2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
Encyclopedia
The 2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball
team represented Princeton University
in intercollegiate college basketball
during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
. The head coach
was Sydney Johnson
, who was in his fourth season. The team's tri-captains
were senior Kareem Maddox, senior Dan Mavraides
, and junior Patrick Saunders. The team played its home games in the Jadwin Gymnasium
on the University campus in Princeton, New Jersey
. The team competes in the Ivy League
athletic conference. The team was coming off of a 22–9 2009–10 season
in which it achieved the most wins by a Tigers men's basketball team since the 1998–99 team
and its first back-to-back finishes of at least second place in the Ivy since 2001–02 season
. The team was also following on the heels of its first postseason appearance since the 2003–04 team
went to the 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
, and its first postseason victory since the 1998–99 team won two games in the 1999 National Invitation Tournament
.
The team was led by returning second team All-Ivy League selections junior Douglas Davis and senior Dan Mavraides
. This was the first team to have two returning first or second All-Ivy players since the 2003–04 team returned Will Venable
and Judson Wallace. The team was attempting to defend its scoring
defense statistical championship, which it won for the twentieth time since 1976 in 2010. Following the season, seniors Mavraides (2nd team) and Maddox (1st team, unanimous) earned All-Ivy recognition. They were joined by sophomore Ian Hummer (2nd team). Maddox earned conference Defensive Player of the Year.
After the annual 14-game round robin home and away schedule, Harvard
and Princeton tied as co-champion, resulting in a one-game playoff
to determine the league's automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. The Tigers prevailed. Princeton then lost its round of 64 NCAA contest against Kentucky
. The season marked the team's 26th Ivy League championship and 24th invitation to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
.
achieved the feat and went to the 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. The six-season championshipless spell tied a school record and put the team on the verge of establishing a new one should the season not be successful. The team entered the season with its top five scorers from the prior season returning. The team's schedule included the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
champion Duke
as well as Tournament participant who were the 2010 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
champions (both regular season and tournament
).
Most preseason publications predicted Princeton would finish in first place and Harvard
would finish in second place, although the Sporting News projected that would finish in first followed by Princeton and Harvard. Breaking a three-year streak by Cornell
, the Ivy League media poll selected Princeton as the top team with twelve first place votes, Harvard second with four first place votes and Cornell third with one first place vote. It was the first Princeton team to be the preseason top-ranked media selection since the .
. However, in 2010, Johnson tweaked it to be a slightly more uptempo version of the motion offense, which resulted in the highest scoring Princeton team in decades. The offense was still considered slow compared to most schools.
), but defeated Siena in overtime
. The team also defeated power conference opponents of Conference USA
, of the Atlantic 10 Conference and of the Big East Conference
. Princeton recorded its 11th and the Ivy League's 30th perfect conference record at the halfway point of the 14-game conference schedule. The team posted a perfect 12–0 home record. It was the team's sixth perfect home season in 42 full seasons at Jadwin gymnasium. In 2009, the team adopted 11-year-old Christian Michael "Crunch" Regulski, a pediatric brain tumor patient, as part of the Friends of Jaclyn program. In early February, Crunch, who had previously sat on the team's bench, lost his cancer struggle. During the season, Princeton swept defending Ivy League champion Cornell
.
Mavraides scored 25 including 5 three point shots, but Princeton lost to Harvard at Lavietes Pavilion
on March 5 and giving them a split of the season series. Princeton fell a half game behind Harvard who clinched at least a share of the 2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season
Championship with a 12–2 conference record. Princeton fell to 11–2 with one conference game remaining to force a one-game playoff for the conferences automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
. Following the game, Sydney Johnson
made his team sit on the bench and watch the Harvard fans celebrate. On March 8, Princeton defeated Penn to force a one-game playoff at the Payne Whitney Gymnasium
at Yale University
in New Haven, Connecticut
. Maddox scored 21 of his 23 points from off the bench in the second half to key the victory.
