1980–81 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team

The 1980–81 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

in intercollegiate college basketball

College basketball

College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

during the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season

The 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 28, 1980, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on March 30, 1981 at The Spectrum in Philadelphia...

. The head coach

Head coach

A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...

was Pete Carril

Pete Carril

Peter J. "Pete" Carril is a former collegiate head coach and former NBA assistant with the Sacramento Kings.-Early years:...

and the team co-captain

Captain (sports)

In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...

s were David Blatt

David Blatt

David Blatt is an American-Israeli professional basketball coach, and a former professional basketball player. Today, Blatt is one of the most successful American coaches in European basketball, and is currently the head coach of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Russia national basketball team.-Playing...

and Randy Melville. The team played its home games in the Jadwin Gymnasium

Jadwin Gymnasium

The L. Stockwell Jadwin Gymnasium is a 6,854-seat multi-purpose arena in Princeton, New Jersey. The arena opened in 1969. It is home to the Princeton University Tigers basketball team...

on the University campus in Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton, New Jersey

Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...

. The team was the champion of the Ivy League

Ivy League

The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...

, which earned them an invitation to the 48-team 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1981, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...

.

The team posted a 18–10 overall record and a 14–1 conference record. The team's only conference loss came on February 24, 1981 against the at The Palestra in 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

Kirby Sports Center

Kirby Sports Center is a 3,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Easton, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1973 and is home to the Lafayette College Leopards basketball team. It hosted the 2000 Patriot League men's basketball tournament....

at Lafayette College

Lafayette College

Lafayette College is a private coeducational liberal arts and engineering college located in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. The school, founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter,son of General Andrew Porter of Norristown and citizens of Easton, first began holding classes in 1832...

in 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

1980–81 BYU Cougars men's basketball team

The 1980–81 BYU Cougars men's basketball team represented Brigham Young University in the 1980–81 college basketball season. This was head coach Frank Arnold's sixth season at BYU. The Cougars played their home games at the Marriott Center and reached the Elite Eight, where they fell to...

60–51 at the Providence Civic Center in .

The team was led by first team All-Ivy League selection Melville. Melville tied Michael Steurer's Ivy League single-game record set on February 6, 1976 with eight steals

Steal (basketball)

In basketball, a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action. This can be done by deflecting and controlling, catching, or batting to a teammate a pass or dribble of an offensive player...

against the on December 21, 1980, which was a record that would stand until March 5, 1983. Steurer and Melville continue to share the Princeton single game record. The team achieved a 54.9% field goal percentage

Field goal percentage

Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Three-point field goals are included in this percentage. Instead of using scales of 0 to 100%, the scale .000 to 1.000 is commonly used. A higher field goal percentage denotes...

in conference games, which is the current Ivy League single-season record.

Players drafted into the NBA

Year	Round	Pick	Player	NBA Club

Players drafted into the NBA

See also