No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Princeton is probably the best bit of cognitive dissonance available in the slate of Second Round games in the 2011 NCAA Tournament Bracket. On on hand, there’s the behemoth blue-blood, Kentucky, which is led by scandal-tarnished John Calipari and dogged by questions about whether his one-and-done-heavy approach to program-building is kosher or good for college basketball. And then there’s Princeton, which carries the scrapper’s legacy of Pete Carril and is forever remembered in the casual March Madness fan’s mind as the team that felled mighty UCLA once upon a time. If you like contrast, make sure to tune in early on Thursday — Kentucky vs. Princeton is the second CBS game of the 2011 NCAA Tournament schedule, and tips at 2:45 p.m. Thursday from Tampa.
NCAA Bracket Preview, Predictions: No. 4 Kentucky Vs. No. 13 Princeton
Kentucky is, of course, the heavy favorite. And justifiably so: Brandon Knight is unlike any player the Tigers have dealt with this year — save Duke's Nolan Smith and Kyrie Irving, who gashed Princeton in a 97-60 win at Cameron on Nov. 14 — and he's not even the most talented Wildcat. Between Knight and Terrence Jones, Calipari has two gifted offensive creators with better-than-average shots who have some trouble picking the right ones: in Knight's case, his nearly peerless midrange game makes up for some questionable shot selection, but Jones could benefit from passing up a few 18-footers now and again. Kentucky's supporting cast isn't particularly deep, but between Darius Miller, DeAndre Liggins, and Doron Lamb, they definitely have the best set of players in the country with given names starting with D and surnames starting with L or M.
Princeton has a ton on its plate, sure, but these Tigers are no slouches. A strong senior class, led by Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Kareem Maddox — likely to be matched up against both Knight and Jones — turned Princeton from the Ivy League laughingstock into its king. And the Tigers showed their fortitude with wins in must-win games over Pennsylvania and Harvard in the last week; being intimidated by Kentucky, which dispatched fellow Ivy League upstart Cornell in the 2010 NCAA Tournament, seems unlikely.
Star Watch: Maddox is not only Princeton's defensive stopper: he's the Tigers' best offensive option. While Dan Mavraides has carried the team lately, and Maddox, Mavraides, Ian Hummer, and Douglas Davis all score in double figures for Princeton, Maddox makes 57.6% of his shots, and has an Offensive Rating of 117.0, good for 138th in the nation.
Prediction: Princeton acquits itself nicely for a half or more, but Kentucky’s talent takes over late for a 74-59 rout.
More Reading: SB Nation’s Kentucky blog A Sea of Blue will have everything you need to read about the Wildcats. And you can check out our Princeton team preview for more on the Tigers.
Need help picking your bracket? Check out SB Nation’s full 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions, picking every game of March Madness, or our region by region breakdowns for the East Region, West Region, Southeast Region, and Southwest Region.
Did your team miss the 2011 NCAA Tournament? We have you covered: check out the 2011 NIT bracket.