The one-game playoff is the eighth in Ivy League history and the eighth for Princeton, who has won at least a share of twenty-six league titles. The share of the championship ended a six-season championshipless run, which tied a record for the longest in school history. In the one-game playoff, Harvard took 58–57 lead with 2:33 remaining and then the teams traded one-point leads 5 times. Princeton won by a 63–62 margin thanks to a last second shot by Davis to earn its 24th NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament bid. Although Princeton did not appear in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
all season, in the final regular season poll on March 13, Princeton received 3 points in the Coaches' Poll.
Princeton was awarded the number thirteen seed and a first round match against the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky had eliminated Ivy League representative Cornell the prior season. Kentucky emerged victorious by a 59–57 margin on a last second layup.
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!colspan=9| Regular season
|-
!colspan= 9|Ivy League Playoff
|-
!colspan= 9|2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
First Team All-District selection, and Kareem Maddox was a Second Team selection. Each week the Ivy League selects a player of the week and a rookie of the week.
Defensive Player of the Year: Kareem Maddox, Princeton (Sr., F, Oak Park, CA)
All-Ivy League (ALL CAPS: Unanimous)
Princeton Tigers men's basketball
The Princeton Tigers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Princeton University. The school competes in the Ivy League in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Tigers play home basketball games at the Jadwin Gymnasium in...
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 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 8, 2010 with the preliminary games of the 2010 Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic, and ended with the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament's championship game on April 4, 2011 at Reliant Stadium in Houston...
. 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 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...
, who was in his fourth season. The team's tri-captains
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...
were senior Kareem Maddox, senior Dan Mavraides
Dan Mavraides
Daniel "Dan" James Mavraides is a Greek American professional basketball player...
, and junior Patrick Saunders. 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 competes in 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...
athletic conference. The team was coming off of a 22–9 2009–10 season
2009–10 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
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...
in which it achieved the most wins by a Tigers men's basketball team since the 1998–99 team
1998–99 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
The 1998–99 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented the Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1998–99 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Bill Carmody and the team co-captains were Brian Earl and Gabe Lewullis...
and its first back-to-back finishes of at least second place in the Ivy since 2001–02 season
2001–02 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
The 2001–02 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented the Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was John Thompson III and the team co-captains were Michael S. Bechtold and Ahmed El-Nokali...
. The team was also following on the heels of its first postseason appearance since the 2003–04 team
2003–04 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
The 2003–04 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 2003–04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was John Thompson III and the team captains were Ed Persia and Judson Wallace...
went to the 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 2004, and ended with the championship game on April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...
, and its first postseason victory since the 1998–99 team won two games in the 1999 National Invitation Tournament
1999 National Invitation Tournament
-Semifinals & Finals:*Third Place - Xavier 106, Oregon 75...
.
The team was led by returning second team All-Ivy League selections junior Douglas Davis and senior Dan Mavraides
Dan Mavraides
Daniel "Dan" James Mavraides is a Greek American professional basketball player...
. This was the first team to have two returning first or second All-Ivy players since the 2003–04 team returned Will Venable
Will Venable
William Dion Venable is a Major League baseball right fielder for the San Diego Padres. In the 2005 Major League Baseball Draft, he was selected by the Padres in the seventh round. Venable made his Major League debut on August 29, , against the Colorado Rockies...
and Judson Wallace. The team was attempting to defend its 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 statistical championship, which it won for the twentieth time since 1976 in 2010. Following the season, seniors Mavraides (2nd team) and Maddox (1st team, unanimous) earned All-Ivy recognition. They were joined by sophomore Ian Hummer (2nd team). Maddox earned conference Defensive Player of the Year.
After the annual 14-game round robin home and away schedule, Harvard
2010–11 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team represented Harvard University in the Ivy League athletic conference during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Lavietes Pavilion, which has a capacity of 2,195. The...
and Princeton tied as co-champion, resulting in a one-game playoff
One-game playoff
A one-game playoff, sometimes known as a pennant playoff or play-in game, is a tiebreaker in certain sports—usually but not always professional—to determine which of two teams, tied in the final standings, will qualify for a post-season tournament...
to determine the league's automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....
