1975–76 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team

1975–76 Princeton Tigers men's basketball
1975–76 Princeton Tigers men's basketball
Undefeated Ivy League Champion
1976 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, Regional quarterfinals
Conference	Ivy League
Ranking
Coaches	No. 19t
Record	22–5 (14–0, 1st Ivy)
Head coach	Pete Carril;
Captains	Armond Hill; Michael Steuerer;
Home arena	Jadwin Gymnasium
	Seasons ← 1974–75 1976–77 →

1975–76 Ivy League men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Princeton	14	–	0	1.000	22	–	5	.815
Penn	11	–	3	.786	17	–	9	.654
Dartmouth	7	–	7	.500	16	–	10	.615
Columbia	6	–	8	.429	8	–	17	.320
Brown	6	–	8	.429	7	–	19	.269
Yale	5	–	9	.357	7	–	21	.250
Cornell	4	–	10	.286	8	–	18	.308
Harvard	3	–	11	.214	8	–	18	.308

Rankings from AP Poll^[1]

The 1975–76 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Pete Carril and the team co-captains were Armond Hill and Michael Steuerer.^[2] The team played its home games in the Jadwin Gymnasium on the university campus in Princeton, New Jersey. It was the undefeated Ivy League and earned birth in the 32-team 1976 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.^[3]

The team posted a 22–5 overall record and a 14–0 conference record.^[2] No Ivy League team would go 14–0 again until the 1990–91 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team.^[4] The team lost its March 13, 1976 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament East Regional first-round game against the No. 3 Rutgers Scarlett Knights 54–53 at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island.^[2]^[3]^[5]

During the season, the team spent two weeks of the seventeen-week season ranked in the Associated Press Top Twenty Poll, peaking at number fifteen and ending the season unranked.^[6] However, the team finished the season ranked tied at number nineteen in the final UPI Coaches' Poll.^[7] The team was the first of nineteen Princeton teams to win the national statistical championship in scoring defense with an average of 52.9 points allowed.^[8] That was an NCAA record (since 1965) that the team would break the following season.^[9] Ilan Ramati posted seven blocked shots against William & Mary on January 6, 1976, which established an Ivy League record that would stand until Chris Dudley had nine on February 14, 1987. It remains a league record for non-conference games.^[10] In the same game, Frank Sowinski made all twelve of his free throws to find his way into the Ivy League's record books although short of Bill Bradley's perfect 16 free throw night and the Ivy League record of 21.^[11] Michael Steurer had eight steals against Columbia on February 6, 1976, which established an Ivy League record that would stand until March 5, 1983.^[10]

The team was led by first team All-Ivy League selection Armond Hill, who was named Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year, and by fellow first team selection Barnes Hauptfuhrer. Hill was selected in the 1976 NBA draft with the 9th overall selection in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks, while Hauptfuhrer was selected with the 43rd overall selection in the third round by the Houston Rockets.^[12] Hill repeated as the free throw percentage statistical champion with an 84.8% average.^[11] He also surpassed Tim van Blommesteyn's Ivy League single-season steals record set the prior season by one with 73, establishing a record that would last twenty-four years.^[10]

Schedule and results

The team posted a 22–5 (14–0 Ivy League) record.^[13]

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site city, state
Regular season
Nov 29, 1975*		Drexel	W 67–48	1–0	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Dec 3, 1975*		at Navy	W 60–59	2–0	Dahlgren Hall Annapolis, Maryland
Dec 6, 1975*		Lafayette	W 84–65	3–0	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Dec 9, 1975*		Villanova	L 49–51	3–1	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Dec 19, 1975*		vs. Miami (OH) Michigan Invitational	L 61–66	3–2	Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, Michigan
Dec 20, 1975*		vs. Southern Illinois Michigan Invitational	W 69–58	4–2	Crisler Arena Ann Arbor, Michigan
Dec 29, 1975*		vs. No. 8 Alabama Maryland Invitational	W 61–59	5–2	Cole Fieldhouse College Park, Maryland
Dec 30, 1975*		at No. 2 Maryland Maryland Invitational	L 59–66	5–3	Cole Fieldhouse College Park, Maryland
Jan 3, 1976		Penn	W 63–39	6–3 (1–0)	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Jan 6, 1976*		William & Mary	W 64–63	7–3	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Jan 9, 1976		at Harvard	W 62–57	8–3 (2–0)	Lavietes Pavilion Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jan 10, 1976		at Dartmouth	W 59–38	9–3 (3–0)	Alumni Gym Hanover, New Hampshire
Jan 13, 1976*		at Saint Joseph's	W 56–46	10–3	Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jan 24, 1976*		No. 9 St. John's	W 58–55 ^OT	11–3	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Jan 27, 1976	No. 17	at Penn	W 69–52	12–3 (4–0)	The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 2, 1976*	No. 15	No. 7 Rutgers	L 62–75	12–4	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Feb 6, 1976*	No. 15	Columbia	W 69–53	13–4 (5–0)	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Feb 7, 1976*	No. 15	Cornell	W 53–35	14–4 (6–0)	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Feb 13, 1976		at Brown	W 56–47	15–4 (7–0)	Marvel Gymnasium Providence, Rhode Island
Feb 14, 1976		at Yale	W 49–48	16–4 (8–0)	John J. Lee Ampitheater New Haven, Connecticut
Feb 20, 1976		Dartmouth	W 74–51	17–4 (9–0)	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Feb 21, 1976		Harvard	W 69–48	18–4 (10–0)	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Feb 27, 1976*		Yale	W 68–53	19–4 (11–0)	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Feb 28, 1976		Brown	W 70–59	20–4 (12–0)	Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey
Mar 5, 1976		at Cornell	W 72–58	21–4 (13–0)	Barton Hall Ithaca, New York
Mar 6, 1976		at Columbia	W 46–44	22–4 (14–0)	Levien Gymnasium New York, New York
NCAA tournament
Mar 13, 1976*		vs. No. 3 Rutgers First round	L 53–54	22–5	Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East.

