I love Princeton. I'm an alumnus and fan. I remember only a few short years ago, while I was a student, that the Ivy League was dominated by Princeton and Penn. What happened to my Tigers? In 2005-2006 season, they have consistently ranked near or at the bottom.
Could it be a result of recent demand by students and alumni alike that athletes be held to more stringent admissions standards as explored here? Doubtful, university administrators know that they need to appease alumni concerns only enough to get them to stop complaining while still maintaining strong athletic programs that ironically drive alumni donations.
Maybe it's a result of Princeton's long-standing policy of not handing out athletic scholarships? Perhaps, but this affects the rest of the Ivy League as well and it has never been a problem for Princeton before. Maybe the best athletes have realized that beginning their career at Princeton means they'll have little chance of eventually moving on to the NBA?
I'm not a sports analyst and really have no idea if there's a good explanation for all of this. There's probably a simple reason why they're so bad this year, but I don't care to know what it is. I just want to experience the pride of yesteryear when Princeton would show up in the first round or two of the NCAA, show some old school slow-motion bball and occassionally have it work. Is that really too much to ask?