Sunday, February 28, 2010

Late Evening News and Notes


Below, some additional news and notes...
Five To Avoid On First Weekend

• Cornell: With the ability to shoot 3s (especially Ryan Wittman) and a big man in the middle who can finish and pass (Jeff Foote), the Big Red can cause big trouble.

  • Slope TV recaps Cornell's third consecutive Ivy League title clinching win over Penn on Saturday night.

News and Notes: Sunday Evening "Ivy Champs" Edition

Below, some news notes for Sunday evening...

  • While attending Cornell's match-up on Saturday with Penn, the Daily Pennsylvanian's Neil Fanaroff noted during his live updates, "A nice arena they have here [at Cornell]. A good size, and a packed house (even though there's a hockey game going on right now next door)."
  • From the Pioneer Local, "After enjoying a solid freshman season to help Cornell reach the NCAA Tournament a year ago, [Chris] Wroblewski ... has played the role of defensive stopper on this year's 23-4 club (9-1 in the Ivy League). The sophomore guard appears to be headed back to the Big Dance with the Big Red, which has been ranked in the Top 25 this season."
  • Cornell RPI Watch: The RPI (Rating Percentage Index) is a measure of strength of schedule and how a team does against that schedule. It does not consider the margin of victory, but only whether or not a team won and where the game was played (home/away/neutral court). The formula is 25% team winning percentage (WP), 50% opponents' average winning percentage (OWP), and 25% opponents' opponents' average winning percentage (OOWP). (See: CollegeRPI.com for a further explanation of the formula.) The RPI may be the most influential factor in NCAA Tournament seeding. Cornell's (24-4) RPI rank as of February 28 is No. 47 out of 347 total Division I teams.
  • Neither the Ken Pomeroy or Jeff Sagarin rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. Nevertheless, the KenPom.com site ranks Cornell No. 73 in the nation, while the Sagarin rankings have Cornell at No. 56 Both sites are predominantly used by fans and the media.
  • Game Recaps-Below are links to our game recaps from each of Cornell's games this season. Associated press recaps courtesy of Rivals.com/YahooSports.com are always available by clicking on Cornell's schedule/results on the right column of this blog.
  1. at Alabama (W 71-67)
  2. at UMass (W 74-61)
  3. vs. Seton Hall (L 79-89)
  4. at Syracuse (L 73-88)
  5. Toledo (Phil.) (W 78-60)
  6. Vermont (Phil.) (W 67-59)
  7. at Drexel (W 61-54)
  8. at Bucknell (W 104-98) (OT)
  9. vs. St. Joseph's (W 78-66)
  10. Davidson (W 91-88) (OT)
  11. at St. John's W 71-66
  12. at La Salle (W 78-75)
  13. vs. PSU Behrend (W 73-49)
  14. vs. Bryant (W 75-49)
  15. at Kansas (L 66-71)
  16. at South Dakota (W 71-65)
  17. vs. Clarkson (W 82-37)
  18. vs Columbia (W 74-53)
  19. at Columbia (W 77-51)
  20. vs. Dartmouth (W 71-37)
  21. vs. Harvard (W 86-50)
  22. vs. Yale (W 90-71)
  23. vs. Brown (W 74-60)
  24. at Penn (L 79-64)
  25. at Princeton (W 48-45)
  26. at Harvard (W 79-70)
  27. at Dartmouth (W 88-70)
  28. vs. Princeton (W 50-47)
  29. vs. Penn (68-48)
Friday, November 13
Yale 86 Sacred Heart 92 (Connecticut Six) Box Score - Recap
Brown 68 St. Francis (N.Y.) 64 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 58 Boston College 89 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 87 Holy Cross 77 Box Score - Recap
Penn 55 Penn State 70 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, November 14

Princeton 71 Central Michigan 68 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 71 Alabama 67 Box Score - Recap


Sunday, November 15

Brown 55 Virginia Tech 69 Box Score - Recap
William & Mary 85 Harvard 87 (3OT) Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 44 George Mason 60 Box Score - Recap

Monday, November 16

Yale 63 Hofstra 68 (NIT at Storrs CT)
Box Score - Recap

Penn 65 Villanova 103 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 17

Yale 65 Colgate 55 (NIT Storrs CT)
Box Score - Recap

Columbia53 DePaul 59 [SNY] Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, November 18

Rhode Island 78 Brown 57
Box Score - Recap

Manhattan 54 Princeton 61 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 74 UMass 61 Box Score - Recap

Friday, November 20

Brown 76 St. John's 79
Box Score - Recap

Longwood 61 Columbia 72 Box Score - Recap
Seton Hall 89 Cornell 79 Box Score - Recap
Bryant 51 Harvard 77
Box Score - Recap


Saturday, November 21

Army 56 Princeton 52
Box Score - Recap

Dartmouth 60 Furman 83 Box Score - Recap
Delaware 97 Penn 94 2OT Box Score - Recap
Quinnipiac 71 Yale 64 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, November 22

Maine 62 Brown 75
Box Score - Recap


Monday, November 23

Harvard 53 Army 56
Box Score - Recap

Charlotte 88. Yale 74 NIT Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 24

Princeton 50 George Washington 65 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 73 Syracuse 88 Box Score - Recap
Loyola (Md.) 58 Dartmouth 41
Box Score - Recap

Bucknell 59 Columbia 73 Box Score - Recap
Drexel 58 Penn 49 Box Score - Recap
Elon 65 Yale 69 NIT Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, November 25

Brown 70 Bryant 68 Box Score - Recap
New Hampshire 60 Harvard 78 Box Score - Recap

Friday, November 27

Cornell 78. Toledo 60 (Legends Classic at Philadelphia, Pa.) Box Score - Recap
Brown 79 Siena 99 (Philadelphia Hoops Classic) Box Score - Recap
Yale 48 Army 64 Box Score - Recap
Hartford 56 Dartmouth 68 Box Score - Recap


Saturday, November 28

Cornell 67 Vermont 59
(Legends Classic at Philadelphia, Pa.) Box Score - Recap

Brown 79 Siena 99 (Philadelphia Hoops Classic) Box Score - Recap
Yale 48 Army 64 Box Score - Recap
Hartford 56 Dartmouth 68 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, November 29

Cornell 61 Drexel 54 (Legends Classic at Philadelphia, Pa.) Box Score - Recap
Harvard 78 Boston U. 70 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 60 California 81 [CSN California] Box Score - Recap

Monday, November 30

Columbia 55 Sacred Heart 60 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 1

Vermont 63 Dartmouth 58 Box Score - Recap


Wednesday, December 2

Holy Cross 85 Brown 79 (OT)
Box Score - Recap
Cornell 104 Bucknell 98 (OT)
Box Score - Recap
Yale 48 Hartford 46
Box Score - Recap
Rice 64 Harvard 85
Box Score - Recap

Thursday, December 3

Lehigh 75 Columbia 70
Box Score - Recap
Princeton 44 Rutgers 58
Box Score - Recap

Friday, December 4

Penn
67 Navy 73 [CBS College Sports] Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 5
Columbia 60 Stony Brook 63
Box Score - Recap
Brown 55 Minnesota 91 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 6

Harvard 73 UConn 79 [SNY/ESPN Fullcourt]
Box Score - Recap
Lafayette 48 Princeton 62
Box Score - Recap
Cornell 78 St. Joseph's (PA) 66 Box Score - Recap

Monday, December 7
Brown 62 Providence 78
Box Score - Recap
Vermont 72 Yale 60 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 8
Columbia 102 Wagner 91
Box Score - Recap
Albany 78 Penn 60 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 9
Harvard 74 Boston College
67 Box Score - Recap
Bryant 54 Yale 69 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 12
Columbia 69 Bryant 57
Box Score - Recap
Army 59 Dartmouth 46 Box Score - Recap
Penn 75 Monmouth 80 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 13
Princeton 65 UNC Greensboro 50
Box Score - Recap
Lyndon State 54 Dartmouth 83 Box Score

Wednesday, December 16
Monmouth 42 Princeton46
Box Score - Recap

Thursday, December 17
Dartmouth 58 Lehigh 66
Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 20
Cornell 91 Davidson 88 [
MSG Holiday Festival, Fox Sports Atlantic/MSG] Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 59 New Hampshire 69 Box Score - Recap
Princeton at Maine- Weather Cancellation

Monday, December 21
Yale 78 Providence 87
Box Score - Recap
Cornell 71 St. John's 66 [MSG Holiday Festival, Fox Sports Atlantic/MSG] Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 22
Colgate 63 Dartmouth 44
Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 23
Harvard 70 Georgetown 86 [ESPN Full Court/ MyTV9/ SNY]
Box Score - Recap
Columbia 51 Quinnipiac 63 Box Score - Recap

Monday, December 28

MIT 61 Harvard 88
Box Score
Kean 63 Brown 74 Box Score - Recap
Penn 50 Davidson 79 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 29
Yale 59 Colorado 70 [FSN Rocky Mountain]
Box Score - Recap
Cornell 78 La Salle 75
Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 30
Dartmouth 51 Quinnipiac 73 [NESN]
Box Score - Recap
Brown 78 Sacred Heart 83
Box Score - Recap
George Washington 53 Harvard 66 Box Score - Recap
Maine 65 Columbia 59 Box Score - Recap
Wagner 42 Princeton 45 Box Score - Recap

Thursday, December 31
Yale 71 Colorado State 93
Box Score - Recap
Penn St. Erie-The Behrend College 59 Cornell 73 Box Score - Recap
Penn 55 Duke 114 [ESPN2]
Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 2
American 76 Brown 68
Box Score - Recap
Bryant 49 Cornell 75 Box Score - Recap
Harvard at Seattle, 5:10 pm
Princeton 70 St. Joseph's 62 [The Comcast Network]
Box Score - Recap

Sunday, January 3
Penn 62 Lafayette 77
Box Score - Recap
Yale 68 Albany 89 [Time Warner Cable (TW3)] Box Score - Recap

Monday, January 4
Wagner 71 Brown 72 Box Score - Recap
American 51 Columbia 56 Box Score - Recap
Bucknell 43 Dartmouth 49 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 50 Maine 52 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 74 Santa Clara Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, January 5
Yale 69 Lehigh 75
Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 6
Brown 51 Army 59 Box Score - Recap
Columbia 74 Lafayette 91 Box Score - Recap
Penn 82 UMBC 71 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 77 Marist 58 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 66 Kansas 71 (ESPN Fullcourt/ESPN360) Box Score - Recap

Thursday, January 7
Albertus Magnus 71 Yale 92
Box Score

Friday, January 8
Cornell 71 South Dakota 65
Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 9
*Dartmouth 47 Harvard 76 Box Score - Recap
NJIT 48 Yale 79 Box Score - Recap

Monday, January 11
Brown 75 Quinnipiac 88 Box Score - Recap
St. Francis (N.Y.) 59 Columbia 53 Box Score - Recap
Clarkson 37 Cornell 82 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 13
Temple 60 Penn 45 Box Score - Recap

Friday, January 15
*Brown 75 Yale 66 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 16
*Columbia 53 Cornell 74 (Time Warner Sports) Box Score - Recap

Monday, January 18
St. Francis (N.Y.) 64 Dartmouth 65 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 20
La Salle 76 Penn 57 Box Score - Recap

Friday, January 22
*Yale 71 Brown 63 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 23
*Cornell 77 Columbia 51 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 62 Dartmouth 58 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, January 24
Goucher 35 Princeton 88 Box Score - Recap

Monday, January 25
St. Joseph's 85 Penn 64[Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap

Friday, January 29
*Penn 48 Yale 61 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 63 Brown 46 Box Score - Recap
*Dartmouth 37 Cornell 71 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 74 Columbia 45 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 30
*Penn 55 Brown 54 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 58 Yale 45 Box Score - Recap
*Dartmouth 51 Columbia 63 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 50 Cornell 86 Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 5
*Penn 53 Dartmouth 51 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 56 Harvard 53 Box Score - Recap
*Brown 54 Columbia 65 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 71 Cornell 90 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, February 6

*Penn 66 Harvard 80 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 54 Dartmouth 38 Box Score - Recap
*Brown 60 Cornell 74 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 79 Columbia 64 Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 12
*Columbia 45 Princeton 55 Box Score - Recap
*Dartmouth 60 Brown 75 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 82 Yale 79 OT Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 64 Penn 79 [Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap

Saturday, February 13
*Cornell48 Princeton 45 [Verizon FiOS]
Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 66 Penn 62 [Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 81 Brown 67 Box Score - Recap
*Dartmouth 56 Yale 69 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, February 16
*Princeton 58 Penn 51 Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 19
*Brown 80 Penn 73 [Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 44 Dartmouth 48 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 58 Princeton 82 [ESPNU] Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 79 Harvard 70 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, February 20

*Brown 57 Princeton 54 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 69 Penn 81[Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 88 Dartmouth 70 Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 57 Harvard 77 Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 26
*Penn 55 Columbia 56 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 47 Cornell 50 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 55 Dartmouth 45 Box Score - Recap
*Brown 71 Harvard 91 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, February 27
*Penn 48 Cornell 68 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 67 Columbia 52 Box Score - Recap
*Brown 76 Dartmouth 57 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 58 Harvard 78 Box Score - Recap

Friday, March 5

*Harvard at Penn, 7 pm
*Dartmouth at Princeton, 7 pm
*Cornell at Brown, 7 pm
*Columbia at Yale, 7 pm

Saturday, March 6
*Dartmouth at Penn, 7 pm
*Harvard at Princeton, 7 pm
*Cornell at Yale, 7 pm
*Columbia at Brown, 7 pm

Tuesday, March 9
*Penn at Princeton, 7 pm

Thursday, March 11
Ivy League Playoff (if necessary)

Saturday, March 13
Ivy League Playoff (if necessary)

Slope Media Recaps Cornell's Win over Princeton

Slope Media recaps Cornell's win over Princeton on Friday.

Northeastern's Allen uses charity to lift Huskies over Mason



Don't really think I am talking like a blind homer when I say that Northeastern cashed in on some charity in order to avoid overtime and get the 50-48 win over George Mason yesterday. I was sitting right behind the Northeastern radio team on press row and they also did not believe it was a foul on Chaisson Allen in those final seconds. It happened right in front us, maybe a mere 20 feet away or so. Right before that, as you can see in the video, Mike Morrison was looked to be clearly fouled on his put back dunk that would have given Mason the lead. The inconsistent officiating was very questionable and played too a big a part in this one. However, we also witnessed right in front us Matt Janning hitting a dagger three-pointer that was well beyond the NBA three-point line. I don't like to blame referees for a team's loss and I am not, it's just an unfortunate turn of events for the game to end. Also, as a Mason fan you have to be a little discouraged that we are now on a three-game home losing streak for only the second time in Coach L's tenure, of which the last two games were arguably decided by the referees. The game should have went into overtime and everyone knew that.

Aside from what happened late in this game, the Patriots had their chances to win this one. Like for one, why did Luke Hancock handle that last possession? Whether Cam Long or Andre Cornelius are having an off day or not I want the ball in their hands or even Ryan Pearson for that matter. The first half was riddled with turnovers that prevented them from adding to their lead and getting any separation from the Huskies. Northeastern's defense was suffocating at times and guards Andre Cornelius and Cam Long ever got into a rhythm. Both finished with a combined 8 points, while Northeastern's Matt Janning finished with 18, most of which in the 2nd half. Northeastern was keying in on Ryan Pearson and Mike Morrison early, clogging up the paint and forcing the Patriots to beat them with outside shots, which they couldn't.

Notice how Mason had the advantage in four factors of winning but let the turnover margin and other intangibles ruin them.



Sherrod Wright looked unstoppable for a stretch in the 1st half, handing down two back to back posterizing dunks on the Huskies' front court, both resulting in 'and one' situations. He helped the Patriots shoot 50% from the field in the second half but I didn't really see the team running screens for him and that's head scratching. Wright probably has the most raw talent at the guard spot for Mason and you have to wonder if Larranaga took enough of an advantage of it this season.

Now Mason finds itself a #4 seed in the CAA tournament next week and after the 1st round bye will play the winner of VCU-Delaware Saturday at 2:30 pm.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

THREE-PEAT, Cornell Clinches Ivy Title with Dominant 68-48 Win Over Penn

Below, game recaps from Cornell's Ivy League Championship clinching win over Penn. The Big Red have won three consecutive Ivy League titles. (Photos, Ithaca Journal)





Box Score
Senior Day Ceremony Video

ITHACA, NY – On a special night celebrating a special group of seniors, the Cornell men's basketball team clinched at least a share of its third consecutive Ivy League title with a 68-48 victory over Penn on Saturday night at Newman Arena. The victory avenged the Big Red’s only league loss of the season, a 79-64 defeat in Philadelphia on Feb. 12. A sold-out Senior Day crowd watched Cornell improve to 25-4 (11-1 Ivy), while the Quakers slipped to 5-20 (4-7 Ivy).

Senior forward Ryan Wittman lead Cornell with 18 points, 15 coming in the second half when Cornell opened up a 13-point halftime lead and never allowed the Quakers to get closer than 11 points. He added a career-best six steals and had four assists in the win. Classmate Louis Dale added 16 points and five assists, while senior Jeff Foote grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and scored four points with three blocked shots in the paint.

The Big Red shot 56 percent from the floor and connected on 10-of-23 shots from beyond the 3-point arc while limiting Penn to 40 percent shooting, including a 5-of-17 effort from deep. With the 10 3-pointers, the Big Red broke the single-season record for treys in a season with 272, besting the 266 by the 2001-02 Penn team. Cornell outrebounded the Quakers 29-23, including 17-10 in the second half. The Big Red forced 21 turnovers and had 13 steals and five more blocked shots in the win.

Cornell improved its win total to 25, matching the 2001-02 Quaker team (25-7) for the most wins by an Ivy League team this century and became the ninth Ivy squad to reach 25 wins since the official formation of the league.

Senior Andre Wilkins, who had four points and two steals in four minutes, set the tone early in his first career start in a Big Red uniform. He had steals on each of Penn's first two possessions and hit a pair of buckets in the first 3:12 as the home team built a 7-0 edge. The Quakers fought back to make it 7-5, but that was as close as it would get. Dale had 13 points in the first 7:49 as Cirbekk built a seven-point edge. When Wittman hit a jumper with 4:27 remaining in the half, the lead hit double figures and it wouldn't get any closer than 11 the rest of the way.

Leading 34-23 less than one minute into the second half, Cornell went on a 9-0 run to take a 20-point lead at 43-23 following a Wittman lay-up with 15:55 to play. Cornell’s lead fluctuated between 15 to 22 points the rest of the way.

Penn was lead by Zack Rosen who shot 7-for-10 from the field en route to a game-high 23 points. The Ivy League’s leading scorer was the only Quaker to hit double figures in the contest. Mike Howlett notched nine points and grabbed five rebounds, while Rob Belcore assisted on five baskets to go along with three points and two rebounds.

Other Cornell seniors also played a key role. Geoff Reeves had two assists, two rebounds and a steal without a turnover in 19 solid minutes, providing his typical outstanding defense. Alex Tyler, who ranks in the top 10 all-time at Cornell in blocked shots added another to his total, while Jon Jaques chipped in with nine points and three steals.

Cornell returns to action on Friday, March 5 when it plays at Brown at 7 p.m. A win would put Cornell into the NCAA tournament for the third time by guaranteeing an outright Ancient Eight crown.




By Brian Delaney
Ithaca Journal

ITHACA -- With 92 seconds left, a share of the Ivy League title well in hand, Louis Dale penetrated on the right side and kicked a pass back to Ryan Wittman at the top of the key. One last time at Newman Arena, Wittman buried it.

With Dale and Wittman at the forefront, Cornell's eight seniors left its fingerprints all over the 68-48 blowout of Penn, as a sellout crowd of 4,473 thundered its collective thanks to the program's all-time winningest class.

Cornell (25-4, 11-1) can clinch its third consecutive title outright, and an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament, by winning one of its two remaining games. Cornell finishes at Brown on Friday and Yale on Saturday.

"We came out with the energy and passion and determination that I thought we would," Cornell coach Steve Donahue said. "I know it had a lot to do with (senior) night, but I thought it had a lot to do with what happened in Philadelphia (two) weeks ago.

On Feb. 12, Penn stunned then-No. 22 Cornell at the Palestra, 79-64. It was clear early on Saturday that no such repeat was in store.

Penn's best player, sophomore point guard Zack Rosen, was burdened with foul trouble. He picked up his third foul on a charge call with 11:56 left in the first half.

He sat out the next eight minutes, during which Cornell outscored the Quakers 14-5 to take a 29-15 lead. Penn turned it over six times in that stretch, and 21 times overall.

Rosen finished with 23 points, the bulk of which came after Cornell opened a comfortable lead.

"The game kind of got away from us a little bit when he went out of the game," Penn coach Jerome Allen said. "Obviously, he's our best overall player."

Dale scored 13 points in the first half and finished with 16. Wittman, the Ivy League's all-time leader in 3-point field goals, took over after halftime, scoring 15 of his 18 points on a variety of shots. He hit a long 3, then a pull-up jumper, to give Cornell a 53-31 lead with 12:37 remaining.

Penn never seriously threatened.

The Quakers (5-20, 4-7) patiently watched from their bench as Cornell's seniors were honored in an emotional, lengthy pre-game ceremony. In the group's four years, Cornell won 26 of 28 league games at home and 45 of 54 Ivy contests overall.

"I think we all knew it was going to be a huge game for us, and an emotional one as well," senior forward Jon Jaques said. "Definitely wanted to end on a high note. A lot of good memories are in this gym the last four years. It's unbelievable that playing in this gym is over."


WVBR.com

Clinches Share of Ivy Title on Emotional Senior Night

The Cornell Big Red clinched a share of the Ivy League title Saturday with a 68-48 win over the Penn Quakers on Senior Night at Newman Arena.

The game marked the last home contest for Cornell's eight seniors. The Class of 2010 is the most accomplished, having now won a share of three Ivy League title, more than any other Cornell class. Each senior was honored before the game with flowers, a framed picture, and standing ovation from the sellout crowd.

Fittingly, senior forward Ryan Wittman and senior guard Louis Dale led the Red with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Wittman added 6 steals and senior center Jeff Foote paced the Red with 11 rebounds and 3 blocks.

After giving up 79 points in a loss to the Quakers two weeks ago, Cornell limited Penn to 48 points on just 40% shooting. Cornell forced 21 turnovers, including 13 steals. Cornell set the tone defensively early. Cornell head coach Steve Donahue started senior forward Andre Wilkins for Senior Night, and Wilkins responded with steals on each of Penn's first two possessions.

“I thought this was a solid defensive effort, obviously it helps that [Penn star Zach] Rosen was in foul trouble,” Cornell head coach Steve Donahue said afterward. “We rotated well…caused some turnovers.”

For Penn, sophomore guard Zach Rosen led the way with 23 points on 7-10 shooting, but he spent much of the night in foul trouble.

Wittman noted afterward about the night's festivities, “you kinda enjoy it before the game.” “Once you kinda get in the flow of the game,” you don't think about it.

Donahue noted that “Penn having beaten us…enabled us to keep our emotions in check.” He thought that was the key to the game. He added that about the seniors, “without question, this class has done more for this program” than any other class in Cornell history.

The Red never trailed, thanks in part to three treys from Dale in the game's first seven minutes. They led 34-21 at the half and led by 23 a little more than halfway through the second half.

Cornell faces Brown and Yale next weekend. With a win in either of those contests, Cornell will clinch the Ivy League outright and a bid in the NCAA Tournament. When asked after the game about how far Cornell could go in the NCAA's Donahue responded, “We gotta go play next weekend. I'll answer that question then.”

You can hear Cornell's next game, at Brown, next Friday on WVBR 93.5-FM or online at wvbr.com.

ITHACA, N.Y. - It was motivation enough for Cornell last night that it could clinch a share of its third consecutive Ivy League title by beating Penn.

But just in case that wasn't enough, Big Red coach Steve Donahue only had to remind his players that the Quakers had dealt them their only conference loss of the season thus far, three weeks ago at the Palestra.

With seniors Ryan Wittman and Louis Dale leading the way, Cornell hit a barrage of threes coming out of the gate and rolled to a 68-48 win on senior night at sold-out Newman Arena.

"We were kind of playing with a chip on our shoulder," said Wittman, who led his team with 18 points. Penn's Zack Rosen led all scorers with 23 points.

The Big Red started the game on a 7-0 run and held a 34-21 lead at halftime.

Penn (5-20, 4-7 Ivy League) created its own problems, committing 21 turnovers and shooting 39.5 percent from the field. And Rosen was called for his third foul with 11 minutes, 36 seconds left in the first half.

Cornell's offense was relentless shooting 56 percent from the field for the game.

After the game, Donahue said his senior class "may have turned around this program more than any other in the Ivy League's history."

"You go through so many hard times that I'd probably be lying if I said yeah, I saw this coming," the Delaware County native and former Penn assistant said. "They've exceeded my expectations, this group, for sure."

Despite the beating his team took, Penn coach Jerome Allen praised Donahue afterward for having brought Cornell (25-4, 11-1) to prominence.

"I'm happy for all that he's accomplished and I wish him nothing but the best of luck," said Allen, who played at Penn when Donahue was an assistant coach. "He was so instrumental in the things we were able to implement. I'm appreciative of the fact that I was able to play under him."

Cornell knocks off Penn 68-48 Saturday night in men's college basketball

The Examiner

Sometimes when you beat somebody in men's college basketball they do not forget. The Big Red of Cornell did not forget what Penn did to them on Feb. 12 when the Quakers upset them 79-64 at the Palestra. This time it was Cornell winning the Ivy League contest 68-48 at Cornell Saturday night.

Cornell improved to 25-4 overall and 11-1 in Ivy League play while Penn slipped to 5-20 and 4-7.

It was Cornell's fifth straight win after the earlier loss to Penn on Feb. 12.

Penn trailed the entire game and were down 34-21 at halftime. Cornell's biggest lead came after a Louis Dale free throw put them up 56-33 with 9:49 remaining in the game.

Zack Rosen led Penn with 23 points. He was the only Penn player in double figures in scoring Saturday night.

Cornell will get an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament if it wins the Ivy League regular season title as the Ivy League does not have a postseason tournament. It maintains a two-game lead in the Ivy League standings over Harvard.

Penn next plays Mar. 5 when it hosts Harvard.

Cornell Clinches Share Of Ivy Crown; Within One Win of Tournament Berth

By Sam Blum
Bleacher Report

Well, at least the rest of the Ivy League can have some consolation, the celebration won't take place on Cornell's home court.

On senior night at Newman Arena, the Big Red clinched just a share of the Ivy League crown, they would have needed a Columbia win over Princeton and a Yale win over Harvard in order to win outright.

Cornell needs just one more win, either at Brown on Friday, or Yale on Saturday in order to clinch.

Although this may seem easy, both of those teams are very quality opponents, and Cornell has shown they are not invincible on road games. A Cornell loss in both games, coupled with Princeton winning its final three games at home, and a pair of wins for Harvard on the road would mean a three way tie for the Ivy crown, and a two game playoff.

Last night Cornell took on Penn, the only Ivy team to have a win against the Big Red. Last night was a different story as Cornell to an easy 68-48 victory on their home finale.

Penn's Zack Rosen led all scores with 23. Ryan Wittman had 18 for Cornell in his last game at Newman Arena.

The win came a day after Cornell defeated Princeton 50-47. That win put them two games up in the Ancient Eight, rather than in a first place tie.

Elsewhere in the Ivy League, Princeton defeated Columbia to stay in the Ivy race by a hair. Princeton led most of the way, but had to stave off a furious last minute comeback attempt by the Lions.

Brown beat Dartmouth by 19 to stay hot, and Harvard fought to stay in the NCAA race with a 20 point blowout of Yale.

Box Score (PDF)

ITHACA, N.Y. - It was a perfect storm that the Penn men's basketball team walked into on Saturday night at Cornell's Newman Arena. It was enough that the Big Red was looking to clinch its third straight Ivy League title. But add in the fact that it was Senior Night, and the building was crackling.

On the court, the Quakers were facing a Cornell team looking to avenge its only Ivy loss this season, a 79-64 Penn win two weeks ago in Philadelphia.

The ingredients of all those factors made Saturday night's game predictable. Cornell started fast, and while Penn tried to challenge the night was more coronation than anything as the Big Red rolled, 68-48. Cornell improved to 25-4 overall, and is 11-1 in the Ivy League. The Big Red can clinch its NCAA bid next weekend with a win against eithre Brown or Yale, or a Princeton or Harvard loss in the final weekend.

Penn is now 5-20, 4-7 in Ivy play.

From a Cornell perspective, the night was all you could ask for. Senior guard Louis Dale, who did not have a field goal Friday vs. Princeton, knocked down a three-pointer to get things started. Little-used senior Andre Wilkins, a clear fan favorite, got two buckets after that, and the crowd was off and running. In the second half, Ryan Wittman reminded everyone of his explosiveness, scoring every which was for 15 of his team-high 18 points.

On the other side, Penn was behind the 8-ball to start and found the sledding even tougher when Zack Rosen got into foul trouble. He played just 11 minutes in the first half and Cornell took advantage to go up, 43-21, by the break.

Mike Howlett hit a jumper to start the second half, but Jon Jaques got a pair of layups and then Wittman knocked down a trey and got in the lane for another J. The score was 43-23, and the celebration was on.

Rosen did his part to keep Penn from getting completely blown away, scoring 16 of the Quakers' 27 second-half points, but the closer the visitors would get was 15 points with 3:31 to play. Penn then had a chance to draw within 12 points, but Drew Godwin missed a three-point attempt.

Rosen finished the night with 23 points, going 7-of-10 from the field and knocking down four of his six trey attempts. Howlett had nine points and five rebounds. For Cornell, Dale (16 points) and Chris Wroblewski (13) aided Wittman in the scoring chart, while Jeff Foote had 11 rebounds.

Penn will be at home next weekend, hosting Harvard Friday night and Dartmouth Saturday night. Tip time for both games will be 7 p.m.

GAME ON!

Get all the information you need about the Cornell Big Red's basketball games this weekend vs Princeton (2/26) and Penn (2/27) with The Cornell Basketball Blog's Game Preview Center (CLICK HERE).

(originally published 2.26.10)

News and Notes: Saturday Edition

News and notes for Saturday evening...

  • From Bleacher Report, " In what might have been its last true test in Ivy League play, Cornell got enough to earn a 50-47 victory over Princeton. It is Cornell’s second win over Princeton in the last two weeks."
  • Snow kept CBS Sports from making its planned journey to Ithaca this weekend.
  • Cornell RPI Watch: The RPI (Rating Percentage Index) is a measure of strength of schedule and how a team does against that schedule. It does not consider the margin of victory, but only whether or not a team won and where the game was played (home/away/neutral court). The formula is 25% team winning percentage (WP), 50% opponents' average winning percentage (OWP), and 25% opponents' opponents' average winning percentage (OOWP). (See: CollegeRPI.com for a further explanation of the formula.) The RPI may be the most influential factor in NCAA Tournament seeding. Cornell's (24-4) RPI rank as of February 27 is No. 46 out of 347 total Division I teams.
  • Neither the Ken Pomeroy or Jeff Sagarin rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. Nevertheless, the KenPom.com site ranks Cornell No. 73 in the nation, while the Sagarin rankings have Cornell at No. 54 Both sites are predominantly used by fans and the media.
  • Game Recaps-Below are links to our game recaps from each of Cornell's games this season. Associated press recaps courtesy of Rivals.com/YahooSports.com are always available by clicking on Cornell's schedule/results on the right column of this blog.
  1. at Alabama (W 71-67)
  2. at UMass (W 74-61)
  3. vs. Seton Hall (L 79-89)
  4. at Syracuse (L 73-88)
  5. Toledo (Phil.) (W 78-60)
  6. Vermont (Phil.) (W 67-59)
  7. at Drexel (W 61-54)
  8. at Bucknell (W 104-98) (OT)
  9. vs. St. Joseph's (W 78-66)
  10. Davidson (W 91-88) (OT)
  11. at St. John's W 71-66
  12. at La Salle (W 78-75)
  13. vs. PSU Behrend (W 73-49)
  14. vs. Bryant (W 75-49)
  15. at Kansas (L 66-71)
  16. at South Dakota (W 71-65)
  17. vs. Clarkson (W 82-37)
  18. vs Columbia (W 74-53)
  19. at Columbia (W 77-51)
  20. vs. Dartmouth (W 71-37)
  21. vs. Harvard (W 86-50)
  22. vs. Yale (W 90-71)
  23. vs. Brown (W 74-60)
  24. at Penn (L 79-64)
  25. at Princeton (W 48-45)
  26. at Harvard (W 79-70)
  27. at Dartmouth (W 88-70)
  28. vs. Princeton (W 50-47)
Friday, November 13
Yale 86 Sacred Heart 92 (Connecticut Six) Box Score - Recap
Brown 68 St. Francis (N.Y.) 64 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 58 Boston College 89 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 87 Holy Cross 77 Box Score - Recap
Penn 55 Penn State 70 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, November 14

Princeton 71 Central Michigan 68 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 71 Alabama 67 Box Score - Recap


Sunday, November 15

Brown 55 Virginia Tech 69 Box Score - Recap
William & Mary 85 Harvard 87 (3OT) Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 44 George Mason 60 Box Score - Recap

Monday, November 16

Yale 63 Hofstra 68 (NIT at Storrs CT)
Box Score - Recap

Penn 65 Villanova 103 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 17

Yale 65 Colgate 55 (NIT Storrs CT)
Box Score - Recap

Columbia53 DePaul 59 [SNY] Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, November 18

Rhode Island 78 Brown 57
Box Score - Recap

Manhattan 54 Princeton 61 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 74 UMass 61 Box Score - Recap

Friday, November 20

Brown 76 St. John's 79
Box Score - Recap

Longwood 61 Columbia 72 Box Score - Recap
Seton Hall 89 Cornell 79 Box Score - Recap
Bryant 51 Harvard 77
Box Score - Recap


Saturday, November 21

Army 56 Princeton 52
Box Score - