Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Cornell Daily Sun Columnist Excited for Rise Cornell Basketball into National Rankings

By Meredith Bennett-Smith
Cornell Daily Sun
February 10, 2010

Last Monday morning was, by all accounts, not one of my best showings. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning Sunday night following the traditional marathon editing session at the Sun, and by the time my 10:10 Intro to Sociology course rolled around, I was in a near-zombie state.

An hour later I could be found huddled in an Olin Library easy chair (let’s be honest, they’re the poor man’s La-Z-Boy), slipping in and out of consciousness, a rapidly cooling latte inches from my limp grasp. The librarians no doubt were wondering if they should alert a medical professional. It was in this daze I had a vision. It was a glorious, shining vision. I saw Cornell’s men’s basketball team somehow making a national rankings poll.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Wittman to Play at Portsmouth

Steve Donahue Talks with Cornell University's Sideline Show


News and Notes: Evening Edition

Below, some news and notes...
  • Kyle Whelliston of MidMajority.com writes, "Will this be the summer Steve Donahue leaves Cornell behind and goes for the big money? He does have a lot of talent graduating, this would be the right time! The iron is hot!" Whelliston then goes on to explain the difficulty many low and mid major coaches experience in making the transition to the BCS level conferences.
  • The University Press Club of Princeton has a comical take on Pat Forde's projection that Princeton has only a 1 percent chance (as opposed to Cornell's 80 percent chance) of finishing the Ivy League undefeated.
  • WPRB, Princeton's student radio station is trying to get fans out to Saturday's Princeton-Cornell game.

Manny Sahota Highlights

Below, highlights from Cornell commitment, Manny Sahota's 2009-2010 senior season at St. Marguerite D'Youville School in Brampton, Ontario. Sahota joins Cornell as a freshman during the 2010-2011 season.

Big Red Brackets: Tuesday Updates

Below, The Cornell Basketball Blog monitors the Ivy League's bracket and seeding projections until the 2010 NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday.

Running The Table?

ESPN's Pat Forde believes Cornell has an 8o percent chance of finishing the Ivy League season with a perfect record. He also asserts that Princeton has just a 1 percent chance. Forde writes:

Running The Table?

We know that an undefeated season is a pipe dream. But one of the annually underappreciated feats in college basketball is an undefeated conference season. If you want to know how difficult it is to do, check recent history.

Last year it only happened twice -- Memphis in Conference USA and Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference -- and it hasn't happened more than three times in the same season since 1996. No member of a big-six conference has run the table since Kentucky did it to the SEC in 2003.

All of that serves as a warning shot for at least a few teams on this list, because there are eight out there that have yet to lose a league game. Their time is going to come. But until it does, let's break down the unbeatens:

Cornell (30)

League record: 6-0 in the Ivy League, with the closest game being 14 points. RPI: 48, 74 spots higher than second-place Princeton.

Remaining league schedule: at Penn (2-2 in Ivy play) Friday; at Princeton (4-0) Saturday; at Harvard (4-2) Feb. 19; at Dartmouth (0-6) Feb. 20; Princeton (4-0) Feb. 26; Penn (2-2) Feb. 27; at Brown (1-5) March 5; at Yale (3-3) March 6.

Scariest game: At Harvard, although the Big Red already has punished the Crimson once.

Chances of running it: 80 percent.

***

Princeton (36)

League record: 4-0 in the Ivy League. RPI: 122, 74 spots lower than league leader Cornell.

Remaining league schedule: Columbia (2-4 in Ivy play) Friday; Cornell (6-0) Saturday; at Penn (2-2) Feb. 16; Yale (3-3) Feb. 19; Brown (1-5) Feb. 20; at Cornell (6-0) Feb. 26; at Columbia (2-4) Feb. 27; Dartmouth (0-6) March 5; Harvard (4-2) March 6; Penn (2-2) March 9.

Scariest game: Either Cornell game.

Chances of running it: 1 percent.

News and Notes

Below, some news and notes. Above, the nation's media is stirring with the news of Cornell's ascent to No. 22 in the national rankings.

This almost became another column devoted to the greatness that is Cornell basketball 2010 style. Almost. Writing about the newly-ranked No. 22 team in the nation would have been a fairly simple task. Just ask the sports writers from any of the other Ivy League schools. Keep in mind Cornell has not even played all of the teams in its conference, yet I still am finding “expert” analysis from other Ancient Eight writers popping up on the Cornell Basketball Blog. Incorporate a few statistics, supplement them with several clichés, make some blanket statements about being ranked in the Top 25 and call it a day I guess.

However, Cornell is not even halfway through the conference portion of its schedule, so I will reserve judgment until a later date (or at least until Saturday night when the 6-0 Red travel to 4-0 Princeton).


