15 seed m. hoops to take on UNC in New Orleans

Twenty minutes after six last night, there was an air of merriment in the Chancellor Green Rotunda. Men's basketball players ate pizza before taking their seats. Coaches chatted with friends and family members, while their children scampered about the room, oblivious to the importance of the situation.

Ten minutes later, however, the local news drew to a close, and the casual conversation quieted as the CBS NCAA Tournament Selection Show came on the air.

As Greg Gumbel began to announce the pairings in the East Region, all the ears in the room perked up, eagerly anticipating the pairing for the No. 2 seed versus No. 15 game in Long Island. A hushed murmur went through the room as the first 15 vs. 2 matchup, Kentucky-Holy Cross, flashed up on the screen. The tension would remain unbroken until the tail end of the program.

Each time a number two seed came up on the television, the room grew quiet in a sense of anticipation. For the first three regions, the crowd was disappointed, but when the Tigers' pairing was finally announced, the players pumped their fists and threw their hands into the air. A cheer went up from the room as "Princeton" appeared in the bracket.

In the 28th of 32 pairings in the first round, the Tigers (16-10 overall, 11-3 Ivy League), officially learned their opponent in the first round — North Carolina (25-6,13-3 Atlantic Coast Conference).

"[It was] the last possible place they could put us," senior guard C.J. Chapman said. "They drew it out. It made it more exciting. It probably would be kind of a letdown if you were the first team called."

Friday, at the New Orleans Superdome, the Ivy League champion will take on the ACC co-regular season champion in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

"They're a very good team," junior guard Ahmed El Nokali said. "They had a right to be a number one.

"They're a very big team. We were down at their tournament last year, and we saw them play."

Though the Tigers missed the chance to play against the Tar Heels last year at the Food Lion MVP Classic by falling to Nevada-Las Vegas in the opening round, they do have some recent experience against North Carolina.

During the 1997-98 campaign, Princeton lost its only regular season contest at the Dean Smith Coliseum, falling 50-42. The year before, North Carolina came to Jadwin and held on for a 69-60 victory.

"We're excited, obviously, to be in the tournament," head coach John Thompson '88 said. "Once you get to the tournament, you have 65 teams that are very good — very well-coached. It's not like you can sit there and say, 'who do you want to play?' I'm excited about playing against North Carolina."

Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

The Tar Heels have won seven out of 12 meetings against the Tigers, dating back to the first contest in 1929. While the Tigers have won five games against North Carolina over the years, they are 0-5 in games played on a neutral court.

"That's where I expected us. I thought we'd be a 15-seed," Thompson said. "I figured just looking at the history of where the Ivy League Champion has gone, I'm surprised that we're not in the East, but I'm ecstatic that we're in New Orleans."

The winner of the Princeton-North Carolina game will play the winner of No. 7 Penn State and No. 10 Providence.

"You have to go into it thinking that you have a chance to win," sophomore forward Kyle Wente said. "I think we all believe that, and we'll see what we can do."