Tigers to face Texas in first round of NCAA tournament

The Princeton men's basketball team will play the University of Texas in the first round of the NCAA tournament at 7:20 p.m. EST Thursday, March 18, at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The game will be carried live on CBS.

The Ivy League champion Tigers, who finished the regular season at 20-7, earned the No. 14 seed in the Atlanta Region. Texas, the Big 12 runner-up, has a 23-7 record and is the No. 3 seed.

The two teams have met three times in the last six seasons, including a game at Texas last season that the Longhorns won, 57-54. "We played well against them last year," said Princeton senior Ed Persia. "But it's a new season and every team in the NCAA tournament is a great team. We're just excited to be playing in March."

"This is why we do what we do, to the get to the NCAA tournament and compete," said Princeton head coach John Thompson. "We're familiar with Texas, but we know they have some great players who are playing well right now."

The Tigers won their 25th Ivy League championship with a 13-1 conference record this season. They are making their 23rd NCAA appearance. Princeton won nine straight games to end the regular season, clinching its 17th 20-win season and ninth NCAA bid in the last 16 years.

More information is available on the Princeton athletics Web site.