A Date in Cornell Basketball History: December 20, 2009

Some of our readers requested a video clip of Louis Dale's regulation time and Ryan Wittman's overtime buzzer beating baskets on December 20, when Cornell defeated Davidson, 91-88 in overtime in the semifinal of the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival. SlopeTV prepared the following highlight package from the footage of the MSG Network. We apologize for the audio quality but please enjoy.


Monday, February 8, 2010

Around the Rim with Brian Delaney and the Ithaca Journal


By Brian Delaney
Ithaca Journal
February 8, 2010

Jeff Foote has seen Alex Tyler, his good friend and teammate, endure some frustrating moments this season.

"He gets down on himself sometimes," Foote said Friday night, after Cornell's 19-point victory over Yale. "This year's been really frustrating for him because he's had to deal with so many injuries."

Tyler, a 6-foot-7 senior forward, missed six games this season due to a calf strain issue, then tweaked a groin that forced him to miss the Columbia series.

Tyler was available for both Dartmouth and Harvard two weekends ago, but played mostly mop-up minutes (10) against the Big Green and sparingly -- for precautionary and stamina reasons -- against the Crimson (4).

Cornell coach Steve Donahue said last week Tyler finally was looking like his old self again in practice. He then played a significant role off the bench in wins over Yale and Brown. Against Yale, he had eight points, five rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes. Against Brown, he chipped in four points and three rebounds, two offensive. He was part of a quartet of reserves who, along with Chris Wroblewski, turned the game in Cornell's favor during a four-minute stint early in the second half.

If that wasn't enough, he had his own badge of honor as proof of his return to form. After taking a hard elbow to the mouth against Yale, Tyler had a deep cut on his lip medically glued shut so he could play Saturday.

He practically smiled as he was asked about it following Saturday night's win.

"It feels great to be back in the rhythm of things," he said. "You know, while I was hurt I couldn't do much but sit there and take jumpers on the side. I guess that's helped me out a little bit, but it feels good right now and I feel a lot more comfortable than I have in a long time."

Hit the road, Red

Cornell had a four-game Ivy road trip last season. It went 2-2 en route to an 11-3 record and a league title.

There's an immeasurable intangible that plays into deciding Ivy road games. The Friday-Saturday grind, as every coach echoes as often as possible, is unlike any other league in Division I.

Donahue said it was with this upcoming four-game stretch in mind that he loaded up Cornell's non-league schedule with road trips. Eleven of Cornell's 20 wins have come away from home.

The stretch starts Friday at Penn, continues Saturday at Princeton and culminates with visits to Harvard on Feb. 19 and Dartmouth on Feb. 20.

"It's funny in this league," Donahue said. "Sometimes if you play that fourth game at home, everybody loses their edge a little bit. The fans aren't as enthusiastic, the kids aren't as excited-- it's a bad thing about our league, going back-to-back. That's why I like to get back on the road and (into a) hostile environment. We'll have an edge."

Inside the Ivy

* Quotable: Yale coach James Jones, on Cornell senior Jon Jaques following Friday's game: "I give that kid all the credit in the world, for someone who didn't play a lick the last three years. Didn't play a lick. And he goes for 15 minutes tonight and scores 17 points. You've got to give him a lot of credit for staying positive and working hard and doing everything you want your kids to do in the locker room. It takes a special player to not get anything positive over the course of three years to come out and be able to do what he did tonight."

* A healthy Matt Mullery means a great deal to Brown. The 6-8 senior forward, who has been slow to heal from a nasty ankle sprain suffered Jan. 6 at Army, had 21 points, six boards and five assists against Cornell. His ability to pull Jeff Foote away from the basket -- much like Davidson's Jake Cohen and Bucknell's Mike Muscala earlier this year -- opened up lanes for teammates.

His crafty ability to finish around the basket earned him praise from Cornell's players.

"He made a couple tough shots over Foote than I thought weren't going to go in," Mark Coury said. "I was like, 'No way.' He's a really good offensive player."

* Foote ranks third in Division I in field goal percentage (.599), behind Siena's Ryan Rossiter (.604) and St. Bonaventure's Andrew Nicholson (.602).

* Saturday's Brown game was freshman Errick Peck's first "Did Not Play -- Coaches Decision" of the season.

* Harvard split a home weekend with Princeton and Penn, and now stands at 15-5 and 3-2. Tommy Amaker's club played without 6-8 sophomore Keith Wright, 6-10 sophomore Andrew Van Nest and 6-7 senior Pat Magnarelli. All were ailment-related absences.

* In four league games, opponents are averaging 45.5 points against Princeton.

Weekly honors

* Foote was named Ivy League player of the week Monday after his 15-point, 13-rebound effort against Yale and his 17-point, 9-rebound outing against Brown. Harvard's Kyle Casey, at this point the frontrunner for rookie of the year, was tabbed rookie of the week.

