Below, some afternoon news and notes...
ITHACA, N.Y. – In 2006, when then-Cornell basketball player Khaliq Gant checked into a local hospital in nearby Elmira to rehab an injury, one of the nurses who attended to him was Wanda Foote.
The two got to talking. Wanda informed Khaliq she had a son who played basketball. His name: Jeff Foote, a rail-thin 6-foot-9 product that wasn't on anyone's mind, much less Cornell's radar.
Below, some news and notes...
Below, recaps of Cornell's win over Harvard on Saturday.
Click the image to visit The Cornell Basketball Blog's Game Preview Center for Saturday's Cornell-Harvard game.
In 2008, Cornell clinched the Ivy title in Ithaca with a win over Harvard. A mad court storm ensued while the Harvard players ran for the lockers. How will it end tonight? 
Below, some news and notes for Saturday...ESPN's Fran Frachilla was asked during a chat session, "Why isn't the Cornell and Harvard game televised on ESPN360? It's probably the most intriguing storyline of the weekend." Fraschilla responded, "I couldn't agree with you more and I'm as disappointed as you are. Unfortunately the Ivy League's lack of emphases on college sports (not that it's a bad thing) certainly hurts basketball junkies like you and me. I'm going to miss not being able to see guys like Jeremy Lin and Ryan Wittman."
It's rare to see an Ivy League game have this type of sizzle. For the first time in three years, the Big Red has a serious challenger to their conference supremacy.
Harvard is well coached by Tommy Amaker and has a real special player in guard Jeremy Lin. However, Steve Donahue's team is confident playing at home, and they also have a 7-footer in Jeff Foote anchoring the middle.
With no answer for Foote, I see the beat marching on for Cornell.
Prediction: Cornell 80, Harvard 68
By Dave Zeitlin-RTC correspondent for the Ivy League.
Seeds of Doubt?
Last time we suggested that a single digit tournament seed was a possibility for Cornell. While we feel that it would be deserved, the reality is that it may be a pipe dream. So, you may ask, with a perfect Ivy season looming, why not a #8 or a #9 seed come March? The numbers tell the story. As of Thursday, the Big Red has an RPI of 37 and a strength of schedule ranking of 129. And with 12 games remaining within a conference with an RPI rank of 19 out of 32, those numbers won’t improve, even if they go undefeated. So expect #11 or #12 seed and a first round match-up against maybe a Wake Forest or a Pittsburgh.
PRINCETON, N.J. — The first full Ivy travel partner weekend kicks off tonight as Dartmouth and Harvard travel to Cornell and Columbia, while Penn and Princeton open their Ivy campaigns on the road at Yale and Brown, respectively.
Saturday night's Cornell-Harvard matchup in Ithaca has garnered national attention, reaching the pages of Bloomberg, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Wall Street Journal this week. Both teams, each fresh off program-best non-conference seasons, enter weekend play undefeated in Ivy play and with top-60 RPI rankings, according to the NCAA's most recent report on Monday.
The Big Red (16-3, 2-0 Ivy) has won four consecutive games since its heartbreaking five-point loss at then-No. 1 Kansas on Jan. 6, posting an average win margin of 24.5 points in those contests. Cornell has compiled and even more impressive streak in home Ivy League games, running off 16 straight at Newman Arena, with its last loss coming all the way back on Mar. 2, 2007 to none other than the Harvard Crimson.
Get all the information you need about the Cornell Big Red's games this weekend vs. Dartmouth (1/29) and Harvard (1/30) right here with The Cornell Basketball Blog's Game Preview Center. As the games approach, we will be adding relevant links to this space. Let us know your thoughts on the upcoming game by either leaving a comment to this post, sending us an email (CornellBigRedFan@gmail.com), or posting a message on The Cornell Basketball Blog's Community Forum (click here, free membership). DATE & TIME: Friday, January 29th, 7:00 p.m. (et)
FACTS & STATS: Site: Newman Arena (4,473) -- Ithaca, New York.. Television: None. Home Record: Dartmouth 4-5, Cornell 5-1. Away Record: Dartmouth 0-7, Cornell 8-2. Neutral Record: Dartmouth 0-0, Cornell 3-0. Conference Record: Dartmouth 0-2, Cornell 2-0. Series Record: Dartmouth leads, 101-97.
