1989 Georgetown vs. Princeton men's basketball game

Near-upset by a 16-seed in the 1989 NCAA tournament April 2020 1989 NCAA tournamenteast regional first round Providence Civic Center in 1990 (4666914165).jpg The Providence Civic Center in 1990 1988 Princeton Tigers Georgetown Hoyas 17–7 22–4 29 20 21 29 Pete Carril John Thompson Jr. NR Not ranked NR Not ranked 2 2 March 17, 1989 Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island Dick Paparo, Charles Range, J. Don Ferguson 12,106 ESPN Mike Gorman, Ron Perry On March 17, 1989, during the first round of the 1989 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the Georgetown University Hoyas played a college basketball game against the Princeton University Tigers at Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The Hoyas, who were seeded first in the East regional bracket, faced the Tigers, who were seeded 16th in the East. The Hoyas, who were strong favorites, won by an unexpectedly narrow margin of 50–49, only securing their win by preventing a Princeton basket on the final possession of the game. Had Princeton won, they would have been the first 16-seed in tournament history to defeat a 1-seed, a feat that was not achieved until UMBC upset Virginia in 2018. Media outlets have dubbed the Georgetown–Princeton match-up as "the game that saved March Madness".https://www.si.com/longform/princeton-georgetown/index.html The Game That Saved March Madness February 17, 2023 March 13, 2014 Sports Illustrated in collaboration with Time Gregory, Sean and Alexander Wolff The game is credited with halting discussions to downsize the NCAA tournament by eliminating automatic bids for smaller conferences. It also reportedly factored into CBS's decisions to renew their NCAA contract later that year, and to obtain exclusive broadcasting rights for the first-round games two years later. Background Georgetown entered the NCAA tournament with a 22–4 regular-season record, and a roster that included future NBA stars such as Alonzo Mourning and Dikembe Mutombo.Twenty-Five Years Later Princeton, Georgetown Matchup Still Stands Out https://www.wbur.org/onlyagame/2014/03/22/princeton-georgetown-ncaa-tournament WBUR-FM 15 April 2020 en 22 March 2014 They earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning the Big East regular season and tournament titles, and were ranked second in both major polls. Princeton came into the tournament with a 17–7 regular season record. They earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning the Ivy League championship. In the three previous NCAA tournaments, the Ivy League representative had lost by an average of 40 points. Princeton was a 23-point underdog.https://paw.princeton.edu/article/essay-paul-hauge-80 After 25 Years, Imagining the Whistle That Never Came Princeton Alumni Weekly Hauge, Paul February 19, 2023 February 21, 2014 The matchup of Georgetown and Princeton was the very first game shown during the selection show, the televised event wherein the seeding and first-round games are announced. The game was set to take place at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island. Broadcast Although CBS was the primary TV broadcaster of the 1989 tournament, the Georgetown–Princeton game was carried by ESPN. CBS had other programming lined up for primetime on Thursday and Friday of the tournament's opening weekend, and thus limited their first round coverage to the late-night slots. ESPN was left with 14 games across Thursday and Friday to pick from for their national coverage. The decision to air the Georgetown–Princeton game has been attributed to Tom Odjakian, who was in charge of ESPN's college basketball programming at the time. Interviewed in a 2015 documentary, Odjakian said he chose the game because he believed it had a higher ceiling for ratings in the unlikely event that it was a close game. The Billion Dollar Game https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1052122331467861 3 May 2020 30 for 30 Shorts ESPN Facebook 11 March 2015 1 33 Ron Perry and Mike Gorman provided game commentary out of Providence Civic Center. From ESPN's studio, John Saunders and Dick Vitale provided color commentary and coverage of other tournament games before and after the game and during halftime. During the pre-game show, Vitale told Saunders "If Princeton can beat Georgetown, I'm going to hitchhike to Providence, which isn't that far from here. I'm going to be their ball boy on their next game and then I'm going to change into a Princeton cheerleading uniform. I'm going to lead all the cheers. 'Let's go Tigers. Let's go Tigers.'"https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2625258-the-incredible-upset-that-has-never-happened The Incredible Upset That Has Never Happened February 18, 2023 March 16, 2016 Bleacher Report Couch, Greg As the first half ended with Princeton leading by 8, Saunders and Vitale expressed their shock during ESPN's halftime coverage, with Saunders opening with the remark, "I guess 'speechless' would be the way to describe us here." After the game, Vitale wore a Princeton sweatshirt and praised the underdog's performance, remarking, "That would have been the greatest upset in the history of the NCAA tournament." Game summary thumb|right|Freshman Alonzo Mourning of Georgetown shoots free throws with 1:41 left. Princeton led Georgetown for most of the first half, and led 29–21 at halftime. Georgetown never held a lead until a basket by forward Sam Jefferson gave them a 39–37 lead with 10:25 to play in the second half. The game remained close to the very end. With seconds left, Alonzo Mourning sunk a free throw to give Georgetown the 50–49 lead. With 15 seconds remaining, Princeton senior Bob Scrabis