Cornell Moves Up to No. 22 in ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll and Doubles Votes Received in A.P. Poll

Cornell is ranked No. 22 in the nation in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Cornell received 112 points up from 53 points a week ago and 38 points two weeks ago. Cornell was No. 25 last week.

Cornell also received 114 points in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll this week. This places Cornell at No. 27 in the country for the second consecutive week. But more important Cornell jumped up to the 114 points from 39 points received last week and just 16 points two weeks ago.

So who among the 65 A.P. panel members cast votes for Cornell in this week's A.P. Poll? All of the A.P. Ballots can be viewed by clicking here.

Cornell's A.P. points came from the following voters:
Below is a summary of Cornell's results in the A.P. and Coaches' polls this season.
AP Top 25
1. Kansas (55) 22-1 1,613
2. Syracuse (8) 23-1 1,553
3. Kentucky (2) 22-1 1,514
4. Villanova 20-2 1,366
5. West Virginia 19-3 1,361
6. Purdue 19-3 1,301
7. Georgetown 17-5 1,211
8. Duke 19-4 1,142
9. Kansas State 19-4 1,139
10. Michigan State 19-5 968
11. Wisconsin 18-5 871
12. Tennessee 18-4 850
13. Ohio State 18-6 845
14. Texas 19-4 789
15. New Mexico 21-3 725
16. Gonzaga 19-4 693
17. Brigham Young 22-3 532
18. Butler 20-4 422
19. Northern Iowa 21-2 298
20. Georgia Tech 17-6 269
21. Temple 19-5 223
22. Vanderbilt 17-5 222
23. UNLV 19-4 209
24. Baylor 17-5 202
25. Pittsburgh 17-6 149
Others Receiving Votes
Texas A&M 115, Cornell 114, Wake Forest 109, Maryland 69, Charlotte 48, UTEP 33, Mississippi 30, Rhode Island 30, Saint Mary's 18, Siena 18, Illinois 16, Florida State 15, Virginia Tech 11, Marquette 10, UAB 7, Wichita State 5, Richmond 5, Missouri 3, South Florida 2.
ESPN/USA Today Poll
1. Kansas (29) 22-1 773
2. Kentucky (1) 22-1 731
3. Syracuse (1) 23-1 728
4. West Virginia 19-3 657
5. Villanova 20-2 639
6. Purdue 19-3 599
7. Duke 19-4 574
8. Georgetown 17-5 560
9. Kansas State 19-4 506
10. Michigan State 19-5 455
11. Gonzaga 19-4 427
12. Tennessee 18-4 417
13. Wisconsin 18-5 401
14. Texas 19-4 361
15. Butler 20-4 326
16. Ohio State 18-6 302
17. Brigham Young 22-3 298
18. Northern Iowa 21-2 221
19. New Mexico 21-3 211
20. Georgia Tech 17-6 150
21. Temple 19-5 131
22. Cornell 20-3 112
23. Pittsburgh 17-6 89
24. Vanderbilt 17-5 76
25. UNLV 19-4 55
Others Receiving Votes
Baylor 44, Texas A&M 37, Saint Mary's 29, Siena 28, Rhode Island 28, Missouri 25, Maryland 18, Mississippi 16, Virginia Tech 10, Florida State 8, Wake Forest 7, UAB 7, Notre Dame 6, Clemson 4, Tulsa 4, Dayton 2, Xavier 1, Connecticut 1, Louisiana Tech 1.

News and Notes: Evening Edition

Below, some news and notes for Monday evening...

  • Joe Lunardi of ESPN lists Cornell among the nation's hottest teams because of its 11-1 record in the last 12 games. Cornell is also listed among his "Road Warriors" for outstanding road records and his "vegetarian" list for teams with records that "may be weeker than they appear."
  • Cornell is ranked No. 25 in FoxSport.com's Power Rankings for Week 12. The site writes, "It's been quite some time since the Ivy League earned some love in the Power Rankings, and with the way the Big Red has played, there's no doubt it deserves the recognition."
  • Time Warner News 10 has a short highlight video clip from Cornell's win Saturday night over Brown.
  • The Ithaca Journal's Brian Delaney writes:
After beating Yale and Brown by a combined 33 points to run its record to 20-3, Cornell moved up three spots in the ESPN / USA Today top 25 coaches poll to No. 22. Cornell received 112 votes, up from 53 last week. Cornell is ranked ahead of No. 23 Pittsburgh, No. 24 Vanderbilt and No. 25 UNLV.

Cornell earned 114 votes in the Associated Press poll, which was up from 39 last week. The Big Red didn't crack the top 25 yet, however, and still sits 27th overall behind Texas A&M (115). Pittsburgh is the No. 25 team in the AP poll with 149 votes.

Both polls can be viewed here.