GAME NOTES: The Cornell Big Red will try to continue their outstanding play when they host the Dartmouth Big Green this evening in an Ivy League tussle at Newman Arena.
The Big Green fell to 0-2 in league play the last time they were in action, as Dartmouth was defeated by Harvard, 62-58. It was the sixth loss in the last eight games for Dartmouth, which has been dreadful on the road, losing all seven of its matchups as the visitor.
As for the Big Red, they have won 16 of their 19 contests on the season. Cornell has won its last four matchups heading into this game and is coming off a 77-51 victory over Columbia, which pushed the team's conference mark to 2-0.
The Big Green currently hold a slim, 101-97 edge over Cornell in the all-time series, but the Big Red have enjoyed plenty of success over the past few seasons, winning 11 of the last 12 matchups.
Producing at the offensive end of the court has been a problem for Dartmouth, as the team is netting just 55.6 ppg, behind a 39.3 percent shooting effort. Robby Pride is currently leading the team in scoring, but the guard is netting just 8.2 ppg. David Rufful is contributing 8.1 ppg, but he comes into this matchup shooting just 37.2 percent from the floor. The Big Green continued their struggles the last time the team took the floor, as Dartmouth posted just 58 points in a loss to Harvard. Dartmouth shot a pedestrian 40.4 percent from the floor, and was led by Ronnie Dixon's 15-point effort. Pride added 13 points, while Jabari Trotter tallied 12 points off the bench.
Unlike their counterpart, the Big Red have enjoyed plenty of success offensively, as the team is producing 75.9 ppg. Cornell comes into this game shooting an impressive 47.1 percent from the floor, and that comes along with a respectable 41.8 percent clip from long range. Ryan Wittman is currently leading the team with 18.2 ppg, while Jeff Foote is helping out with 12.7 ppg and a team-best 8.6 rpg. Cornell's success offensively continued in its recent win over Columbia. The Big Red shot 47.4 percent from the field in the win and also made 8-of-19 shots from behind the arc. Louis Dale led the way in the win with 16 points and eight assists, while Wittman added 11 points and eight boards.
The Big Red clearly have an edge in this matchup and should have no problems getting past the Big Green this evening.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Cornell 78, Dartmouth 59
Below, some news and notes for Friday...
Below, The Cornell Basketball Blog monitors the Ivy League's bracket and seeding projections until the 2010 NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday.According to Frank Sinatra, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.
It’s a fitting lyric for the Harvard men’s basketball team, which knows that the road to its first Ivy League championship and just its second NCAA tournament appearance ever—the other coming in 1947—runs through Ithaca, New York.
Harvard at Cornell, 7:00PM Saturday
Normally, the must-watch games of the weekend lead the weekend preview, but instead Harvard-Cornell as the top mid-major battle tops the list because in theory it's a must-watch. Unfortunately, watching it will be difficult as television coverage is nearly non-existent.
But that doesn't mean this game isn't worth following.
The Ivy League has gone mainstream. This week alone, it’s reached the pages of The Wall Street Journal, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated.
Most of the attention has swirled around the league’s budding rivalry between Cornell and Harvard, but even the bottom-dwelling Ivies are making news.
Mark Coury, left, a 6-foot-9 forward, has been a defensive presence off the bench for Cornell this season. The Big Red hosts Dartmouth on Friday and Harvard on Saturday. Cornell University forward Ryan Wittman remembers testing his skills against a National Basketball Association All-Star when he was nine. Kevin Garnett offered no quarter.
“Kevin blocked my first six or seven shots,” said Wittman, son of then-Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Randy Wittman. “I guess he wanted to keep me in my place.”
For Pete Reynolds, playing for Cornell has meant playing against some of the nation's top teams. Here he launches a shot in a 2008 loss at Drake.ESPN's Joe Lunardi lists Cornell University as one of the country's “road warriors.”
The Ivy League version of the Big Red played at Kansas this month and at Duke a couple of seasons ago.
