The 2010–11 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
in intercollegiate
college basketball
College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...
during the
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 Division I men's basketball tournament's championship game on Apri ...
. The
head coach
A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...
was
Sydney Johnson
Sydney Johnson (born April 26, 1974) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). A 1997 Princeton alumnus, Johnson played ...
, who was in his fourth season.
The team's tri-
captains
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
were senior
Kareem Maddox
Kareem Maddox (born December 9, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player and member of the United States men's national 3x3 team. He played college basketball at Princeton.
College career
Maddox played college basketball at Pr ...
, senior
Dan Mavraides, and junior Patrick Saunders. 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 ho ...
on the University campus in
Princeton, New Jersey
The Municipality of Princeton is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey, Borough of Princeton and Pri ...
. The team competes in the
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of eight Private university, private Research university, research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegia ...
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 Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2004 NCAA Division I men's 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 champions ...
, and its first postseason victory since the 1998–99 team won two games in the
1999 National Invitation Tournament
The 1999 National Invitation Tournament was the 1999 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition.
Selected teams
Below is a list of the 32 teams selected for the 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 SCORE may refer to:
*SCORE (software), a music scorewriter program
* SCORE (television), a weekend sports service of the defunct Financial News Network
*SCORE! Educational Centers
*SCORE International, an offroad racing organization
*Sarawak Corrido ...
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
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
and Princeton tied as co-champion, resulting in a
one-game playoff
A one-game playoff, sometimes known as a pennant playoff, tiebreaker game or knockout 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 ...
to determine the league's automatic bid to the
2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2010-11 ...
. The Tigers prevailed. Princeton then lost its round of 64 NCAA contest against
Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
. The season marked the team's 26th Ivy League championship and 24th invitation to the
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the Division I level ...
.
Preview
Princeton entered the season having not won a championship since the
2003–04 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team achieved the feat and went to the
2004 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2004 NCAA Division I men's 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 champions ...
.
[ 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 Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2010 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2009– ...
champion Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
as well as Tournament participant who were the 2010 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Its current 13 full members are located in five Northeastern states: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachuse ...
champions (both regular season and tournament
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...
).
Most preseason publications predicted Princeton would finish in first place and Harvard
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
would finish in second place, although the ''Sporting News
''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...
'' projected that would finish in first followed by Princeton and Harvard. Breaking a three-year streak by Cornell
Cornell University is a private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson White in 1865. Since ...
, 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 offense. 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 Florida
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in unincorporated area, unincorporated Orange County, Florida, United States. It is part of the State University System of Florida. ...
), but defeated Siena in overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...
. The team also defeated power conference opponents of Conference USA
Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas.
Mem ...
, of the Atlantic 10 Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. The A-10's member schools are located most ...
and of the Big East Conference
The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...
. 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
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
at Lavietes Pavilion
The Ray Lavietes Basketball Pavilion at the Briggs Athletic Center is a 1,636-seat multi-purpose arena in the Allston neighborhood of Boston. Owned by Harvard University, it is the second-oldest college basketball arena still in use (Fordham Univ ...
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
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 NCAA University Division men's basketbal ...
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 Division I men's basketball tournament
The 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball national champion for the 2010-11 ...
. Following the game, Sydney Johnson
Sydney Johnson (born April 26, 1974) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). A 1997 Princeton alumnus, Johnson played ...
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
The Payne Whitney Gymnasium is the gymnasium of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. One of the largest athletic facilities ever built, its twelve acres of interior space include a nine-story tower containing a third-floor swimming pool, fe ...
at Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...
. 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 Division I men's basketball tournament
The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as March Madness, or The Big Dance, is a single-elimination tournament played in the United States to determine the men's college basketball national champion of the NCAA Division I, Di ...
bid. Although Princeton did not appear in the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
all season, in the final regular season poll on March 13, Princeton received 3 points in the Coaches' Poll
In the United States, the Coaches Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I (NCAA), Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football, Division I (NCAA), Division I college basketball, and Division I college baseball teams. ...
.
Princeton was awarded the number thirteen seed and a first round match against the Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...
. 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 style=, Regular season
, -
!colspan=9 style=, Ivy League Playoff
, -
!colspan=9 style=, NCAA tournament
Honors
In season
Ian Hummer was a National Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the men's basketball head coach for the Univ ...
First Team All-District selection, and Kareem Maddox
Kareem Maddox (born December 9, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player and member of the United States men's national 3x3 team. He played college basketball at Princeton.
College career
Maddox played college basketball at Pr ...
was a Second Team selection. Each week the Ivy League selects a player of the week and a rookie of the week.
Postseason honors
The league selected its postseason awards on March 9.
Defensive Player of the Year: Kareem Maddox
Kareem Maddox (born December 9, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player and member of the United States men's national 3x3 team. He played college basketball at Princeton.
College career
Maddox played college basketball at Pr ...
(Sr., F, Oak Park, CA)
All-Ivy League (ALL CAPS: Unanimous)
:First Team All-Ivy: KAREEM MADDOX (Sr., F, Oak Park, CA)
:Second Team All-Ivy: Ian Hummer (So., F, Vienna, VA); Dan Mavraides, Princeton (Sr., G, San Mateo, CA
San Mateo ( ) is the most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. It is part of the San Francisco Bay Area metropolitan region, and is located about south of San Francisco. San Mateo border ...
)
References
External links
Princeton Tigers
@ ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
2011 stats
@ ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:2010-11 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 me ...
Princeton
Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...
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. The ...
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. The ...