Princeton competes in the Ivy League and is one of the most storied programs in college basketball history, having reached the 1965 Final Four behind Bill Bradley. The Tigers are known for their methodical Princeton offense, which has been adopted by coaches at all levels of the sport.
The Tigers mascot was adopted in the 1880s, with Princeton's orange-and-black colors naturally lending themselves to the tiger, which became the university's official symbol.
The 1996 NCAA Tournament upset of defending champion UCLA, 43-41, using the Princeton offense to perfection and pulling off one of the greatest upsets in tournament history.
The "Princeton offense" is a motion-based system featuring backdoor cuts and ball movement that has been widely adopted across basketball, making it one of the few offensive systems named after a college team.
The Princeton Tigers compete in the Ivy League and hold an all-time record of 1859–1155 (.617 winning percentage) across 125 recorded seasons dating back to 1900-01. The program has reached 1 Final Four.
| Season | Record | Conference | Coach | AP peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 9-20 | 5-9 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2024-25 | 19-11 | 8-6 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2023-24 | 24-5 | 12-2 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2022-23 | 23-9 | 10-4 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2021-22 | 23-7 | 12-2 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2019-20 | 14-13 | 9-5 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2018-19 | 16-12 | 8-6 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2017-18 | 13-16 | 5-9 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2016-17 | 23-7 | 14-0 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2015-16 | 22-7 | 12-2 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2014-15 | 16-14 | 9-5 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2013-14 | 21-9 | 8-6 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2012-13 | 17-11 | 10-4 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2011-12 | 20-12 | 10-4 (Ivy) | Mitch Henderson | |
| 2010-11 | 25-7 | 13-2 (Ivy) | Sydney Johnson | |
| 2009-10 | 22-9 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Sydney Johnson | |
| 2008-09 | 13-14 | 8-6 (Ivy) | Sydney Johnson | |
| 2007-08 | 6-23 | 3-11 (Ivy) | Sydney Johnson | |
| 2006-07 | 11-17 | 2-12 (Ivy) | Joe Scott | |
| 2005-06 | 12-15 | 10-4 (Ivy) | Joe Scott | |
| 2004-05 | 15-13 | 6-8 (Ivy) | Joe Scott | |
| 2003-04 | 20-8 | 13-1 (Ivy) | John Thompson | |
| 2002-03 | 16-11 | 10-4 (Ivy) | John Thompson | |
| 2001-02 | 16-12 | 11-3 (Ivy) | John Thompson | |
| 2000-01 | 16-11 | 11-3 (Ivy) | John Thompson | |
| 1999-00 | 19-11 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Bill Carmody | |
| 1998-99 | 22-8 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Bill Carmody | |
| 1997-98 | 27-2 | 14-0 (Ivy) | Bill Carmody | AP #8 |
| 1996-97 | 24-4 | 14-0 (Ivy) | Bill Carmody | |
| 1995-96 | 22-7 | 12-2 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1994-95 | 16-10 | 10-4 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1993-94 | 18-8 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1992-93 | 15-11 | 7-7 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1991-92 | 22-6 | 12-2 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1990-91 | 24-3 | 14-0 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | AP #18 |
| 1989-90 | 20-7 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1988-89 | 19-8 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1987-88 | 17-9 | 9-5 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1986-87 | 16-9 | 9-5 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1985-86 | 13-13 | 7-7 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1984-85 | 11-15 | 7-7 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1983-84 | 18-10 | 10-4 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1982-83 | 20-9 | 12-2 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1981-82 | 13-13 | 9-5 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1980-81 | 18-10 | 13-1 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1979-80 | 15-15 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1978-79 | 14-12 | 7-7 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1977-78 | 17-9 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1976-77 | 21-5 | 13-1 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1975-76 | 22-5 | 14-0 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | AP #15 |
| 1974-75 | 22-8 | 12-2 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | AP #12 |