Copmlete Game Notes | Video | Audio | Live Stats
Opponents: Cornell, Columbia
Date: Friday, Jan. 29; Saturday, Jan. 30
Arena: Newman Arena, Levien Gymnasium
Location: Ithaca, N.Y., New York, N.Y.
Tip-off: 7 p.m.
Radio: Dartmouth Sports Network (WTSL FM 94.3 and AM 1400)
In a follow up to Part I, for those interested in reading the full linkage and history of the Harvard Basketball soap opera-- take the links below.Record: 4-12 overall, 0-2 Ivy League
Last time out: A late rally came up short and Dartmouth dropped both ends of a home-and-home with Harvard in a 62-58 defeat Jan. 23 at Leede Arena.
Probable starters: David Rufful (6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Soph., G), Clive Weeden (6-9, 220, Jr., F), Matt LaBove 6-9, 235, Fr., F), Ronnie Dixon (6-1, 170, Jr., G), Robby Pride (6-0, 195, Sr., G).
Key reserves: Jabari Trotter (6-1, 285, Soph., G), Josh Riddle (6-8, 215, Soph., F), R.J. Griffin (6-4, 185, Fr., G).
Statistically: At 55.6 points per game, the Big Green ranks 333 out of 334 Division I teams in scoring offense. No player averages double-digit points. ... Defensively, Dartmouth opponents are making just .288 of their 3s. Cornell ranks fourth nationally (.419) in 3-point shooting percentage. ... Dartmouth has had only one 20-point scorer this year (Pride). ... Dartmouth is 0-7 away from Leede. ... Dartmouth is being outrebounded by an average of 7.1 per game.
Of note: Graupe was named interim coach after Terry Dunn resigned from the position on Jan. 8. Dartmouth is 1-2 under Graupe, beating St. Francis (N.Y.) 65-64, on Jan. 18.
Outlook: On paper, Cornell has entirely too many pieces, and is entirely too tough at home, for Dartmouth to pull an upset. But that was likely the thinking last Saturday, when Dartmouth played Harvard "essentially even," Steve Donahue said, in a four-point loss.
"They never quit," Donahue said. "Robby Pride plays hard as heck. Ronnie Dixon plays hard. Clive Weeden plays hard. They don't give up; they make it gritty."
They also gave Cornell its biggest home scare last season, a 79-76 double-overtime thriller. Donahue said the collective penetrating ability of Pride, Dixon and Trotter gave Cornell fits in that game. "They can probably put four guys out there that are quick enough to get to the rim, get fouled or make a play," Donahue said.
The Cornell Big Red, it would appear, are for real, and people are taking notice.
At 16-3 overall and 2-0 in the Ivy League, the two-time defending league champion Big Red are preparing for back-to-back weekend tests against Dartmouth (4-12, 0-2) and Harvard, which at 13-3 and 2-0 is expected to be Cornell's main roadblock to a third consecutive league title and NCAA bid.
While the team is just outside the top 25, Big Red center Jeff Foote says the club approaches the weekend and all games confident that it has proved itself.
"We really consider ourselves a top-25 type of team," says Foote, Ivy League defensive player of the year last season and most valuble player of last month's ECAC Holiday Festival in New York, which Cornell won with victories against Davidson and St. John's. "I think we've played like it pretty much all year. The past couple of years have given us a lot of confidence."
Cornell is one of the nation's hottest teams with 14 wins in its last 15 games, the only defeat coming Jan. 6 at then-No. 1 Kansas. The Big Red led for much of the game before falling 71-66, just missing what would have been one of the biggest wins in program history and the biggest upset of the season to that point.
And, Foote says, the outcome was not seen as a moral victory but, as most other top-25-type teams would view it, an opportunity lost.
"The Kansas game was more of a downer," he says. "Myself and (forward) Ryan Wittman (Cornell's all-time leading scorer) took it especially hard because we felt we could have won that game and thought we were the better team that night."
The Big Red's only other losses have been to No. 4 Syracuse and Seton Hall, and they opened the season with a win at Alabama.