From my standpoint, it's not surprising that Cornell still isn't ranked in the AP poll. There are a lot - a lot - of good teams out there that appear to be on a very similar level. Siena, for instance, has 18 votes in the AP poll, and I bet there are more than a few media members and fans in the Albany area who think the Saints are better than Cornell. Either way, it's very close. So are, for that matter, UNLV, Baylor, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Maryland, Charlotte, etc. A key thing to remember is the Big Red simply cannot record a marquee win at this stage of its schedule. Other teams, like A&M, can appear outside of the equation until they beat Texas Tech, Missouri and Baylor in consecutive games.

**

Update: Jeff Foote was named Ivy League Player of the Week today, after averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds in Cornell's wins over Yale and Brown. Harvard's Kyle Casey was tabbed rookie of the week.
Brown took a 12-9 lead with 16 minutes, 3 seconds left in the first half on a three-point play by Peter Sullivan. The deficit was Cornell's first since the first half of a 71-65 win over South Dakota on Jan. 8. The streak ended at 265 minutes, 40 seconds.

Senior Ryan Wittman recorded his first dunk in a Big Red uniform. It came in transition early in the first half, and tied the game at 16. ... In two weekend wins, Cornell totaled 36 assists to 12 turnovers. ... Cornell was 7-for-25 (28 percent) from behind the arc, its worst 3-point shooting performance this season. The team shot 29.4 percent against Vermont on Nov. 28. ... The win gave coach Steve Donahue a career record of 137-136, the first time he's moved about .500 since taking the job. ...

It's unlikely to provoke the same media build-up given to Cornell-Harvard, but Saturday's Cornell-Princeton matchup at Jadwin Gymnasium should feature the only two league unbeatens. The Tigers are 13-5 and 4-0 in the league after a second straight road sweep, this time of Harvard and Dartmouth. Cornell is 20-3 and 6-0. Last season, the Tigers dealt Cornell a 61-41 loss at Jadwin. Both teams play Friday: Princeton hosts Columbia, and Cornell visits Penn.

Big Red Brackets

Below, The Cornell Basketball Blog monitors the Ivy League's bracket and seeding projections until the 2010 NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday.

Jeff Foote Earns Third Player of the Week Award

The Ivy League Office announced that Cornell's Jeff Foote was named the Ivy League's Player of the Week while Louis Dale was named to the Weekly Honor Roll. The Ivy Office notes:

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cornell senior center Jeff Foote (Lockwood, N.Y.) was the reason the Big Red was able to remain unbeaten in Ivy League play, dominating both Yale and Brown in double-figure wins. He averaged 16.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals while shooting 65 percent from the floor in the two victories. Foote recorded a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double aginst Yale, adding four assists, two blocks and a steal to the effort. He made 7-of-11 shots from the floor and grabbed four offensive boards. He chipped in with a team-high 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal without a turnover in Saturday's victory over Brown. Foote made 8-of-12 field goals against All-Ivy center Matt Mullery and had three offensive boards, more than the entire Bears team (2).


HONOR ROLL


Louis Dale, Cornell — 14.5 ppg, 4.5 apg and 3.5 rpg
Posted 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal in the win over Brown.
2009-10 AWARD WINNERS

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

November 16 — Ryan Wittman, F, Cornell / Jeremy Lin, G, Harvard
November 23 — Matt Mullery, C, Brown / Noruwa Agho, G, Columbia
November 30 — Noruwa Agho, G, Columbia / Ryan Wittman, F, Cornell
December 7 — Jeremy Lin, G, Harvard
December 14 — Noruwa Agho, G, Columbia / Jeremy Lin, G, Harvard
December 21 — Ryan Wittman, F, Cornell
December 28 — Jeff Foote, C, Cornell / Alex Zampier, G, Yale
January 4 — Ryan Wittman, F, Cornell
January 11 — Ryan Wittman, F, Cornell
January 18 —Jeff Foote, C, Cornell
January 25 —Alex Zampier, G, Yale
February 1 —Douglas Davis, G, Princeton
February 8 —Jeff Foote, C, Cornell
February 15 —
February 22 —
March 1 —
March 8 —

ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
November 16 — Dee Giger, G, Harvard
November 23 — Andrew McCarthy, F, Brown
November 30 — Matt Sullivan, G, Brown
December 7 — Errick Peck, F, Cornell
December 14 — Ian Hummer, F, Princeton
December 21 — Matt LaBove, C, Dartmouth
December 28 — Mark Cisco, C, Columbia
January 4 — Kyle Casey, F, Harvard
January 11 —Tucker Halpern, F Brown
January 18 —Andrew McCarthy, F, Brown
January 25 — Kyle Casey, F, Harvard
February 1 —Ian Hummer, F, Princeton
February 8 —Kyle Casey, F, Harvard
February 15 —
February 22 —
March 1 —
March 8 —

Foote Earns Third Ivy League Weekly Honor, Big Red Moves To No. 22 In The Coaches' Poll


ITHACA, N.Y. -- On the same day Cornell moved up to No. 22 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' poll, Big Red senior Jeff Foote was named the Ivy League men's basketball Player of the Week today, his third weekly honor of the 2009-10 season. Foote was dominant in the paint in sweeping Yale and Brown at home at Newman Arena.

