Last dance in New Orleans

New Orleans — On a night when the execution needed to be perfect to escape with a victory, the Tigers came up short. Playing an opponent with superior size and speed, the men's basketball team needed a nearly flawless performance to knock off North Carolina.

Some missed shots, a slow start, and a severe height disadvantage, however, doomed No. 15 Princeton (16-11 overall) as the No. 2 seed Tarheels (26-6) jumped ahead early and finished strong, ending a successful Tiger season 70-48 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. During pregame warm-ups, Princeton seemed nervous. The Tigers missed an inordinate number of shots, and a general chill seemed to hang over the team. Then Nate Walton gathered his teammates near the foul line and settled his troops. Following the brief huddle, Princeton had a renewed sense of calm going into the opening tip.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, it was short lived. The Tar Heels scored the game's first eight points, and it was not until sophomore forward Kyle Wente cut down the lane for a layup nearly three minutes into the contest that Princeton got on the scoreboard.

Though Princeton was able to open up some clear looks at the basket in the early going, the Tigers continued their poor marksmanship — converting only two of 13 three point field goal attempts in the first half.

"It was a difficult game to play," North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty said. "Princeton is a difficult opponent to prepare for. I think we really set the tone early and played some good defense in holding the to 29-percent shooting in the first half. I think we are fortunate to be here and play another day."

On the other side of the floor, North Carolina's seven-foot center Brendan Haywood dominated the Ivy champions - a team whose tallest starter is 6-7. Haywood was perfect from the floor in the first half, pacing the Tar Heels with 11 points, and helping them to a 36-16 lead at halftime.

"Once you dig yourself a hole against a good team, that's as hard as it gets," Tiger team captain, Walton said.

Despite the ominous halftime differential, Princeton refused to capitulate in the second half. Freshman guard Ed Persia scored ten points in a 2-minute 34-second span, to help pull the resilient Tigers within twelve.

"I just tried to come in and give the team some energy," Persia said. "People have been stepping up all year and hitting shots. It was just my turn."

As the Tar Heel lead swelled down the stretch, Walton in his last game in a Tiger uniform, continued playing hard. The Tiger captain drew a foul on Kris Lang, as he cut towards the basket to receive a pass. On the night, Walton led the Tigers with 9 rebounds and 7 seven assists.

"It's something you've got to deal with the rest of your life," Walton said of the loss. "As a basketball player you always take the losses harder."

While the sting of tonight's loss may linger for a little while, it does not in the least bit overshadow a surprising Princeton season.

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"It's hard to sit here after a loss and realize how good the year was and what this group accomplished," Thompson said. "The whole senior class made tremendous sacrifices. They do understand [what they've done] but they're competitors. That's part of the reason for the success we had in the second half of the year."

A team that few expected to compete in the conference carried itself with dignity on the game's biggest stage, falling to one of the top teams in the nation.

"I want to say what our team accomplished this year was tremendous," Thompson said. "We played a good team tonight, a very good team. They don't have too many weaknesses."