Princeton’s Kaitlyn Chen looks to make March Madness run of her own

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Barring the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history — Iowa is a 38.5-point favorite against Holy Cross — Caitlin Clark’s final home game will come Monday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The other Kaitlyn may be waiting on the other side.

Kaitlyn Chen, last season’s Ivy League Player of the Year, leads No. 9 Princeton (25-4) into Saturday’s first round matchup against No. 8 West Virginia (24-7), looking to give the Tigers an NCAA Tournament win over a power conference team for the third straight year.

Kaitlyn Chen drives on Columbia’s Kitty Henderson during Princeton’s win in the women’s Ivy League title game. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“That Kaitlyn is really, really good too,” West Virginia coach Mark Kellogg said. “She is special good. Watched her a ton. Just trying to figure out what we’re going to do to slow her and slow them down.”

Last year, Chen had 22 points and seven rebounds in a first round win over N.C. State.

In 2022, Chen scored 17 points in an upset of Kentucky.

“It’s great to have somebody with the experience, that composure and poise that she does play with,” Princeton coach Carla Berube said. “She’s smart, strong, sees the floor well and doesn’t let the moments rattle her.”

Despite playing in her third year at Princeton, Chen — who averages 15.8 points and five assists per game — will be playing her final games for the school because of the Ivy League’s unwillingness to allow its players to use the extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The point guard, who entered the transfer portal in the fall, will be one of the most coveted players on the market in the offseason.

Kaitlyn Chen celebrates by sitting on the net-less basket after Princeton’s win in the Ivy League title game. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It is widely believed she will spend her final season at a high-major program.

The California native could return west to one of this tournament’s 2-seeds (Stanford, UCLA) or USC, a 1-seed, featuring the nation’s second-leading scorer (JuJu Watkins) and three Ivy League transfers (McKenzie Forbes, Kaitlyn Davis, Kayla Padilla).

“I’m not really focused on that right now,” Chen said. “I’m more focused on hoping to make an NCAA Tournament run right now.”