attempted a three-pointer but was blocked by Mourning, sending the ball out of bounds. Kit Mueller received the inbound pass with one second left to attempt a final shot, but Mourning executed another successful block as time expired.Moran Malcolm Georgetown Survives a Scare by Princeton https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/18/sports/ncaa-tournament-east-georgetown-survives-princeton-scare.html The New York Times 15 April 2020 Providence, RI 45 en 18 March 1989 Box score Friday, March 17 7:07 PM EST box score #1 Georgetown Hoyas 50 #16 Princeton Tigers 49 29–21 20–29 A. Mourning – 21 A. Mourning – 13 R. Scrabis – 15 G. Leftwich – 5 K. Mueller – 8 Providence Civic Center – Providence, Rhode Island 12,106 Dick Paparo, Charles Range, J. Don Ferguson ESPN thumb|right|The scoreboard showing a narrow Princeton lead late in the second half|alt=A cube scoreboard labeled "Providence Civic Center" showing the score Georgetown 47, Princeton 49 with 1:41 on the clock LegendNo.Jersey numberPosPositionMinMinutes playedFGMField goals madeFGAField goals attempted3PMThree-pointers made3PAThree-pointers attemptedFTMFree throws madeFTAFree throws attemptedORebOffensive reboundsRebReboundsAstAssistsStlStealsBlkBlocksTOTurnoversPFPersonal foulsPtsPoints +Georgetown HoyasNo. Jersey numberPlayerPos PositionMin Minutes playedFGM Field goals madeFGA Field goals attempted3PM Three-point field goals made3PA Three-point field goals attemptedFTM Free throws madeFTA Free throws attemptedOReb Offensive reboundsReb ReboundsAst AssistsStl StealsBlk BlocksTO TurnoversPF Personal foulsPts Points33Alonzo MourningC388110056713007132113Charles Smith basketball, born 1967G382120501022003444Bobby Winston 1G/F322200443631021821Jaren JacksonF302400122310011520Mark TillmonG292214133501021812Dwayne Bryant 1G210201000311021052John Turner basketballF81100020000111250Sam Jefferson 1F411000000000102Team totals194211011181532738131250Statistics from Sports-Reference.com1988-89 Georgetown Hoyas Roster and Stats https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/georgetown/1989.html 15 April 2020 +Princeton TigersNo. Jersey numberPlayerPos PositionMin Minutes playedFGM Field goals madeFGA Field goals attempted3PM Three-point field goals made3PA Three-point field goals attemptedFTM Free throws madeFTA Free throws attemptedOReb Offensive reboundsReb ReboundsAst AssistsStl StealsBlk BlocksTO TurnoversPF Personal foulsPts Points34Bob Scrabis basketballF40613261212220121500Kit MuellerC4041101120382123922George Leftwich 1G401200001501013233Matt Lapin 1F3451027001240024125Jerry Doyle 1G274601000001004812Troy Hottenstein 1G131111000100013355Matt Eastwick 1F600000000000000 Team totals214451625313146171949Statistics from Sports-Reference.comPrinceton vs. Georgetown Box Score, March 17, 1989 https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/boxscores/1989-03-17-georgetown.html 15 April 2020 1988-89 Princeton Tigers Roster and Stats https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/princeton/1989.html 15 April 2020 Aftermath As the NCAA tournament uses a single-elimination bracket, the Princeton Tigers were eliminated and their season was over. The Georgetown Hoyas advanced to the second round to face the 9th seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who had defeated the 8th seeded Vanderbilt Commodores that same day to advance. The Hoyas went on to defeat the Fighting Irish in the second round and the 5th seeded NC State Wolfpack in the regional semifinals, before falling to the 2nd seeded Duke Blue Devils in the east regional final. Legacy Sports Illustrated and Time have called it "the game that saved March Madness".Wolff Alexander Gregory Sean The Game That Saved March Madness https://time.com/22981/the-game-that-saved-march-madness/ Time 15 April 2020 en 13 March 2014Gregory Sean Wolff Alexander The Game That Saved March Madness https://www.si.com/longform/princeton-georgetown/index.html Sports Illustrated 5 April 2020 en 17 March 2014 Prior to this near-upset, the NCAA had been considering eliminating automatic tournament bids for smaller conferences such as Princeton's Ivy League; this game is widely credited with halting those discussions.O'Neil Dana This Day in Madness: 29 years before UMBC, there was Pete Carril's Princeton https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1679550/2020/03/17/this-day-in-madness-29-years-before-umbc-there-was-pete-carrils-princeton/ The Athletic 5 April 2020 17 March 2020 Airing in primetime on ESPN, the game garnered strong ratings, which drew the attention of network executives. The game is reported to have played a role in CBS's decision later that year to sign a new seven-year contract. Starting with the 1991 tournament two years later, CBS took over broadcasting responsibilities for all games from the first round. See also 1998 Harvard vs. Stanford women's basketball game 2018 UMBC vs. Virginia men's basketball game 2023 Fairleigh Dickinson vs. Purdue men's basketball game References External links "The Game That Saved March Madness" at Sports Illustrated "The Billion Dollar Game", a 2015 documentary short from ESPN's 30 for 30 KwAJweBPd10 Excerpts from the game's television broadcast (from Princeton University's archives) h_rbPuS_4j4 Final seven minutes of the game (from NCAA March Madness) Georgetown vs. Princeton men's basketball game Georgetown vs. Princeton men's basketball game Category:Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball Category:Princeton Tigers men's basketball Category:NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament games Georgetown vs. Princeton men's basketball game Georgetown vs. Princeton men's basketball game Category:Nicknamed sporting events