Despite Not Having The Biggest

DESPITE NOT HAVING THE BIGGEST or fastest team, Princeton University always proves to be a rugged foe in the NCAA basketball tournament. From 1989 to 1992, the Tigers lost their four opening round games by a total of just 15 points. And in 1996, Princeton’s disciplined attack helped them emerge victorious.

Retiring coach Pete Carril’s squad drew a formidable opponent in defending national champion UCLA. At first, the Bruins adjusted to Princeton’s slow-paced offense and led 16–9 with just under seven minutes remaining before halftime. But the Tigers closed with a fury, putting together a 9–3 run and making the score 19–18 at the break.

Although they trailed 41–34 late in the second half, Princeton stuck with their game plan—tough defense and patient offense. Sydney Johnson nailed a three-pointer and Steve Goodrich canned a layup to cut the margin to two. Another Johnson layup with less than three minutes left to play tied the score at 41–41.

While Princeton’s offense started to click, UCLA’s faltered. With just over a minute left in the game, the Bruins failed to capitalize on a Tigers intentional foul as they missed both free throws and the shot following their subsequent possession.

Only 21 seconds remained in the tie game when Princeton called a time-out to set a play. Goodrich caught the inbound pass at the high post, and Gabe Lewullis faked to go outside. The freshman forward then cut inside past UCLA’s Charles O’Bannon, took a bounce pass from Goodrich, and made a layup over Kris Johnson with 3.9 seconds left on the clock.

UCLA went down in defeat 43–41 when Toby Bailey missed a last-second shot from the baseline.

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POINT Princeton rarely has the most talented athletes. But the Tigers always play with confidence, power, and discipline. They’re not afraid to compete against the bigger, tougher schools. Sometimes they win; sometimes they don’t. But they always draw the respect of their opponents.

The apostle Paul wrote letters to his young pastor friend, Timothy. He advised Timothy to preach and pastor with confidence, power, and self-discipline. God wants us to develop those qualities, too.

GOAL! When the NCAA tournament brackets come out, look at the low-seeded teams. Guess which ones will engineer upsets. Examine their confidence and self-discipline. Ask God to help you become confident and self-disciplined too.