Foote was the reason Cornell was able to remain unbeaten in Ivy League play, dominating both the Bulldogs and the Bears in double figure wins this past weekend. He averaged 16.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steals while shooting 65 percent from the floor in the two wins. Foote recorded a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double aginst Yale, adding four assists, two blocks and a steal to the effort. He made 7-of-11 shots from the floor and grabbed four offensive boards. Foote chipped in with 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal without a turnover in Saturday's victory over Brown. He made 8-of-12 field goals against All-Ivy center Matt Mullery and had three offensive boards, more than the entire Bears team (2).

The Big Red jumped three spots in the Coaches poll and inched closer to jumping into the Associated Press top 25 after its two victories this past weekend. Cornell jumped 80 votes in the AP poll to sit 27th with 114 votes, one behind 26th place Texas A&M. Pittsburgh sits 25th with 149 points.

Foote and the Big Red will be back in action beginning on Friday, Feb. 12 when it visits Penn at 7 p.m. in The Palestra.

Steve Donahue on Premiere Episode Of Sidelines


ITHACA, N.Y. — Up close and personal: Cornell University’s CornellCast presents Sidelines, a new weekly show featuring interviews with coaches and athletes from the university’s Big Red teams, starts Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.

Throughout the semester, a new Sidelines will be available on demand each Tuesday at 7 p.m. at http://www.cornell.edu/video/.

Also, the show will also be available on iTunesU, YouTube on Cornell’s dedicated channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/CornellUniversity, and on Time Warner Cable’s Tompkins County Channel 13.

The first show will feature Steve Donahue, Cornell men’s basketball coach, who has taken the Big Red to the NCAA Tournament for the past two seasons. Sidelines will be hosted by Blaine Friedlander, assistant director of the Cornell Press Office.

CornellCast is Cornell’s Internet television channel featuring recent recordings of compelling lectures, discussions, and performances Cornell community members and distinguished guests.

Seven Consecutive Weeks for Big Red at No. 4 in Mid Major Top 25

Each week of the season The Cornell Basketball Blog posts the rankings in the Mid Major Top 25 Poll as voted upon by the nation's mid major coaches on CollegeInsider.com.

In the Feberuary 8 (week no. 13) edition of the CollegeInsider.com Mid Major Top 25 Poll, Cornell holds onto the No. 4 ranking for the seventh consecutive week. Cornell's rankings this season are as follows:
During the last two seasons, Cornell was the only Ivy League team to receive recognition in the final results. Cornell concluded 2008-2009 in 29th position after finishing the 2007-2008 season ranked No. 18.

Roughly 200 Division I teams comprise The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll (out of 347 Division I teams). Eligible teams are from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Continent, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Sun Belt, West Coast.

MID MAJOR TOP 25-COLLEGEINSIDER.COM

Record

Points

Previous

1. Butler (23) 20-4 761 1
2. Northern Iowa (5) 21-2 739 2
3. Gonzaga (3) 19-4 712 3
4. Cornell 20-3 679 4
5. Siena 20-4 649 5
6. St. Mary's 21-3 616 6
7. Murray State 22-3 568 7
8. Northeastern 16-8 550 13
9. Wichita State 17-6 508 8
10. Northern Colorado 19-5 441 11
11. VCU 17-5 382 15
12. Old Dominion 18-7 350 9
13. Western Carolina 18-6 334 12
14. Oakland 18-8 323 16
15. Coastal Carolina 21-4 300 17
16. College of Charleston 16-8 276 19
17. Morgan State 17-7 262 20
18. George Mason 15-9 218 10
19. Akron 17-7 210 14
20. William & Mary 16-7 181 18
21. Kent State 17-7 166 NR
22. IUPUI 17-8 156 25
23. Sam Houston State 16-5 133 NR
24. Iona 18-7 128 NR
25. Weber State 15-8 120 23


OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Illinois State 50, Wofford 40, Pacific 34, Harvard 33, Morehead State 29, Portland 25, Robert Morris 18, Arkansas State 15, Montana 11, UC Santa Barbara 10, Stony Brook 9, Wright State 9, Drexel 8, Missouri State 7, Buffalo 4, Cleveland State 3, Princeton 3, Belmont 2, Detroit 2, Quinnipiac 1.

