# 1989–90 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team

The 1989–90 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1989–90 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Pete Carril and the team captains was Matt Lapin. 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 1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament where they were seeded thirteenth in the Midwest Region.
The team posted a 20–7 overall record and an 11–3 conference record. In a March 15, 1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Midwest Regional first round game at the Erwin Events Center in Austin, Texas against the Arkansas Razorbacks, they lost by a 68–64 margin. Kit Mueller cut the lead to two points with 14 seconds remaining, but Arkansas made its free throws to close out the game. When the team beat Dartmouth 66–28 on February 10, 1990, it established a new National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I record for fewest points allowed (since 1986) while running the Princeton offense. The team would break its own record the following year.
The team was led by first team All-Ivy League selection Mueller, who earned the Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year award as well as third team Academic All-America recognition from College Sports Information Directors of America. Lapin led the nation in three-point field goal shooting percentage (53.4%, 71 of 133), and the team led the nation in both three point shooting percentage (45.2) and scoring defense with a 51.0 average. Lapin also led the Ivy League in three point shooting percentage in conference games with a 57.7% average. The scoring defense statistical championship was the second of twelve consecutive titles.

## Schedule and results

The team posted a 20–7 (11–3 Ivy League) record.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 25, 1989* | | Franklin & Marshall | W 64–47 | 1–0 | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Nov 28, 1989* | | Lehigh | W 61–50 | 2–0 | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Dec 2, 1989* | | at Dayton | L 62–68 | 2–1 | UD Arena Dayton, Ohio |
| Dec 6, 1989* | | at Iona | W 53–41 | 3–1 | John A. Mulcahy Campus Events Center New Rochelle, New York |
| Dec 9, 1989* | | at Saint Joseph's | W 62–47 | 4–1 | Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Dec 16, 1989* | | Rutgers | W 65–60 | 5–1 | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Dec 22, 1989* | | vs. Xavier MetLife Classic | L 65–72 | 5–2 | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Dec 23, 1989* | | vs. Canisius MetLife Classic | W 73–59 | 6–2 | War Memorial Gymnasium San Francisco, California |
| Dec 29, 1989* | | vs. Arkansas–Little Rock Spartan Classic | W 59–56 | 7–2 | Breslin Student Events Center East Lansing, Michigan |
| Dec 30, 1989* | | at Michigan State Spartan Classic | L 49–51 | 7–3 | Breslin Student Events Center East Lansing, Michigan |
| Jan 3, 1990* | | Delaware | W 58–41 | 8–3 | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Jan 6, 1990 | | Penn | W 56–44 | 9–3 (1–0) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Jan 12, 1990 | | at Yale | L 37–39 | 9–4 (1–1) | John J. Lee Amphitheater New Haven, Connecticut |
| Jan 13, 1990 | | at Brown | W 64–53 | 10–4 (2–1) | Pizzitola Sports Center Providence, Rhode Island |
| Jan 6, 1990* | | Susquehanna | W 75–38 | 11–4 | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Feb 2, 1990 | | at Columbia | W 67–39 | 12–4 (3–1) | Levien Gymnasium New York, New York |
| Feb 3, 1990 | | at Cornell | W 60–54 | 13–4 (4–1) | Newman Arena Ithaca, New York |
| Feb 6, 1990 | | at Penn | L 50–51 | 13–5 (4–2) | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Feb 9, 1990 | | Harvard | W 86–73 | 14–5 (5–2) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Feb 10, 1990 | | Dartmouth | W 66–28 | 15–5 (6–2) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Feb 16, 1990 | | Brown | W 74–47 | 16–5 (7–2) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Feb 17, 1990 | | Yale | W 62–47 | 17–5 (8–2) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Feb 23, 1990 | | at Dartmouth | W 58–49 | 18–5 (9–2) | Leede Arena Hanover, New Hampshire |
| Feb 24, 1990 | | at Harvard | L 63–69 | 18–6 (9–3) | Lavietes Pavilion Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Mar 2, 1990 | | Cornell | W 64–41 | 19–6 (10–3) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Mar 3, 1990 | | Columbia | W 73–46 | 20–6 (11–3) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| NCAA tournament ||||||
| Mar 15, 1990* | (13 MW) | vs. (4 MW) No. 7 Arkansas First round | L 64–68 | 20–7 | Frank Erwin Center Austin, Texas |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. ||||||