| 1980–81Princeton Tigers men's basketball | |
|---|---|
Ivy League Champion | |
Ivy League one-game playoff, won 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, First round | |
| Conference | Ivy League |
| Record | 18–10 (14–1, 1st Ivy) |
| Head coach |
|
| Captains | |
| Home arena | Jadwin Gymnasium |
Seasons ← 1979–80 1981–82 → | |
| 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 fromAP Poll[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The1980–81 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team representedPrinceton University in intercollegiatecollege basketball during the1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Thehead coach wasPete Carril and the team co-captains wereDavid Blatt andRandy Melville.[2] The team played its home games in theJadwin Gymnasium on the university campus inPrinceton, New Jersey. The team was the champion of theIvy League, which earned them an invitation to the 48-team1981 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 thePenn Quakers atThe Palestra inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, by a 52–43 margin. The team won its March 10, 1981, one-game Ivy League playoff game against Penn at theKirby Sports Center atLafayette College inEaston, 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 theBYU Cougars 60–51 at theProvidence Civic Center inProvidence, 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 eightsteals against theColgate 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]
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 |
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