Princeton men’s hoops has a storied history — from its Final Four berth in 1965 led by Bill Bradley to its iconic “Princeton offense” created by legendary coach Pete Carril. The team has sent multiple players to the NBA and has reached the NCAA tournament 25 times.
But in recent years, the program has struggled. In 2020-21, the team wasn’t able to play at all — the Ivy League shut down all sports during the height of the pandemic. Last year, the Tigers won the regular season but lost their conference tournament, meaning they didn’t get the automatic bid to March Madness.
This year, the team has gone on a historic run. The No. 15 Tigers have, against all odds, made it to the South Regional in Louisville. Of all the men’s Sweet 16 teams, Princeton has the smallest budget at $1.8 million, according to the Department of Education.
On Friday night, they’ll face off against Big East powerhouse Creighton. The school isn’t an unorthodox Cinderella just because of its rich basketball history — it faces several unique challenges that the average D-I school doesn’t.
