1982–83 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team

{{short description|American college basketball season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2016}}

{{Infobox college sports team season

|year=1982–83

|team=Princeton Tigers

|sport=Basketball

|image=

|image_size=150

|conference=Ivy League

|division=

|short_conf=Ivy

|CoachRank=

|APRank=

|record= 20–9

|conf_record= 12–2, 1st

|head_coach=Pete Carril

|hc_year=16th

|captain=Gary Knapp

|captain2=Craig Robinson

|asst_coach1=

|asst_coach2=

|asst_coach3=

|stadium=Jadwin Gymnasium

|champion= Ivy League Champion

|tourney=1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament

|tourney_result= Second round

}}

{{1982–83 Ivy League men's basketball standings}}

The 1982–83 Princeton Tigers men's basketball team represented Princeton University in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Pete Carril and the team co-captains were Gary Knapp and Craig Robinson. 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 52-team 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.{{cite book|title=2009-10 Ivy League Basketball Media Guide|page=36|website=IvyLeagueSports.com}}

The team posted a 20–9 overall record and a 12–2 conference record.{{cite web|url=http://www.goprincetontigers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10600&ATCLID=3749695|title=Men's Basketball Record Book • All-Time Results |date=June 12, 2009|accessdate=September 27, 2010|website=GoPrincetonTigers.com|publisher=Princeton Athletic Communications}} By winning the Ivy League's automatic bid, Princeton was one of the first two teams to earn entry into the tournament.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/07/sports/boston-college-springs-a-surprise-again.html?scp=173&sq=Princeton+basketball&st=nyt|title=Boston College Springs A Surprise Again|page=C6|work=The New York Times|url-access=subscription |accessdate=October 2, 2010|date=March 7, 1983|author=White, Gordon S. Jr.}} In a 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament preliminary round game on March 15 at The Palestra in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the team defeated North Carolina A&T 53–41. Then, in the March 18 West Regional first round game at the Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon against the {{cbb link|1982|sex=men|team=Oklahoma State Cowboys|school=Oklahoma State University|title=Oklahoma State Cowboys}} the team won 56–53 before losing its March 20 second round match against Boston College Eagles 51–42.{{cite web|url=http://www.goprincetontigers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=10600&ATCLID=3754497|title=Men's Basketball Record Book • Men's Basketball in the Postseason|accessdate=September 30, 2010|date=June 22, 2009|author=Princeton Athletic Communications|website=GoPrincetonTigers.com|publisher=Princeton University}}

The team was led by first team All-Ivy League selections Robinson, who was named Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year. Robinson was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1983 NBA draft with the 93rd overall selection in the fourth round, while Rich Simkus was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the 222nd selection in the 10th Round. The team was the national statistical champion in scoring defense with an average of 50.1 points allowed.{{cite web|url=http://web1.ncaa.org/web_files/stats/m_basketball_RB/2010/D1.pdf|title=Division I Records|accessdate=October 1, 2010|publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association|page=48}}