The ambitious schedule was put together in large part, coach Steve Donahue says, because he believed his veteran team could handle the rigors. The Big Red have five seniors among their top six scorers, including Foote, Wittman and guard Louis Dale, the 2008 Ivy Player of the Year and Cornell's all-time assist leader.
"I never would have done that if I didn't think we could compete against those teams," says Donahue. "This group of seniors has proven it for over 100 games. When you've got a lot of very good seniors, you should be able to compete with anyone. Of course, you never know how it's going to work out."
Another thing the schedule did was leave the Big Red with an impressive Ratings Percentage Index ranking, sitting 37th through Wednesday's games. Though that will drop as the Ivy season continues, Donahue hopes the schedule will at least plant a seed in the minds of the members of the NCAA tournament selection committee should an at-large NCAA bid be required. The Ivy League has never sent more than one team to the tournament in a season.
"There's obviously far too much basketball left for me to try to dictate what anybody should think, but I'd like to believe we did everything we could in the preseason," Donahue says.
The Ivy League is the only conference in the nation that does not have a postseason tournament. That puts a premium on the league schedule because there's no chance to earn a tournament title and resulting automatic NCAA bid if a team slips up and doesn't finish in first place.
Donahue, however, says he would like to see the league go to a tournament format. A team that suffers some early losses can see their hopes for a title disappear quickly, he says.
"I think it's not right that everybody else has one and we don't. Our players aren't able to experience that," Donahue says.
But that's not in the cards this year, so the Cornell players know what's at stake each time they take the floor.
"We have a target on our backs, but we're a veteran team that's been through this before," says Foote. "The Ivy season is like a 14-game tournament."
Below, some Thursday evening news and notes...And you thought Nov. 20 was crazy?That Friday night featured Cornell-Seton Hall basketball, Cornell-Princeton hockey and Cornell-Maryland wrestling -- all sellouts, all within a one-block radius on East Hill.For Cornell fans, this weekend should top that. Lynah Rink will host a pair of men's hockey games -- St. Lawrence tonight and Clarkson on Saturday -- while next door Newman Arena will welcome Dartmouth and Harvard in men's basketball. (The Harvard game is already sold out.) Wrapping things up Sunday afternoon, back at Newman, is a wrestling match pitting No. 2 Iowa State against the sixth-ranked Big Red.At least the NFL playoffs are on hold for a week.
...both of the Crimson’s games in New York have sold out—a Friday night contest at Columbia, and Saturday night’s game at Cornell, the first of two highly touted match-ups against the league’s two-time defending champions.
The Cornell game looked to be a attraction early on because the two are arguably the best and certainly the most visible teams in the Ivy League, with both having challenged top Division I programs so far this season, including Cornell’s 5-point loss to Kansas.
12. Princeton (9-5, 0-0 in Ivy League) — The Tigers have won seven of eight since a 2-4 start and start conference play on Friday at Brown. The problem for Princeton, and the rest of the Ivy League, is that there is no conference tournament and Cornell and Harvard will be tough to top. Cornell has won the league two years in a row and this is probably their best team.
17. Columbia (6-10, 0-2 in Ivy League) —The bad news is the Lions are 0-2 in the Ivy. The good news is both those losses came against frontrunner Cornell. But they are devoid of any significant wins and won’t be a factor in the conference race.
There's good news and bad news this weekend in Cornell sports. The good news, there are four incredibly important and entertaining games in Ithaca this weekend. The bad news? Both Friday and Saturday nights, the Cornell men's hockey and basketball games are both scheduled to start at the same time, 7:00 P.M. The #5 ranked hockey team plays #17 St. Lawrence on Friday and Clarkson on Saturday, while Dartmouth and Harvard visit Newman Arena this weekend. What's a Big Red sports fan to do?
***
Granted, the Cornell men's basketball team is good, really good in fact. 16-3 if you were curious. They downed St. Joseph's, Alabama, Davidson and UMass, not to mention the near-cataclysmic upset of Kansas. Saturday's matchup with Harvard features the only two teams that the pundits believe can win the Ivy League. Should Harvard win, there's a possibility for two Ivy teams, the Crimson and Cornell, to make the tournament, an unthinkable scenario in years past.