VOTING PANEL: Randy Bennett (St. Mary's), Will Brown (Albany), Rick Byrd (Belmont), Dave Calloway (Monmouth), Kermit Davis (Middle Tennessee), Steve Donahue (Cornell), Anthony Evans (Norfolk State), James Fox (Davidson), Mike Gillian (Longwood), Steve Hawkins (Western Michigan), Dick Hunsaker (Utah Valley), Eddie Jackson (American), Kerry Keating (Santa Clara) *, Billy Kennedy (Murray State), Tod Kowalczyk (UW-Green Bay), Jim Larranaga (George Mason), Jim Les (Bradley), Mike Lonergan (Vermont), Bob Marlin (Sam Houston State), Gregg Marshall (Wichita State), Tom Moore (Quinnipiac), Jimmy Patsos (Loyola MD), Tom Pecora (Hofstra), Vann Pettaway (Alabama A&M), Rick Scruggs (Gardner-Webb), John Shulman (Chattanooga), Brad Stevens (Butler), Gary Stewart (UC Davis), Scott Sutton (Oral Roberts), Wayne Tinkle (Montana), Ernie Zeigler (Central Michigan)

* Santa Clara head coach Kerry Keating is the chairman of the Top 25 voting panel for the 2008-09 season.

NOTE: The Mid-Major Poll is made up of teams from the following conferences: America East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West, Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern, Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast.

The CollegeInsider.Com Mid-Major Top 25 is now in its eleventh season of existence.

SlopeTV Recaps Brown Game and Looks Forward to Next Weekend at Penn/Princeton




Big Red Banter

By Sam Aleinikoff
SlopeTV
February 8, 2010

A week after climbing into the Top 25 of a national poll for the first time in nearly 60 years, two of the streaks Cornell used to position themselves among the nation's elite were snapped. On Friday, the Red allowed Yale to shoot 48 percent from the field. It was the first time in 10 games that a Cornell opponent shot better than a 40 percent clip. On Saturday, the Red trailed by as many as 8 late in the first half. Cornell had not been down in nearly a month since South Dakota led by a point on January 8, about 2 minutes before the half.

Despite a defense that struggled at times in both games (Brown also shot better than 40 percent from the field) and an offense that couldn't buy a bucket from the outside on Saturday, Cornell kept their most important streak alive and won their 7th and 8th games in a row.

But even with an unprecedented pair of sellouts and back to back wins, the crowd was in no way the same raucous group that they had been a week before. And the energy that was lacking in the stands was at times mirrored on the court.

"It's funny in this league. Sometimes you look at the fourth game at home and sometimes everyone losses their edge a little bit. The fans aren't as enthusiastic, the kids aren't as excited," Cornell head coach Steve Donahue said.

It wasn't just the fourth game in the homestand though that was without the same electric, championship game-esque atmosphere as the 36-point drubbing of Harvard seven days earlier; the third game was lackluster as well. Even with a 19 point win over Yale, Newman Nation wasn't as loud, the dunks weren't as emphatic and the emotion in the arena wasn't quite as raw.

It's tough to call it a let down weekend for the Big Red when they came away with a pair of double digit wins, but looking back that's just what it was. The effort was there, it always is in college basketball (unlike the NBA, but that's another tangent for another time), but the excitement was not. Despite the perfectly packaged, "it's a 14 game round robin tournament, every game matters as much as the next" lines that Donahue and Co. swear by, it's hard to believe that the Big Red got up for these two like they did against Harvard. Neither did the fans. Neither did the media.

The college basketball buzz surrounding Ithaca last weekend was unlike anything it had seen in recent history. Sure, back-to-back Ivy League championships and trips to the NCAA Tournament generated a small scale media frenzy (by Ancient Eight basketball standards), but it wasn't the same. The Washington Post came. The Wall Street Journal and Sports Illustrated chimed in. Many of the leading college basketball blogs and websites were in the house this time.

The game had been billed as the most titanic clash in league history. And when it was all over, even though the players and coaches wouldn't say it, it felt like the Red had just accomplished something monumental. As someone who has been around the program for 3 years now, the only feeling I can really compare it to was when Cornell clinched the league title each of the last 2 years. Obviously, being the favorite, there was no court storming, no singing we are the champions, no cutting down the nets, but somehow a win just four games into Ivy play had a similar feeling.

The last two times the team, the school and Ithaca as a whole had it, there was no opportunity for a let down the following week. Two years ago, the first undefeated conference slate in Cornell history was still unfinished. Last year, revenge had Cornell seeing red as they took on Princeton who had embarrassed them in a 20 point loss earlier in the season.

This year though, with a pair of teams in the bottom half of the league coming to Newman Arena for the encore performance, it was a tough act to follow energy-wise. Senior center, Jeff Foote called the first half performance against Brown "complacent" and later mused that because Brown and Yale weren't particularly highly touted teams the Red might not have been as hyped up for these games as previous ones.

Obviously, this year there is plenty left to play for, probably more than there ever has been before, and the Red realize that. Another Ivy banner in the rafters is far from secured. After Princeton won both at Dartmouth and Harvard, the league race is still very much alive. A single digit seed could also be in the cards if the Big Red avoid any slip ups the rest of the way. More pressing is that Cornell has also yet to prove to themselves that they can navigate what Donahue repeatedly calls the toughest part of the schedule: full Ivy road weekends.

