# 2001–02 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team

The 2001–02 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented the Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was John Thompson III and the team co-captains were Michael S. Bechtold and Ahmed El-Nokali. The team played its home games in the Jadwin Gymnasium on the University campus in Princeton, New Jersey, and was co-champion of the Ivy League. The team earned an invitation to the 40-team 2000 National Invitation Tournament. The team was making its seventh consecutive postseason appearance.
Using the Princeton offense, the team posted a 16–12 overall record and an 11–4 conference record. The team was led by All-Ivy League second team selections Bechtold and El-Nokali. The team earned the 52nd consecutive home victory over Brown on February 23 to establish a National Collegiate Athletic Association record for consecutive home victories over a single opponent. As of 2010 the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team eclipsed that record with a current streak of 54 over Clemson. The Tigers had a chance to win the Ivy League championship outright by defeating Penn in the regular season finale on March 5, but they lost 64–48, resulting in a three-way tie. By virtue of its superior record head-to-head Penn had a bye in the first round of the three-way playoff. The Tigers played Yale in a one-game playoff with the winner to face Penn in a one-game championship. Princeton lost 76–60 on March 7 at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the National Invitation Tournament the team lost its first round contest against the Louisville Cardinals at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky on March 12 by a 66–65 score. The team lost on a jump shot with 5.3 seconds remaining.

## Schedule and results

The team posted a 16–12 (11-4 Ivy League) record.
| Date time, TV | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| Regular season ||||||
| Nov 15, 2001* | at California | L 58–70 | 0–1 | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, California |
| Nov 16, 2001* | vs. No. 10 Saint Joseph's | L 63–74 | 0–2 | Haas Pavilion Berkeley, California |
| Nov 24, 2001* | at Florida International | L 44–49 | 0–3 | Golden Panther Arena Miami, Florida |
| Nov 28, 2001* | Rider | W 69–57 | 1–3 | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Dec 2, 2001* | vs. No. 5 Maryland | L 53–61 | 1–4 | Verizon Center Washington, D.C. |
| Dec 3, 2001* | vs. George Washington | L 57–60 | 1–5 | Verizon Center Washington, D.C. |
| Dec 8, 2001* | Monmouth | W 76–70 | 2–5 | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Dec 12, 2001* | No. 4 Kansas | L 62–78 | 2–6 | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Dec 21, 2001* | Lafayette | W 67–61 | 3–6 | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Dec 29, 2001* | at Rutgers | L 62–70 | 3–7 | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, New Jersey |
| Jan 5, 2002* | Holy Cross | W 52–50 | 4–7 | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Jan 11, 2002* | at Harvard | W 50–48 | 5–7 | Lavietes Pavilion Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Jan 12, 2002* | at Dartmouth | W 57–46 | 6–7 | Leede Arena Hanover, New Hampshire |
| Jan 28, 2002* | McDaniel | W 78–24 | 7–7 | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Feb 1, 2002 | Columbia | W 49–41 | 8–7 (1–0) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Feb 2, 2002 | Cornell | W 60–38 | 9–7 (2–0) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Feb 8, 2002 | at Brown | W 70–56 | 10–7 (3–0) | Pizzitola Sports Center Providence, Rhode Island |
| Feb 9, 2002 | at Yale | L 50–60 | 10–8 (3–1) | John J. Lee Amphitheater New Haven, Connecticut |
| Feb 12, 2002 | Penn | L 38–62 | 10–9 (3–2) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Feb 15, 2002 | Dartmouth | W 79–68 | 11–9 (4–2) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Feb 16, 2002 | Harvard | W 70–59 | 12–9 (5–2) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Feb 22, 2002 | Yale | W 59–46 | 13–9 (6–2) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Feb 23, 2002 | Brown | W 73–47 | 14–9 (7–2) | Jadwin Gymnasium Princeton, New Jersey |
| Mar 1, 2002 | at Cornell | W 61–57 | 15–9 (8–2) | Newman Arena Ithaca, New York |
| Mar 2, 2002 | at Columbia | W 49–48 | 16–9 (9–2) | Levien Gymnasium New York, New York |
| Mar 5, 2002 | at Penn | L 48–64 | 16–10 (9–3) | The Palestra Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Mar 7, 2002 | at Yale Ivy League Play-off | L 60–76 | 16–11 | John J. Lee Amphitheater New Haven, Connecticut |
| National Invitation Tournament ||||||
| Mar 12, 2002* | at Louisville First round | L 65–66 | 16–12 | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||