Rankings

Ranking Movement
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
Poll	Pre	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6	Wk 7	Wk 8	Wk 9	Wk 10	Wk 11	Wk 12	Wk 13	Wk 14	Wk 15	Wk 16	Final
AP Top 20 Poll^[6]	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	19	17	-	-	-	-	-	-

NCAA tournament

The team won the 1976 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.^[14]^[15]

3/13/76 in Providence, R.I.: Rutgers 54, Princeton 53

Awards and honors

Armond Hill
- Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year^[14]
- First Team All-Ivy League^[14]
- All-East^[16]
Barnes Hauptfuhrer
- First Team All-Ivy League^[14]
Bob Slaughter
- Second Team All-Ivy League^[14]

Team players drafted into the NBA

Three players from this team were selected in the NBA draft.^[17]^[18]

Year	Round	Pick	Player	NBA Club
1976	1	9	Armond Hill	Atlanta Hawks
1976	3	10	Barnes Hauptfuhrer	Houston Rockets
1978	9	1	Frank Sowinski	New Jersey Nets

References

^ sports-reference.com 1975-76 Ivy Group Season Summary
^ ^a ^b ^c "Men's Basketball Record Book • All-Time Results". GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton Athletic Communications. June 12, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
^ ^a ^b 2009–10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 30. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
^ "COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL ROUNDUP Mississippi State Happy to Share SEC Title: [Home Edition]". Los Angeles Times. March 3, 1991. p. 8. ProQuest 281391790. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
^ 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 "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. pp. 68–83. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
^ "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 85. Retrieved September 30, 2010.
^ "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 48. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
^ "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 42. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c 2009–10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 54. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
^ ^a ^b 2009–10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 52. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
^ 2009–10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 35. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
^ Princeton Athletic Communications (June 12, 2009). "Men's Basketball Record Book • All-Time Results". GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton University. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "1975–76 Ivy Men's Basketball". IvyLeagueSports.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ "1976 NCAA basketball tournament Bracket". databaseSports.com. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ Princeton Athletic Communications (June 12, 2009). "Men's Basketball Record Book • Ivy League & National Awards". GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton University. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ "1976 NBA Draft". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^ "1978 NBA Draft". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[1] sports-reference.com 1975-76 Ivy Group Season Summary

[MBRBATR-2] "Men's Basketball Record Book • All-Time Results". GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton Athletic Communications. June 12, 2009. Retrieved September 27, 2010.

[2010ILBMG-3] 2009–10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 30. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)

[4] "COLLEGE BASKETBALL NATIONAL ROUNDUP Mississippi State Happy to Share SEC Title: [Home Edition]". Los Angeles Times. March 3, 1991. p. 8. ProQuest 281391790. Retrieved February 4, 2024.

[MBitP-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.

[DIR6883-6] "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. pp. 68–83. Retrieved September 30, 2010.

[7] "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 85. Retrieved September 30, 2010.

[DIR48-8] "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 48. Retrieved October 1, 2010.

[DIR42-9] "Division I Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 42. Retrieved October 1, 2010.

[2010ILBMG54-10] 2009–10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 54. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)

[2010ILBMG52-11] 2009–10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 52. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)

[autogenerated1-12] 2009–10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide. p. 35. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)

[13] Princeton Athletic Communications (June 12, 2009). "Men's Basketball Record Book • All-Time Results". GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton University. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[7576IMB-14] "1975–76 Ivy Men's Basketball". IvyLeagueSports.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[15] "1976 NCAA basketball tournament Bracket". databaseSports.com. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[IL&NA-16] Princeton Athletic Communications (June 12, 2009). "Men's Basketball Record Book • Ivy League & National Awards". GoPrincetonTigers.com. Princeton University. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[17] "1976 NBA Draft". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

[18] "1978 NBA Draft". databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2010.

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v t e Princeton Tigers men's basketball
Venues	University Gymnasium (1900–1944) Hobey Baker Memorial Rink (1944–1947) Dillon Gymnasium (1947–1969) Jadwin Gymnasium (1969–present)
Rivalries	Penn Rutgers
Culture & lore	Princeton offense A Sense of Where You Are The Tiger "Princeton Cannon Song" 1989 Georgetown game
People	Head coaches NBA draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Helms and Premo-Porretta national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearance in italics