Going to the two biggest gyms in the Ivy League to play traditional powers Penn and Princeton on Friday and Saturday respectively, the Red will have a chance to take another step towards all three. And even after a couple of let down games, the Red are no worse off going into their first true league weekend away from the friendly confines of Newman Arena. Donahue thinks the trip will be good for them. "I like to get back on the road," he said. "Hostile environment. We'll have an edge. We'll play. I'm looking forward to that."

News and Notes: Monday Morning Edition

Below some news and notes...
  • Mark Berman, an A.P. poll voter with the Roanoke Times (Va.) votes last night for Cornell as No. 18 and notes, "Cornell moves up one spot after beating Yale and Brown. Cornell ranked in the coaches poll but not the AP poll. Next: Fri visit to Penn and big game Sat at Princeton."
  • The Trentonian writes, "Cornell, ranked 25th in the coaches' poll and very close to entering the AP Top 25 as well, remains the prohibitive favorite to repeat as Ivy champion. But the [Princeton] Tigers (12-5 overall) have done everything that's been asked of them so far, including winning a game last night that many thought they would lose."
  • HammerandRails.com lists Cornell as one of six underrated teams in the nation. The site writes:
Cornell (20-3) - Do you really want to play the Fightin' Andy Bernards? They have already scared the crap out of Kansas at home and have beaten some good teams in non-conference play. They could get an at large bid out of the Ivy if they split the season series with Princeton and lose a proposed playoff game for the auto-bid. They also have a legitimate 7-foot center that can be a huge difference maker even against great teams. This team is experienced with a pair of NCAA appearances the last two years.
Slipping down Ivy
Harvard's postseason prospects also took a major hit this weekend. The Crimson, who were missing three big men from their rotation because of injury, were nipped Friday night by Princeton, 56-53. The loss put Harvard (15-5, 4-2 Ivy) two games behind the Tigers (13-5, 4-0) and Cornell (20-3, 6-0) in the Ivy standings. Harvard gets another shot at each team, but will need some help to make up the ground it lost this weekend. "Hopefully if things happen down the road where Princeton or Cornell drop one or two, maybe we'll get another chance and see what happens," Harvard senior Jeremy Lin said.
  • Jeff Goodman of FoxSports.com calls UMass' 2007 recruiting class the worst he has ever seen in production, particularly in light of the number of players that transferred out of the program. Goodman references Max Groebe and notes:
Max Groebe: He transferred to Cornell after logging a total of 104 minutes as a freshman under Ford and is averaging 4.7 points in 7.6 minutes per game this season for the Big Red.


The Dartmouth: "A View from the Top"


By Paul Glenn
The Dartmouth
February 8, 2010

Alumni News: Hartford Back in Europe

Just a brief update on a few of Cornell's alumni playing professional basketball overseas. Above, Jason Hartford, class of '08.

OurSportsCentral.com notes that Cornell's Jason Hartford (class of '08), averged 29 points and 13.3 rebounds per game in 2009 in the International Basketball League for the Yamhill Flyers. Hartford was recently named the MVP of the in Mozambiquen professional league,
LNB Vodacom. The 6'9" Hartford, who played for Cornell in the 2008 NCAA Tournament will be playing the next several months in Portugal for Casino Figueira Ginasio of the LPB league (the Portuguese national league) before re-joining the Flyers in May. Hartford is hoping to land a contract next season in Spain.

John McCord ('97), a 6'6" power forward and former First Team All-Ivy League selection, is playing the 2009-2010 season with Limoges CSP Elite, a member of the French ProB. McCord, a perennial All-Star selection throughout his career in France is contributing 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game this season through February 5.

Jeff Aubry ('99), a 6'11" center played most of the year for the Halcones Rojos of the LNBP, the national basketball league of Mexico where he averaged 9.6 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. In January, Aubry signed with his former pro club, Los Capitanes de Arecibo of the Puerto Rico Basketball League (PBL). In six games with Los Capitanes, he is averagin 9.7 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. Aubry played several seasons in the NBA's D-League.

Another former NBA D-Leaguer and Cornell alum, Cody Toppert ('05), a 6'4" guard was playing the 2009-2010 season with MEG Goettingen in German's Budesliga, the country's premier league. In January he was acquired by BC Scholz Recycling Weissenhorn, a Prto-B level team in Germany where he is expected to receive more playing time.

Cornell in ESPN's Weekly Watch

In ESPN's Weekly Watch, Andy Katz discusses Cornell in several different respects. First, Katz references Saturday's game as one of the best national games of the week. He writes:

Princeton, N.J., Saturday: I thought Cornell at Harvard was supposed to be the game of the year in the Ivy? Oops. I didn't anticipate Princeton still being undefeated as it prepared to host Cornell.
Katz also notes the following:
Phog or Cameron: I'm not sure why, but teams come into the Phog with more confidence than they do at Cameron. They don't win (see: Nebraska, Cornell and Baylor), but they certainly hang around a lot longer than teams do at Duke.