. The Tigers prevailed. Princeton then lost its round of 64 NCAA contest against Kentucky
2010–11 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the college basketball season of 2010–2011. The team's head coach is John Calipari, who entered his second season after posting a 35–3 record in his inaugural season....
. The season marked the team's 26th Ivy League championship and 24th invitation to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
.
Preview
Princeton entered the season having not won a championship since the 2003–04 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team2003–04 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
The 2003–04 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 2003–04 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was John Thompson III and the team captains were Ed Persia and Judson Wallace...
achieved the feat and went to the 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 2004, and ended with the championship game on April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...
. The six-season championshipless spell tied a school record and put the team on the verge of establishing a new one should the season not be successful. The team entered the season with its top five scorers from the prior season returning. The team's schedule included the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:*March 18 / 20*March 25 / 27*March 26 / 28Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held on April 3 and 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted by the Horizon League and Butler University, as per the NCAA's...
champion Duke
2010–11 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Returning as head coach was Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. The team played its home games at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina and are members of the...
as well as Tournament participant who were the 2010 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the northeastern United States. MAAC teams compete in the NCAA's Division I. Most of the members are Catholic or formerly Catholic institutions; the only exception is the private but secular Rider...
champions (both regular season and tournament
2010 MAAC Men's Basketball Tournament
-External links:*...
).
Most preseason publications predicted Princeton would finish in first place and Harvard
2010–11 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team
The 2010–11 Harvard Crimson men's basketball team represented Harvard University in the Ivy League athletic conference during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played its home games in Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Lavietes Pavilion, which has a capacity of 2,195. The...
would finish in second place, although the Sporting News projected that would finish in first followed by Princeton and Harvard. Breaking a three-year streak by Cornell
Cornell Big Red men's basketball
The Cornell Big Red men's basketball team represents Cornell University , located in Ithaca, New York, in NCAA Division I men's competition. The Big Red's appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament was their first trip to "The Big Dance" since 1988...
, the Ivy League media poll selected Princeton as the top team with twelve first place votes, Harvard second with four first place votes and Cornell third with one first place vote. It was the first Princeton team to be the preseason top-ranked media selection since the .
Playing style
Head coach Johnson employs the Princeton offensePrinceton 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...
. However, in 2010, Johnson tweaked it to be a slightly more uptempo version of the motion offense, which resulted in the highest scoring Princeton team in decades. The offense was still considered slow compared to most schools.
Schedule
The team lost to its only two ranked opponents (#1 Duke and #21 University of Central Florida2010–11 UCF Knights men's basketball team
The 2010–11 UCF Knights men's basketball team was a NCAA Division I college basketball team that represented the University of Central Florida and competed in Conference USA...
), but defeated Siena in overtime
Overtime (sports)
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw. In most sports, this extra period is only played if the game is required to have a clear winner, as in single-elimination...
. The team also defeated power conference opponents of Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
, of the Atlantic 10 Conference and of the Big East Conference
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
. Princeton recorded its 11th and the Ivy League's 30th perfect conference record at the halfway point of the 14-game conference schedule. The team posted a perfect 12–0 home record. It was the team's sixth perfect home season in 42 full seasons at Jadwin gymnasium. In 2009, the team adopted 11-year-old Christian Michael "Crunch" Regulski, a pediatric brain tumor patient, as part of the Friends of Jaclyn program. In early February, Crunch, who had previously sat on the team's bench, lost his cancer struggle. During the season, Princeton swept defending Ivy League champion Cornell
2009–10 Cornell Big Red men's basketball team
The 2009–10 Cornell Big Red men's basketball team represented Cornell University in the 2009–10 college basketball season. This was coach Steve Donahue's tenth season at Cornell. The Big Red compete in the Ivy League and played their home games at Newman Arena...
