The defending league-champion Quakers had odds stacked against them in the first place. By the time Princeton put together its 16-1 run, the Tigers had chewed seven minutes off the clock and taken firm command with 5:58 to play.

Konrad Wysocki roars as the Tigers claim the Ivy League title. (AP)

For the Quakers to have represented the league in March Mayhem for the third consecutive year, they first needed to win this game to forge a share of the Ivy title with the Tigers. Doing so would have forced a one-game playoff Saturday night at a neutral site -- Lehigh of the Patriot League -- for the right to reach the NCAAs.

Even then, Penn's 3-12 record outside the conference probably would have required the Quakers to compete in the new play-in game to reach the field of 64.

There will be no such requirement for Princeton (16-10, 11-3 Ivy League). The Tigers have a win over Xavier to their credit this season. Their non-conference record was respectable, especially given a schedule that included Duke and Penn State.

Princeton will go to the tournament with some high-profile names, including first-year head coach John Thompson III and senior center Nate Walton -- one of former-UCLA and NBA great Bill Walton's sons.

"I thought Princeton did a great job tonight," said veteran coach Fran Dunphy, whose NCAA Tournament win with the Quakers over Nebraska in 1994 was Penn's first since 1980. "I thought Coach Thompson did a wonderful job of preparing his team all year long, actually. I'm just real impressed with how they played."

So much for the notion of variety in the Ivy League. Before last weekend's round of games, there was the possibility of a four-way tie that would have included Yale and Brown. But as has been the case for the past 13 years, Princeton or Penn was going to be the league's winner.

Princeton or Penn has won the Ivy title in 31 of the past 33 seasons.

The Tigers won the latest on a night that seemed to capture the right mood for this stoic but spirited conference, known as the Ancient Eight. A light snow fell around the Gothic buildings that dominate Princeton's 251-year-old campus as fans from here and Philadelphia -- where Penn is based -- entered Jadwin.

Princeton's halls probably lead the Ivy League in actual ivy. But no school in this conference has a greater disparity between campus ambiance and the complete lack of it in its basketball gym.

Still, with such a heavy turnout, fans dwarfed the half of this modern field house kept open for Tigers' basketball games -- providing the kind of atmosphere you'll see most nights at the Palestra on Penn's campus.

Walton, as usual, led his team with seven assists. The Tigers, remarkably consistent in their 3-point shooting (11-of-20, or 55 percent), spread out scoring among swift guard Ahmed El-Nokali (14 points) and forwards Kyle Wente (12 points) and Andre Logan (10).

"I've never been so proud to be part of any team in my entire life," Walton said.

This is the 6-foot-7 Walton's fifth season at Princeton.

He maintained his eligibility for this year because he withdrew from school two years ago, five games into a junior season in which he required foot surgery.

When Walton returned last year for another stab at a junior season, his assist total of 113 was fifth-best in school history even though he played half the year with a cast on his passing hand.

In referring to the hurdles Princeton has overcome so far, Thompson nodded toward Walton when he said, "We've got a small forward playing center. But the guys had confidence in me and they had confidence in each other."

Thompson waited a beat before adding, "I'm trying to figure out how to get Nate back one more year."

Walton proved too much for Penn's senior center Geoff Owens to contain.

"I'm very disappointed. We never came together," Owens said. "(Walton) played an outstanding game tonight. I take my hat off to him."