CNNSI.com's Luke Winn ranks Cornell as the No. 28 team in the country in his January 28 edition of Sports Illustrated's college basketball Power Rankings. Winn also references Cornell in his ranking of Syracuse (No. 1) and Kansas (No. 2).
Below, some early afternoon news and notes...SATURDAY, JAN. 30, 6:45 P.M. MEN'S BASKETBALL AT CORNELL - 95.3 FM, WHRB.ORG
This could be considered the biggest hoops game in Harvard history - the Crimson have a 13-3 overall record and a 2-0 Ivy mark, the Big Red have a 16-3 record and identical 2-0 league record. On Friday night the Crimson will visit a good Columbia squad before trekking north for Saturday night at Newman Arena. Everyone knows the story of Harvard senior guard Jeremy Lin - who's been featured in Sports Illustrated, Time, ESPN.com, The Boston Globe and myriad other media outlets in recent weeks. But the Crimson will face the Ivy favorite in Cornell, led by senior guard Ryan Wittman, who along with Lin is considered one of the best backcourt players in the nation. The matchup, however, may come down to the big men down low - Harvard will lean on red-hot freshman Kyle Casey and big man Keith Wright to contain Cornell's big bodies in the paint.
WHRB Sports' coverage will begin at 6:45 p.m. on 95.3 FM and whrb.org with Alasdair Wilkins and Scott Reed on the call. They'll host a live pregame show from Newman Arena before bringing you the action in the first half. At halftime, stay tuned for an interview with Harvard alum and Sports Illustrated reporter Pablo S. Torre, who penned this week's SI feature on Jeremy Lin, Tommy Amaker, and the rise of Harvard basketball.
They have more talent than any other team in the Ivy League, with a 25-3 Ivy record over the last two seasons — not to mention two trophies — to prove it.
They’ve downed two Big 5 teams (plus Drexel) and have shown they can play with major conference competition.
No, these aren’t Fran Dunphy’s Penn Quakers.
It’s a new era in the Ivy League, and Cornell, led by Dunphy’s former assistant Steve Donahue, is the reigning king of the hill.
With two thrashings of Columbia on consecutive Saturdays, Cornell (16-3, 2-0 Ivy) opened its quest for a third straight Ivy title with a statement that’s loud and clear: the road to the Ivy basketball championship still goes through Ithaca, N.Y.
Even before the Big Red beat the Lions by 21 points to open their Ivy slate, it was easy to see why they remain heavy favorites.
Cornell rolled through its challenging non-conference schedule, tying the record of the 1970-71 Quakers with 15 non-conference wins, including victories over Alabama, Massachusetts, St. Joseph’s and La Salle. Its three losses came against Seton Hall, No. 4 Syracuse and No. 2 Kansas — each by 15 points or less.
The Big Red also saw the return of its big three in the Class of 2010 with guard (and former Ivy League Player of the Year) Louis Dale, forward Ryan Wittman and 7-foot center Jeff Foote. That trio consists of the Ancient Eight’s top assist man, second-leading scorer and top rebounder, respectively.
Outside of that core, sophomore Chris Wroblewski has emerged as Dale’s backcourt mate. The Highland Park, Ill., native poured in 20 points against both Seton Hall and Syracuse, and currently averages 9.0 points and 3.9 assists per game.
What stands out most about this Cornell team is its ball movement and shot selection — not surprising considering it is a veteran group with seven seniors who play significant minutes.
The Big Red leads the Ivy League in assists (17.1 per game), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) and three-point percentage (.418).
With a heap of talent and a resume worthy of at-large NCAA tournament consideration, Cornell should cruise through the majority of its Ivy games.
That includes a pair of matchups with Penn, the last team to win three straight Ivy basketball titles (from 2004 to 2007). The Quakers lost to the Big Red by 15 and 24 in their two meetings last season.
Harvard likely poses the biggest threat to a potential Cornell three-peat.
If the Crimson and Big Red split their season series, a tie at the top could send both teams to the NCAA tournament in March, a first for two Ivy teams.
Oh, how things have changed.
