The 2009–10 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Sydney Johnson and the team captains were Nick Lake and Marcus Schroeder.[1] The team played its home games in the Jadwin Gymnasium on the University campus in Princeton, New Jersey, and was the runner-up of the Ivy League, which earned them an invitation to the 16-team 2010 College Basketball Invitational single-elimination tournament where they were advanced to the third round to play in the semifinals.
2009–10 Princeton Tigers men's basketball | |
---|---|
2010 College Basketball Invitational, Semifinals | |
Conference | Ivy League |
Record | 22–9 (11–3, 2nd Ivy) |
Head coach |
|
Captains | |
Home arena | Jadwin Gymnasium |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cornell | 13 | – | 1 | .929 | 29 | – | 5 | .853 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Princeton | 11 | – | 3 | .786 | 22 | – | 9 | .710 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Harvard | 10 | – | 4 | .714 | 21 | – | 9 | .700 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Yale | 6 | – | 8 | .429 | 12 | – | 19 | .387 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Columbia | 5 | – | 9 | .357 | 11 | – | 17 | .393 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brown | 5 | – | 9 | .357 | 11 | – | 20 | .355 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Penn | 5 | – | 9 | .357 | 6 | – | 22 | .214 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dartmouth | 1 | – | 13 | .071 | 5 | – | 23 | .179 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As of March 21, 2010 Rankings from AP Poll |
The team posted a 22–9 overall record and an 11–3 conference record.[1] On January 6, 2010, against Marist Patrick Saunders had a perfect shooting night from the floor on eight field goals including five three-point shots.[2] These field goal percentages are both listed in the Princeton record books as tied for the second best perfect performances.[3] On January 24 against Goucher, the team established the school single-game record for steals with 20, surpassing the 17 set on five occasions between December 6, 1975, and January 28, 2002.[3][4] In the March 17, opening-round game of the College Basketball Invitational tournament at home, Princeton defeated the Duquesne Dukes 65–51.[5] The game was Princeton's first postseason appearance since the 2003–04 team went to the 2004 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and the first postseason victory since the 1998–99 team won two games in the 1999 National Invitation Tournament.[6] On March 22, the team defeated IUPUI 74–68 in double overtime at IUPUI Gymnasium in Indianapolis, Indiana.[7] The Tigers had previously won in the postseason in Indianapolis when the 1995–96 team pulled off a first-round upset of the national defending champion in the 1996 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[8] In the tournament semifinals the team was defeated by Saint Louis University 69–59 at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 24. Princeton led 25–22 with 7:25 remaining in the first half but fell behind by a 38–29 halftime score.[9][10]
Head coach Johnson employs the Princeton offense.[11] The prior season the only two schools who had lower scoring averages also ran the Princeton offense: Oregon State and Denver.[12]
The team was led by second team All-Ivy League selections sophomore Douglas Davis and junior Dan Mavraides. It was the first time since 2004 that two Tigers had been on the first or second All-Ivy League teams.[13] Using the Princeton offense, Princeton led the nation in scoring defense for the twentieth time since 1976.[14][15] Following the season, Bill Bradley was awarded the Court of Honor Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches.[16]