1996–97 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team

The 1996–97 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 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. 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 Bill Carmody

Bill Carmody

Bill Carmody is an American men's college basketball coach.Since 2000, he has been the head coach of the Northwestern Wildcats at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.-Early life and education:...

and the team 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...

was Sydney Johnson

Sydney Johnson

Sydney Johnson is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach at Fairfield University for the Fairfield Stags men's basketball team. Previously, Johnson was the head coach at Princeton University from 2007 to 2011 where he led the Princeton Tigers men's basketball team to the...

. 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 undefeated 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 64-team 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1997, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Indianapolis, Indiana...

where they were seeded twelfth in the East Region. This was Carmody's first season taking over the coaching duties from Pete Carril

Pete Carril

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

who had been Princeton coach since 1967 and retired as the Ivy League's winningest coach in terms of victories and conference championships.

Using the Princeton offense

Princeton offense

The Princeton offense is an offensive basketball strategy which emphasizes constant motion, passing, back-door cuts, and disciplined teamwork. It was used and perfected at Princeton University by Pete Carril, though its roots may be traced back to Franklin “Cappy” Cappon, who coached Princeton...

, the team posted a 24–4 overall record and a 14–0 conference record. On February 28 and March 1, 1997, Johnson established the current Ivy League record by making 11 consecutive three point field goals against and , respectively. The six for six performance against Columbia stands as the only Ivy League perfect three point shot game of six attempts or more. The team ended the regular season on a nineteen-game winning streak, which tied a school record. Nonetheless, in a March 13, 1997, NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament East Regional first round game at the Joel Coliseum in against the fifth-seeded , the team lost 55–52.

The team was led by first team All-Ivy League selections Steve Goodrich

Steve Goodrich

Steven Withington Goodrich is a former National Basketball Association player, who played center for the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets in the early 2000s. Although after a remarkable career in college, he was seldom used in the pros...

and Johnson. Johnson earned Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year

Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year

The Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the Ivy League's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1974–75 season. There have been five players honored on two occasions: Craig Robinson, Kit Mueller, Jerome Allen, Ugonna Onyekwe and...

. He earned the award for his defense and was the first winner with a single-digit scoring average. The team won the ninth of twelve consecutive national statistical championships in scoring

Point (basketball)

Points in basketball are used to keep track of the score in a game. Points can be accumulated by making field goals or free throws ....

defense with a 53.4 points allowed average. Goodrich repeated as the Ivy League's 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...

statistical champion with a 64.8% average in conference games.

See also