The 1997–98 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

in intercollegiate

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

during the

1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 1997–98 NCAA Division I men's basketball season concluded in the 64-team 1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament whose finals were held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The Kentucky Wildcats earned their seventh national cha ...

. The

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. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

was

Bill Carmody William D. Carmody (born December 4, 1951) is a retired American men's college basketball coach, formerly the head coach at the College of the Holy Cross. He was the head coach of the Wildcats men's basketball team at Northwestern University ...

and the team co-

captains Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

were Steve Goodrich and

Mitch Henderson Mitchell Gordon Henderson (born August 14, 1975) is an American college basketball coach, currently serving as head coach for the Princeton Tigers men's basketball team. Before taking the Princeton job in 2011, he served as an assistant for the ...

. The team played its home games in the

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

on the University campus in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

, and was the repeat undefeated champion of the

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight school ...

, which earned them an invitation to the 64-team 1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where they were seeded fifth in the East Region and advanced to the second round. Over the course of the season, the team achieved the highest winning percentage in the nation (93.1%, 27–2). It also established the current school record of 20 consecutive wins surpassing the 19-game streak achieved twice, including the prior season. Using the

Princeton offense The Princeton offense is an offensive basketball strategy which emphasizes constant motion, back-door cuts, picks on and off the ball, and disciplined teamwork. It was used and perfected at Princeton University by Pete Carril, though its roots ma ...

, the team posted a 27–2 overall record and a 14–0 conference record. The team entered the tournament on a 19-game winning streak. In a March 12, 1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament East Regional first round game at the Hartford Civic Center in

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

, Connecticut, the fifth-seeded Tigers defeated 69–57. Then two days later in the second round the team lost to the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and wh ...

63–56. The team's season-opening 62–56 win against

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on November 11, 1997, was the team's last win against a ranked opponent until the 2011–12 team defeated Harvard on February 11, 2012. During the season, the team entered the fourth Associated Press Top Twenty-five Poll (for the week of December 2) ranked twenty-fifth and climbed steadily each week until it ended the season ranked eighth. The team also finished the season ranked eighth in the final USAToday/NABC Coaches Poll. The team was led by first team All-Ivy League selections Goodrich and Gabe Lewullis. Goodrich, who finished second in the conference in

scoring Score or scorer may refer to: *Test score, the result of an exam or test Business * Score Digital, now part of Bauer Radio * Score Entertainment, a former American trading card design and manufacturing company * Score Media, a former Canadian m ...

with a 16.1 average in conference games, earned the

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 six players honored on two occasions: Craig Robi ...

award as well as second team

Academic All-American The Academic All-America program is a student-athlete recognition program. The program selects an honorary sports team composed of the most outstanding student-athletes of a specific season for positions in various sports—who in turn are giv ...

recognition from

College Sports Information Directors of America College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) is an organization that focuses on professional development and support for sports information directors at all levels. It offers awards, scholarships, and grants in support of SIDs and pro ...

. Goodrich was also a 1998 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American honorable mention selection by the

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. With two first team selections and two second team selections (

Brian Earl Brian W. Earl is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He is the current head coach for the Cornell Big Red men's basketball team. He previously served nine seasons as an assistant coach for Princeton Tigers men ...

), this was the fourth team (and third Princeton team) to have four first and second team selections. The team won the tenth of twelve consecutive national statistical championships in

defense with a 51.4 points allowed average. The team also led the nation in assist-turnover ratio (1.63) and fewest turnovers per game (10.14). The assist-to-turnover ration was a national record that lasted until 2005. The team continues to be a contributor to the national record for combined single-game

three-point field goal A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...

shooting percentage (72.4%, minimum 20 made) stemming from a February 20, 1998, contest in which they made 12 of 15 attempts, while made 9 of 14 attempts. Two-time defending Ivy League

field goal percentage Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Although three-point field goal percentage is often calculated separately, three-point field goals are included in the genera ...

statistical champion Goodrich was unable to repeat a third time, but instead he won the

shooting percentage title with a 51.4% average.

Rankings

Regular season

The team posted a 27-2 (14-0 Ivy League) record. :! = Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, East Rutherford, N.J. :@ =

Jimmy V Classic The Jimmy V Classic is an annual basketball game organized by ESPN Events to raise money and awareness for cancer research. It is named after Jim Valvano and features clips from his speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards An ESPY Award (short for Excell ...

, East Rutherford, N.J. : # = ECAC Holiday Festival, New York, N.Y. :$ = NCAA East Regional, Hartford, Conn. Home games in CAPS

NCAA tournament

The team was seeded fifth and advanced to the second round of the 1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. NCAA Tournament :March 12, 1998, in Hartford, Conn.: (5) Princeton 69, (12) UNLV 57 :March 14, 1998, in Hartford, Conn.: (4) Michigan State 63, (5) Princeton 56

Awards and honors

* Steve Goodrich **

** First Team All-Ivy League ** Academic All Ivy ** Academic All-America, second team **

1998 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans The Consensus 1998 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of four major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, t ...

honorable mention ** All-East * Gabe Lewullis ** First Team All-Ivy League *

** Second Team All-Ivy League * James Mastaglio ** Honorable Mention All-Ivy League

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1997-98 Princeton Tigers Men's Basketball Team Princeton Tigers men's basketball seasons

Princeton Tigers The Princeton Tigers are the athletic teams of Princeton University. The school sponsors 35 varsity teams in 20 sports. The school has won several NCAA national championships, including one in men's fencing, three in women's lacrosse, six in ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...