northeast, let alone nationally. He was the best player on the court a lot of times in his junior season, Princeton lost to VCU last year in the NIT and he was the best player on the floor. (Thursday) afternoon, he was the best player on the floor.”

“Steve Goodrich was our man in the middle and he actually had a little bit of time with the Chicago Bulls and the (New Jersey) Nets, and he played overseas, as did a few of us. But humbly speaking with all due to respect to my teammates, we didn’t have a Tosan, an unguardable point forward, do-everything type of player. I just think he’s been the difference for Princeton, not just against Arizona, but for the last couple of years.”

With the win Thursday, Princeton now advances to the second round of the tournament, where awaiting the Tigers will be a Southeastern Conference program just as was the case in 1996, Mississippi State then, Missouri now on Saturday. Johnson took the time to offer advice to his alma mater as it aims to become the first Ivy League program to reach a regional semifinal since Cornell in 2010, urging the Tigers to approach the battle with Dennis Gates’ Missouri team as one where the target is squarely on their back.

“The strong thing, I would say — and I’m sure that Mitch will prepare them for this — when we faced Mississippi State, they were locked in to guard us extremely well and they took us very seriously,” Johnson cautioned. “They just flat-out outplayed us, credit to their staff and players, Erick Dampier being a pro, Dontae’ Jones. I expect that Princeton will get Missouri’s best game. That’s the one thing, don’t expect to take anybody by surprise this go-round. I’m completely sure that Missouri has their full attention.”

That said, Johnson does not believe the matchup Saturday in Sacramento will be one-sided. In fact, he would not be surprised if Princeton potentially shocked Missouri and became the third No. 15 seed to reach the Sweet 16 in as many years, following in the footsteps of Oral Roberts and Saint Peter’s, the latter of whom became the first-ever 15 seed to play in a regional final last season.

“I actually do,” Johnson said when asked if he thought Princeton could come away with another upset. “It sounds interesting. I’m not going to give away any house secrets, but there’s some holes there that both teams have ways that you can beat them. Now with that being said, Missouri brings a lot of pressure. They really speed you up, they thrive in the open court and they’ve got a wonderful player in terms of Kobe Brown, who’s also a versatile kind of point forward. So that matchup (with Evbuomwan) is going to be must-see TV, and it’s going to be a heck of a game.”

“I honestly could see Princeton winning, it would not shock me. I think the big kind of Goliath, if you will, was dealing with Arizona. Now in this next matchup, it sounds crazy, but the teams are probably a little bit closer together in terms of talent and ability to go through to the next round.”