***

Ivy League multiple-bid scenario dead: I had to have Harvard win out, save a loss at Cornell. But Princeton won at Harvard to cancel that theory. Now it's up to Cornell to ensure it outlasts the Tigers to earn the bid.

Yale Daily News Recaps Cornell's Victory Over Bulldogs


By Chelsea James
Yale Daily News
February 8, 2010

Another Ivy League weekend, another split for the men’s basketball team.

After falling to powerful No. 25 Cornell 90–71 Friday night, the Bulldogs bounced back with a convincing 79–64 win at Columbia (8–12, 2–4) Saturday.

The Big Red (20–3, 6–0), ranked for the first time since 1951, shot a devastating 48.1 percent from three-point land, and 47.8 percent overall from the field. Forward Jon Jaques’s 17 points led a quartet of Cornell players in double figures, and the Cornell defense forced 11 turnovers en route to the victory.

Brown Daily Herald Recaps Cornell Victory Over Bears

By Tony Bakshi
Brown Daily Herald
February 8, 2010

Matt Mullery ’10 made the Brown basketball record books Saturday night, but the Big Red ultimately spoiled the party. As Mullery became the 23rd player in Bears’ history to score 1,000 career points, No. 25 Cornell (20-3, 6-0 Ivy) pulled away from a feisty Brown (7-16, 1-5 Ivy) squad late in the second half for a 74-60 victory.

No. 25 Big Red Pick Up A.P. Vote from Jeff Goodman

While the A.P. and Coaches Polls come out later Monday afternoon, we do know that Cornell picked up an A.P. vote from Jeff Goodman. In six Ivy League games, Cornell has won each game by at least 14 points with five games at 19 point or greater margins of victory. Goodman writes on his FoxSports.com blog:
We’re giving Cornell the nod for the 25th spot in the poll after the Big Red played Kansas tough and have dominated the Ivy League thus far.

WEEK 13 TOP 25

1. Kansas (22-1) *1
2. Syracuse (23-1) *2
3. Kentucky (22-1) *4
4. Villanova (20-2) *3
5. Purdue (19-3) *5
6. West Virginia (19-3) *7
7. Duke (19-4) *11
8. Georgetown (17-5) *8
9. Kansas State (19-4) *10
10. Wisconsin (18-5) *13
11. Ohio State (18-6) *12
12. Michigan State (19-5) *6
13. Texas (19-4) *9
14. Temple (19-5) *14
15. New Mexico (21-3) *15
16. Tennessee (18-4) *17
17. Georgia Tech (17-6) *21
18. Gonzaga (19-4) *22
19. Pittsburgh (17-6) *19
20. Butler (20-4) *25
21. Wake Forest (16-5) *NR
22. Texas A&M (17-6) * NR
23. Vanderbilt (17-5) *16
24. Baylor (17-5) *23
25. Cornell (20-3) * NR

CollegeHoopsNet.com Ranks Cornell No. 25 Nationally and No. 8 Among Non-BCS Conference Teams

In CollegeHoopsNet.com's (CHN) National Top 50 Ranking, Cornell is No. 25 in the country. Below is a summary of Cornell's rankings this season on CHN's Top 50.
In addition, in CHN's latest Non-BCS Top 25 ranking, Cornell is No. 8. Below is a summary of Cornell's rankings this season on CHN's Non-BCS Top 25.

Storming the Floor's Covering The Ivy: Part Four

Below, StormingTheFloor.net's fourth installment of its Ivy League coverage. Above, yeah, that's your Ryan Wittman throwing down a dunk for Cornell.
In The Running For Player Of The Year

7. Alex Zampier, senior, Yale (LW: 4) - 29 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists in 63 minutes - On Saturday against Columbia, Zampier became the 23rd player in school history to score 1,000 career points. He is also tied for the all-time lead in steals with 157.

6. Ryan Wittman, senior, Cornell (LW: 5) - 29 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks in 66 minutes - After looking at the career numbers for some other Ivy players, I added up Wittman's career points: 1,829, good for seventh in league history. He's within shouting distance of Harvard's Joe Carrabino (1,880) for sixth and Yale's Tony Lavelli (1,964) for fifth all-time.

5. Jeff Foote, senior, Cornell (LW: 6) - 32 points, 22 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks in 57 minutes - Amazingly, Foote is not the only Ivy League athlete with that name: Jeffrey Foote is a 6'0, 175 pound junior midfielder on the Brown University lacrosse team.

Cornell Daily Sun Recaps No. 25 Cornell's Weekend Sweep of Yale and Brown

The Yale defense was unable to stop Jeff Foote during the game on Friday night, culminating in a 90-71 Cornell win.