1980–81 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team

1980–81 Princeton Tigers men's basketball
Ivy League Champion
Ivy League one-game playoff, won
1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, First round
ConferenceIvy League
Record18–10 (14–1, 1st Ivy)
Head coach
Captains
Home arenaJadwin Gymnasium
Seasons
1980–81 Ivy League men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Princeton 13 – 1   .929 18 – 10   .643
Penn 13 – 1   .929 20 – 8   .714
Harvard 9 – 5   .643 16 – 10   .615
Brown 5 – 9   .357 9 – 17   .346
Columbia 5 – 9   .357 9 – 17   .346
Cornell 4 – 10   .286 7 – 19   .269
Yale 4 – 10   .286 7 – 19   .269
Dartmouth 3 – 11   .214 10 – 16   .385
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

The 1980–81 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Pete Carril and the team co-captains were David Blatt and Randy Melville.[2] The team played its home games in the Jadwin Gymnasium on the university campus in Princeton, New Jersey. The team was the champion of the Ivy League, which earned them an invitation to the 48-team 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.[3]

The team posted an 18–10 overall record and a 14–1 conference record.[2] The team's only conference loss came on February 24, 1981, against the Penn Quakers at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by a 52–43 margin. The team won its March 10, 1981, one-game Ivy League playoff game against Penn at the Kirby Sports Center at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, by a 54–40 margin for the Ivy League Championship and an invitation to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The team lost its March 12, 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament East Regional first-round game against the BYU Cougars 60–51 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island.[2][3][4]

The team was led by first team All-Ivy League selection Melville.[3] Melville tied Michael Steurer's Ivy League single-game record set on February 6, 1976, with eight steals against the Colgate Raiders on December 21, 1980, which was a record that would stand until March 5, 1983.[5] Steurer and Melville continue to share the Princeton single game record.[6] The team achieved a 54.9% field goal percentage in conference games, which is the current Ivy League single-season record.[7]

Regular season

The team posted a 18–10 (14–1 Ivy League) record.[8]

11/29 Oral Roberts L 61-66
12/2 Rutgers L 47-57
12/6 (16) St. John's W 47-46
12/9 ST. JOSEPH'S L *50-51
12/13 MANHATTAN W 58-49
12/21 COLGATE W 75-42
12/23 Ohio State L 46-72
12/27 Rhode Island ! L 58-62
12/28 Northwestern ! L *68-72
12/29 CS Fullerton ! W 60-57
1/3 SETON HALL L 51-53
1/9 Brown W 44-41
1/10 Yale W 66-50
1/12 FORDHAM L ***50-53
1/31 PENNSYLVANIA W 62-61
2/6 Cornell W 46-44
2/7 Columbia W 40-35
2/13 DARTMOUTH W 55-44
2/14 HARVARD W 72-48
2/20 YALE W 60-47
2/21 BROWN W 40-33
2/24 Pennsylvania L 43-52
2/27 Harvard W *56-54
2/28 Dartmouth W 60-46
3/6 COLUMBIA W 75-57
3/7 CORNELL W *52-46
3/10 Pennsylvania @ W 54-40
3/12 (18) vs. BYU # L 51-60

! = Far West Classic at Portland (Ore.) Mem'l Coliseum @ = Ivy League playoff at Lafayette

  1. = NCAA first round at Providence (R.I.) Civic Ctr.

References

  1. ^ sports-reference.com 1980-81 Ivy Group Season Summary
  2. ^ a b c "Men's Basketball Record Book • All-Time Results". GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton Athletic Communications. June 12, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c 2009-10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 36. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  4. ^ Princeton Athletic Communications (June 22, 2009). "Men's Basketball Record Book • Men's Basketball in the Postseason". GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton University. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  5. ^ 2009-10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 54. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Princeton Athletic Communications (June 12, 2009). "Men's Basketball Record Book • Individual & Team Records". GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton University. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
  7. ^ 2009-10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 55. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Princeton Athletic Communications (June 12, 2009). "Men's Basketball Record Book • All-Time Results". GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton University. Retrieved March 27, 2010.