1976–77 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team

The 1976–77 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Pete Carril and the team captain was Robert Slaughter.^[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 32-team 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.^[3]

1976–77 Princeton Tigers men's basketball
Ivy League Champion
1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, Regional Quarterfinals
Conference	Ivy League
Record	21–5 (13–1, 1st Ivy)
Head coach	Pete Carril (10th season)
Captain	Robert Slaughter
Home arena	Jadwin Gymnasium
Seasons ← 1975–76 1977–78 →

1976–77 Ivy League men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Princeton	13	–	1		.929			21	–	5		.808
Penn	12	–	2		.857			18	–	8		.692
Columbia	8	–	6		.571			16	–	10		.615
Harvard	6	–	8		.429			9	–	16		.360
Cornell	5	–	9		.357			8	–	18		.308
Brown	5	–	9		.357			6	–	20		.231
Yale	4	–	10		.286			6	–	20		.231
Dartmouth	3	–	11		.214			4	–	22		.154
Rankings from AP Poll^[1]

The team posted a 21–5 overall record and a 13–1 conference record.^[2] The team's January 3, 1977, victory over Notre Dame was the last home win against a ranked opponent until the 2011–12 team's defeated Harvard on February 11, 2012.^[4] The team's only conference loss came in the rivalry game on January 11, 1977, against the Penn Quakers at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by a 43–39 margin. The team lost its next game against the St. John's Red Storm before winning twelve in a row heading into the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The team lost its March 12, 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament East Regional first-round game against the Kentucky Wildcats 72–58 at The Palestra.^[2][3][5]

The team was led by first team All-Ivy League selection Frank Sowinski, who was named Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year, and by Ivy League Men's Basketball Co-Rookie of the Year Bob Roma.^[6] Sowinski led the league in field goal percentage with a 65.0% average.^[7] His percentages of 63.2% overall and 65.0% in conference games were Ivy League single-season records that stood for two years.^[8] The team was the second of nineteen Princeton teams and the second in a row to win the national statistical championship in scoring defense with an average of 51.7 points allowed.^[9] That was an NCAA record (since 1965) that surpassed the team's prior season record of 52.9 and that would stand for three years.^[10]

Regular season

The team posted a 21–5 (13–1 Ivy League) record.^[11]

11/27 COLGATE	W	95–48
12/1 NAVY	W	52–36
12/4 (16) Maryland	L	45–58
12/11 ST. JOSEPH'S	W	46–43
12/14 Villanova	W	77–74
12/20 Rutgers	L	54–59
12/28 Ohio State !	W	67–62
12/29 St. Bonaventure !	W	59–55
1/3 (2) NOTRE DAME	W	76–62
1/7 HARVARD	W	77–45
1/8 DARTMOUTH	W	63–32
1/11 Pennsylvania	L	39–43
1/22 St. John's	L	50–75
1/26 William & Mary	W	42–38
1/29 PENNSYLVANIA	W	69–56
2/4 Yale	W	56–42
2/5 Brown	W	70–52
2/11 CORNELL	W	62–49
2/12 COLUMBIA	W	85–64
2/18 Dartmouth	W	65–45
2/19 Harvard	W	59–49
2/27 Columbia	W	66–49
2/28 Cornell	W	69–56
3/4 BROWN	W	63–40
3/5 YALE	W	61–39
3/12 (6) Kentucky @	L	58–72

! = Kodak Classic at Rochester, N.Y. @ = NCAA first round at Philadelphia

References

1. sports-reference.com 1976-77 Ivy Group Season Summary
2. "Men's Basketball Record Book • All-Time Results". GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton Athletic Communications. June 12, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
3. 2009–10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 30. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
4. "Princeton hands No. 21 Harvard first Ivy League loss". ESPN. February 11, 2012. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
5. 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.
6. 2009–10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 35. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
7. 2009–10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 49. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
8. 2009–10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 48. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
9. "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 48. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
10. "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 42. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
11. Princeton Athletic Communications (June 12, 2009). "Men's Basketball Record Book • All-Time Results". GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton University. Retrieved March 27, 2010.