Missouri Tigers become Princeton’s latest victim, losing in Round 2 of NCAA Tournament

Missouri’s dream season ended at the hands of a bigger dream.

The MU men’s basketball team couldn’t overcome the madness that March brought on Saturday at the Golden 1 Center, falling 78-63 to No. 15 seed Princeton in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The seventh-seeded Tigers’ season — as chaotic, improbable and everlasting as it will remain in the MU record books — thus ends with a 25-10 record at the doorstep of the Sweet Sixteen.

With under six minutes to go, Princeton (23-8) took a 19-point lead by blitzing Missouri with 3-point shots and efficient defense.

Missouri had no answers — it was a reversal of what MU had done to so many teams this season.

“They made some shots. They did some great things,” MU coach Dennis Gates said. “I love my group. We’re not judged by one game. I adamantly will continue to say that. But we definitely got to credit our opponents for an outstanding game that they played.”

DeAndre Gholston led MU with 19 points, Noah Carter added 14 and Kobe Brown had 12, but Princeton was just the better team in every facet on Saturday.

The Cinderella magic that Princeton had cultivated against Arizona continued two days later.

Princeton rolls early

On Friday, Mizzou forward Noah Carter mentioned that Princeton outworked Arizona in beating the South Region’s No. 2 seed 59-55.

Princeton beat the Wildcats with hustle, defense and rebounding, aspects in which Mizzou could seemingly either surpass or match these other Tigers.

Whatever Princeton did, however, especially early, Missouri just couldn’t counter. That led to Princeton’s 33-26 lead at the end of the first half.

“They’re a great team, they have a great game plan,” Gholston said. “I believe they were packing the lane, not allowing us to drive and kick and get shots for a guy like D’Moi Hodge.”

Missouri closed the half with a 7-0 run. That slimmed the Princeton lead from 14 to seven. It was a short burst, but one Missouri needed. It gave MU a little rhythm that it had missed the entire first half.

MU was never in control in the half until the final minute, when the Tigers got stops and did what they needed to do in order to be within striking distance to start the second half.

This was still unfamiliar ground for Missouri. These Tigers had never played with stakes this high. They needed to find a way to face the moment.

Missouri just couldn’t match the moment in the way that Princeton did.

Diarra’s time to shine

Mohammed Diarra was an oft-used reserve for MU. Inserted into Saturday’s second-round game of the NCAA Tournament, he emerged as a key defensive player when Missouri needed it.

In the second half, when Missouri went to a zone look, Diarra protected the rim and did it at a high level. He didn’t allow Princeton to get easy attempts.

He had two quick blocks and had four rebounds at the under-12 timeout.

Diarra, with Hodge and Brown on the bench, was a spark for Missouri. MU needed to respond with some sort of offense. Gholston and East gave Missouri some points, but the team needed more.

Tigers could not match March Madness

In games against Georgia, LSU and Tennessee, Missouri trailed at halftime. MU won those games.

Against Princeton, the Tigers rattled off double-digit three-point attempts and capitalized on turnovers. Problem was, those Tigers just happened to be the ones from Princeton.

Princeton could not be stopped. Its magic continued as it outscored, out-hustled and outworked Missouri. Princeton hit 12 three-pointers, eight in the second half. Princeton also outrebounded Missouri 44-30.

MU never found its usual magic in this one. D’Moi Hodge finished with just two points. Brown had just 10.

Princeton guard Blake Peters, who is the grandson of two Missouri alums, scored 15. The storyline was there. Ryan Langborg scored 22. Caden Piece grabbed 16 rebounds.

So the fairytale continues for Princeton and the magic of Gates’ first season with Mizzou ended in Sacramento. There’s no denying how magical it was, though.

“These guys gave me everything that I could ask of them,” Gates said. “That’s what I’m most thankful for.”

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.

This story was originally published March 18, 2023 at 7:18 PM.