Did you happen to see Princeton’s NCAA Tourney appearance? This past Thursday, the Princeton Tigers took on the Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The Ivy League’s representative, a 14th seed in March Madness, proved a formidable opponent, pushing Kentucky to the final seconds when a Wildcat layup clinched a 59-57 victory for the 3rd seeded favorites. The game was reminiscent of 1989 when the 16th seeded Tigers nearly toppled the 1st seeded Georgetown Hoyas before falling 50-49 thanks to an Alonzo Mourning block at the very end of the game. A 16 seed has never beaten a 1 seed in the history of the men’s NCAA Tournament. But enough about basketball. Our readers care about admissions. Ahhh, but there’s a link between the two subjects. Allow us to elaborate.

The fact that Princeton made it to the NCAA Tournament in the first place as the Ivy League representative will invariably boost their applications for next year’s admissions cycle. Yet Princeton did exit in the first round so it shouldn’t be as big of a boost as, say, the boost that Cornell experienced last year when the Big Red advanced to the Sweet 16. It will also be difficult to discern whether Princeton’s reinstatement of an Early admissions policy or the school’s NCAA Tournament bid will be responsible for the surge in applications we project next year. But, at least historically, the further a school tends to advance in March Madness, the more applications they often receive the subsequent year in admissions (with exceptions, of course). It’s a trend we keep an eye on here on our college admissions blog — and it’s one that doesn’t get nearly the attention it should.

While you’re here, read more about the ties that bind between college admissions and March Madness.