| 1973-74 | 16-10 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1972-73 | 16-9 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1971-72 | 20-7 | 12-2 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | AP #14 |
| 1970-71 | 14-11 | 9-5 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1969-70 | 16-9 | 9-5 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1968-69 | 19-7 | 14-0 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | |
| 1967-68 | 20-6 | 12-2 (Ivy) | Pete Carril | AP #8 |
| 1966-67 | 25-3 | 13-1 (Ivy) | Butch van Breda Kolff | AP #3 |
| 1965-66 | 16-7 | 9-5 (Ivy) | Butch van Breda Kolff | |
| 1964-65 | 23-6 | 13-1 (Ivy) | Butch van Breda Kolff | |
| 1963-64 | 20-9 | 12-2 (Ivy) | Butch van Breda Kolff | |
| 1962-63 | 19-6 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Butch van Breda Kolff | |
| 1961-62 | 13-10 | 10-4 (Ivy) | Jake McCandless | |
| 1960-61 | 18-8 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon,Jake McCandless | |
| 1959-60 | 15-9 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1958-59 | 19-5 | 13-1 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1957-58 | 15-8 | 9-5 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1956-57 | 14-9 | 9-5 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1955-56 | 11-13 | 7-7 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1954-55 | 13-12 | 10-4 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1953-54 | 16-9 | 11-3 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1952-53 | 9-14 | 5-7 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1951-52 | 16-11 | 10-2 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1950-51 | 15-7 | 5-7 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | AP #18 |
| 1949-50 | 14-9 | 11-1 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1948-49 | 13-9 | 8-4 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1947-48 | 12-11 | 6-6 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1946-47 | 7-16 | 2-10 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1945-46 | 7-12 | 0-8 (Ivy) | Wes Fesler | |
| 1944-45 | 7-12 | Ivy | Leonard Hettinger | |
| 1943-44 | 6-12 | 2-6 (Ivy) | William Logan | |
| 1942-43 | 14-6 | 9-3 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1941-42 | 16-5 | 10-2 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1940-41 | 10-13 | 4-8 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1939-40 | 14-8 | 8-4 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1938-39 | 10-9 | 6-6 (Ivy) | Cappy Cappon | |
| 1937-38 | 10-10 | 5-7 (Ivy) | Kenneth Fairman | |
| 1936-37 | 6-14 | 2-10 (Ivy) | Kenneth Fairman | |
| 1935-36 | 9-14 | 5-7 (Ivy) | Kenneth Fairman | |
| 1934-35 | 6-14 | 4-8 (Ivy) | John Jeffries | |
| 1933-34 | 13-8 | 7-5 (Ivy) | Fritz Crisler | |
| 1932-33 | 19-3 | 7-3 (Ivy) | Fritz Crisler | |
| 1931-32 | 18-4 | 8-2 (Ivy) | Albert Wittmer | |
| 1930-31 | 9-13 | 1-9 (Ivy) | Albert Wittmer | |
| 1929-30 | 13-12 | 3-7 (Ivy) | Albert Wittmer | |
| 1928-29 | 9-15 | 1-9 (Ivy) | Albert Wittmer | |
| 1927-28 | 14-10 | 7-3 (Ivy) | Albert Wittmer | |
| 1926-27 | 11-11 | 7-3 (Ivy) | Albert Wittmer | |
| 1925-26 | 9-13 | 5-5 (Ivy) | Albert Wittmer | |
| 1924-25 | 21-2 | 9-1 (Ivy) | Albert Wittmer | |
| 1923-24 | 11-6 | 6-4 (Ivy) | Albert Wittmer | |
| 1922-23 | 16-4 | 6-4 (Ivy) | Hill Zahn | |
| 1921-22 | 20-5 | 8-2 (Ivy) | Hill Zahn | |
| 1920-21 | 14-9 | 4-6 (Ivy) | James Hynson,Louis Sugarman | |
| 1919-20 | 16-6 | 6-4 (Ivy) | Fred Luehring | |
| 1918-19 | 5-5 | 2-5 (Ivy) | Fred Luehring | |
| 1917-18 | 12-3 | 8-2 (Ivy) | Fred Luehring | |
| 1916-17 | 15-5 | 8-2 (Ivy) | Fred Luehring | |
| 1915-16 | 16-4 | 8-2 (Ivy) | Fred Luehring | |
| 1914-15 | 13-5 | 6-4 (Ivy) | Fred Luehring | |
| 1913-14 | 12-6 | 5-5 (Ivy) | Fred Luehring | |
| 1912-13 | 11-9 | 4-4 (Ivy) | Fred Luehring | |
| 1911-12 | 8-8 | 3-7 (Ivy) | Harry Hough | |
| 1910-11 | 4-9 | 1-7 (Ivy) | Harry Shorter | |
| 1909-10 | 7-6 | Ind | Harry Shorter | |
| 1908-09 | 8-13 | Ind | Harry Shorter | |
| 1907-08 | 7-10 | 1-7 (Ivy) | C.F. Kogel | |
| 1906-07 | 4-10 | 2-8 (Ivy) | William Kelleher | |
| 1905-06 | 5-10 | 3-7 (Ivy) | Frederick Cooper | |
| 1904-05 | 8-5 | 4-4 (Ivy) | Frederick Cooper | |
| 1903-04 | 10-5 | 5-5 (Ivy) | William McCoy | |
| 1902-03 | 8-7 | 4-4 (Ivy) | Bill Roper | |
| 1901-02 | 10-10 | 4-4 (Ivy) | A.W. Enderbrock | |
| 1900-01 | 7-5 | Ind | Mowbray Forney |
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All Division I programs · Historical rankings · Championship journeys · Hoopsipedia home
| Rank | Team | Conference | All-Time Wins |
|---|
Top 100 by all-time D1 wins. Verified against the NCAA record book — and tiered so you can argue properly.
| # | COACH | RECORD | WIN % | SCHOOL(S) | YEARS | BEST SEASON / LEGACY |
|---|