Women's Basketball: After milestones, Tigers look to take next step

“I had gotten a phone call from an AP reporter last night looking for a quote, and I got to go to bed knowing we had the highest seed for an Ivy team in women’s basketball history,” head coach Courtney Banghart said.

The two Ivy League firsts join a staggering list of accomplishments by a program that already dominated the conference by going 14-0 in the Ancient Eight for the second time in three years.

But after all praise and accomplishments, the next mark on Princeton’s list is how to take the next step and become only the second team in conference history to advance in the NCAA Tournament.

Princeton will play No. 8-seed Kansas State at 11:20 a.m. on Saturday in Bridgeport, Conn.

“There’s often the speculation that coaches know who they are going to play prior to the tournament, but we really had no idea who else would be with us,” Banghart said. “We knew it would be between an eight- and a 10-seed, but beyond that, no clue.”

Today’s historic positioning on the national stage began with a dominance of the Ivy League that only started two years ago. During the first NCAA run in program history, the No. 11-seed Tigers entered the tournament with a story similar to this year’s: 21 consecutive victories — each coming by double digits — a perfect mark in the Ivy League and a 26-3 overall record.

But under the national lights, the inexperienced program faced a strong No. 6-seed in St. John’s. The Red Storm held Princeton to 28.3 percent shooting from the field and one for 10 from behind the arc, both low points of the season in a disappointing 65-47 defeat.

That year, leading scorer Niveen Rasheed was a freshman, while guard Lauren Edwards and center Devona Allgood were only sophomores, but all three had already established themselves as key contributors to the team’s offense. In the tournament, however, all three made less than 36 perecent of their shots, well below their averages.

A year later, Rasheed could not join the Tigers in the tournament after suffering a season-ending ACL injury months earlier. The road to the national stage was a bit bumpier, as Princeton lost once during Ivy League play and had to clinch its ticket with a win over Harvard near the end of the season.

For a squad that had only four losses, all coming by single digits, it was especially crushing when the Tigers were immediately dismantled by No. 5-seed Georgetown, which took a 22-5 lead on No. 12-seed Princeton early in the first half.

“We will get one in the tournament,” Banghart said after the 65-49 loss. “I don’t know when ... I know how hard it is. I have a lot of respect for this tournament, but we will get one.”

So with two years of experience behind them, Tiger fans could see yesterday’s promising team revealing itself today. The similarities aside, this year’s squad boasts a healthy team, experienced contributors and an even matchup for the first-round game.

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Of the many unprecedented differences for the team this year, though, the most notable one could just be the location. In the 2010 tournament Princeton went down to Florida; while the Tigers were somewhat closer last year at the University of Maryland, this season will mark their shortest trip yet.

“Down in Maryland, we gave away free T-shirts to the crowd to have an orange wave in the audience,” Banghart said. “But to play close to home is special, when you can have the chance for your classmates and families and fans personally come to watch.”

With the next step in sight, Banghart explained that the Tigers simply have to put the next pieces in place.

“Since we found out who we’re playing, my staff and I have been up all night figuring out how to do this,” Banghart said. “We have an idea, and now we just need to follow up on the plan.”