.
Mavraides scored 25 including 5 three point shots, but Princeton lost to Harvard at Lavietes Pavilion
Lavietes Pavilion
The Ray Lavietes Basketball Pavilion at the Briggs Athletic Center is a 2,195-seat multi-purpose arena in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
on March 5 and giving them a split of the season series. Princeton fell a half game behind Harvard who clinched at least a share of the 2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season
2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season
The 2010–11 Ivy League men's basketball season marks the continuation of the annual tradition of competitive basketball among Ivy League members that began when the league was formed during the 1956–57 season, continuing from the predecessor Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League, which was...
Championship with a 12–2 conference record. Princeton fell to 11–2 with one conference game remaining to force a one-game playoff for the conferences automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....
. Following the game, 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...
made his team sit on the bench and watch the Harvard fans celebrate. On March 8, Princeton defeated Penn to force a one-game playoff at the Payne Whitney Gymnasium
Payne Whitney Gymnasium
The Payne Whitney Gymnasium is the gymnasium of Yale University. Built in the prevailing Gothic architecture style of the campus in 1932, it is a remarkable building, possessing a Gothic tower, a third-floor swimming pool, a polo practice room, and a rooftop running track. It is the second-largest...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
. Maddox scored 21 of his 23 points from off the bench in the second half to key the victory.
The one-game playoff is the eighth in Ivy League history and the eighth for Princeton, who has won at least a share of twenty-six league titles. The share of the championship ended a six-season championshipless run, which tied a record for the longest in school history. In the one-game playoff, Harvard took 58–57 lead with 2:33 remaining and then the teams traded one-point leads 5 times. Princeton won by a 63–62 margin thanks to a last second shot by Davis to earn its 24th NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament bid. Although Princeton did not appear in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Two human polls make up the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various publications' preseason polls.-Legend:-AP poll:...
all season, in the final regular season poll on March 13, Princeton received 3 points in the Coaches' Poll.
Princeton was awarded the number thirteen seed and a first round match against the Kentucky Wildcats. Kentucky had eliminated Ivy League representative Cornell the prior season. Kentucky emerged victorious by a 59–57 margin on a last second layup.
|-
!colspan=9| Regular season
|-
!colspan= 9|Ivy League Playoff
|-
!colspan= 9|2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....
In season
Ian Hummer was a National Association of Basketball CoachesNational Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches , headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of college men's basketball coaches...
First Team All-District selection, and Kareem Maddox was a Second Team selection. Each week the Ivy League selects a player of the week and a rookie of the week.
| Player of the Week | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Name | School | Class | Position |
| December 6, 2010 | Ian Hummer | Princeton | So. | F |
| December 13, 2010 | Kareem Maddox | Princeton | Sr. | F |
| December 20, 2010 | Kareem Maddox | Princeton | Sr. | F |
| February 28, 2011 | Kareem Maddox | Princeton | Sr. | F |
Postseason honors
The league selected its postseason awards on March 9.Defensive Player of the Year: Kareem Maddox, Princeton (Sr., F, Oak Park, CA)
All-Ivy League (ALL CAPS: Unanimous)
- First Team All-Ivy: KAREEM MADDOX, Princeton (Sr., F, Oak Park, CA)
- Second Team All-Ivy: Ian Hummer, Princeton (So., F, Vienna, VA); Dan Mavraides, Princeton (Sr., G, San Mateo, CA)
External links
- Princeton Tigers @ ESPN.comESPN.comESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...
- 2011 stats @ ESPN.comESPN.comESPN.com is the official website of ESPN and a division of ESPN Inc. Since launching in 1995 as ESPNet.SportsZone.com, the website has developed numerous sections including: Page 2, SportsNation, ESPN 3.com, ESPN Motion, My ESPN, ESPN Sports Travel, ESPN Video Games, ESPN Insider, ESPN.com's...