1995–96 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team
American college basketball season
1995–96 Ivy League men's basketball standings
Conf
Overall
Team
W
L
PCT
W
L
PCT
Princeton
12
–
2
.857
22
–
7
.759
Penn
12
–
2
.857
17
–
10
.630
Dartmouth
9
–
5
.643
16
–
10
.615
Harvard
7
–
7
.500
15
–
11
.577
Brown
5
–
9
.357
10
–
16
.385
Cornell
5
–
9
.357
10
–
16
.385
Yale
3
–
11
.214
8
–
18
.308
Columbia
3
–
11
.214
7
–
19
.269
Rankings from AP Poll [ 1]
The 1995–96 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1995–96 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . The head coach was Pete Carril and the team captain was Sydney Johnson .[ 2] The team played its home games in the Jadwin Gymnasium on the University campus in Princeton, New Jersey . The team was the champion of the Ivy League , which earned them an invitation to the 64-team 1996 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where they were seeded thirteenth in the Southeast Region.[ 3] This was the final year that Carril coached the men's basketball team.[ 4] He would be succeeded by assistant coach Bill Carmody .[ 3] Carrill retired as the Ivy League's winningest coach in terms of overall victories, conference victories and conference championships.[ 5] By the end of the decade, Princeton achieved a 76.1% (210–66) winning percentage, which was the eighth best in the nation.[ 6]
Using the Princeton offense , the team posted a 22–7 overall record and a 13–2 conference record.[ 2] Even after Jerome Allen and Matt Maloney who led the Penn Quakers to Ivy titles in the prior four seasons graduated, Princeton's only two losses were to Penn .[ 7] After losing the regular season finale at The Palestra against Penn to finish the regular season tied for the conference championship on March 5,[ 8] the team won its March 9, 1996, one-game Ivy League playoff game against Penn in Bethlehem , Pennsylvania, at the Stabler Arena by a 63–56 margin in overtime for the Ivy League Championship and an invitation to the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[ 2] [ 3] [ 4] [ 9] [ 10] The win ended an eight-game losing streak to Penn.[ 11] The win earned the team the conference automatic bid to the 1996 NCAA tournament and following the game head coach Pete Carril announced his retirement.[ 4] [ 10] On March 14, the 13th seeded team was matched against the defending national champion and fourth seeded UCLA Bruins in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Southeast Regional first round game at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis , Indiana. The team fell behind 41–34 with over six minutes remaining, but held UCLA scoreless the rest of the game, winning 43–41 on the strength of a typical Princeton offense , Steve Goodrich to Gabe Lewullis bounce pass backdoor basket.[ 2] [ 3] [ 9] [ 12] During the game, Sydney Johnson 's leadership held the team together early when the UCLA team looked strong.[ 13] [ 14] [ 15] It was the final upset the team produced in Carril's career, as two days later, the Tigers season ended with a 63–41 loss to Mississippi State in the second round.[ 16]
The team was led by first team All-Ivy League selections Steve Goodrich and Johnson.[ 3] The team won the eighth of twelve consecutive national statistical championships in scoring defense with a 51.7 points allowed average.[ 17] Goodrich led the Ivy League with a 60.3 field goal percentage .[ 18]
Schedule and results
Date time, TV
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
Site city, state
Non-conference Regular season
Nov 27, 1995 *
at Lehigh
W 62–45
1–0
Stabler Arena Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Nov 29, 1995 *
Lafayette
W 62–47
2–0
Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Dec 1, 1995 *
vs. Boise State
W 61–41
3–0
Selland Arena Fresno, California
Dec 2, 1995 *
at Fresno State
W 59–54
4–0
Selland Arena Fresno, California
Dec 12, 1995 *
Monmouth
L 56–65
4–1
Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Dec 18, 1995 *
Saint Joseph's
W 88–78
5–1
Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Dec 21, 1995 *
at Iowa State ISU Holiday Classic
L 47–50
5–2
Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa
Dec 22, 1995 *
vs. Nicholls State ISU Holiday Classic
W 86–51
6–2
Hilton Coliseum Ames, Iowa
Dec 29, 1995 *
vs. Ohio Pepsi/Oneida Casino Classic
W 65–60
7–2
Brown County Arena Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin
Dec 30, 1995 *
at Green Bay Pepsi/Oneida Casino Classic
L 35–55
7–3
Brown County Arena Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin
Jan 3, 1996 *
at La Salle
L 49–52
7–4
Convention Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ivy League Regular season
Jan 6, 1996
Penn
L 55–57
7–5 (0–1)
Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Jan 12, 1996
Yale
W 56–55
8–5 (1–1)
Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Jan 13, 1996
Brown
W 64–36
9–5 (2–1)
Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Jan 29, 1996 *
Haverford
W 75–46
10–5
Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Feb 2, 1996
Columbia
W 66–45
11–5 (3–1)
Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Feb 3, 1996
Cornell
W 57–54
12–5 (4–1)
Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Feb 9, 1996
at Harvard
W 49–44
13–5 (5–1)
Lavietes Pavilion Cambridge, Massachusetts
Feb 10, 1996
at Dartmouth
W 52–41
14–5 (6–1)
Leede Arena Hanover, New Hampshire
Feb 16, 1996
at Brown
W 58–56
15–5 (7–1)
Pizzitola Sports Center Providence, Rhode Island
Feb 17, 1996
at Yale
W 64–42
16–5 (8–1)
John J. Lee Amphitheater New Haven, Connecticut
Feb 23, 1996
Dartmouth
W 65–39
17–5 (9–1)
Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Feb 24, 1996
Harvard
W 65–58
18–5 (10–1)
Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Mar 1, 1996
at Cornell
W 65–49
19–5 (11–1)
Newman Arena Ithaca, New York
Mar 2, 1996
at Columbia
W 57–55
20–5 (12–1)
Levien Gymnasium New York, New York
Mar 5, 1996
at Penn
L 49–63
20–6 (12–2)
The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Ivy League Playoff
Mar 9, 1996 *
vs. Penn
W 63–56 OT
21–6
Stabler Arena Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
NCAA tournament
Mar 14, 1996 *
(13 MW)
vs. (4 MW) No. 14 UCLA First round
W 43–41
22–6
RCA Dome (31,569)Indianapolis, Indiana
Mar 16, 1996 *
(13 MW)
vs. (5 MW) No. 19 Mississippi State Second round
L 41–63
22–7
RCA Dome Indianapolis, Indiana
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
References
^ sports-reference.com 1995-96 Ivy Group Season Summary
^ a b c d "Men's Basketball Record Book • All-Time Results" . GoPrincetonTigers.com . Princeton Athletic Communications. June 12, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2010 .
^ a b c d e 2009-10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide . p. 39.
^ a b c Smith, Claire (March 10, 1996). "College Basketball;After Clinching Victory, Carril Says Goodbye" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 10, 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2010 .
^ 2009-10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide . pp. 55– 56.
^ "Division I Records" (PDF) . National Collegiate Athletic Association . p. 58. Retrieved October 4, 2010 .
^ Tomlinson, Brett (November 21, 2007). "The Captain Returns: Basketball's Sydney Johnson '97 has been 'a coach all along' " . Princeton Alumni Weekly . Retrieved March 17, 2011 .
^ Moran, Malcolm (March 6, 1996). "College Basketball;Penn Forces One-Game Playoff" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2010 .
^ a b Princeton Athletic Communications (June 22, 2009). "Men's Basketball Record Book • Men's Basketball in the Postseason" . GoPrincetonTigers.com . Princeton University. Retrieved September 30, 2010 .
^ a b Brown, Doug (March 10, 1996). "Princeton takes Ivy title, 63-56, will lose coach Carril's announcement comes after OT victory" . The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved March 12, 2011 .
^ "Follow The Leader" . GoPrincetonTigers.com . Princeton University . November 2, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2011 .
^ Moran, Malcolm (March 15, 1996). "N.C.A.A. Tournament: Southeast; Shock Waves: Carril and Princeton Stun U.C.L.A." The New York Times . Retrieved October 3, 2010 .
^ Moran, Malcolm (March 16, 1996). "NCAA Tournament;Princeton Finally Has a Good Answer" . The New York Times . Retrieved March 12, 2011 .
^ Moran, Malcolm (March 15, 1996). "NCAA Tournament: Southeast;Shock Waves: Carril and Princeton Stun U.C.L.A." The New York Times . Retrieved March 12, 2011 .
^ Markus, Don (March 15, 1996). "Princeton dethrones UCLA, 43-41 Retiring Carril again works magic: slowing Bruins to a halt: Tigers score last 9 points: Baltimore's Johnson scores 11 to lead victors" . The Baltimore Sun . Retrieved March 12, 2011 .
^ Moran, Malcolm (March 17, 1996). "N.C.A.A. Tournament: Southeast;Carril's Reign Ends With a Grimace" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved October 3, 2010 .
^ "Division I Records" (PDF) . National Collegiate Athletic Association . p. 48. Retrieved October 2, 2010 .
^ 2009-10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide . p. 49.
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons Helms and Premo-Porretta national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearance in italics