March 24, 2023

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Happy Friday! It’s Front Office Sports reporter Amanda Christovich. Around the country, we’re in the middle of a glorious men’s Sweet 16 round — and Princeton is one of this year’s Cinderellas.

Despite having a small budget and going decades without a Sweet 16 berth, the Ivy League program is flourishing. Today, we’re exploring how Princeton built a team that, in 2023, is one of the top 16 in the nation.

The Princeton Men’s Basketball Cinderella Run Is Unlike Any Other

USA TODAY Sports / Design: Alex Brooks

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.

Read the full report here.

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Written by Amanda Christovich
Edited by Peter Richman, Brian Krikorian

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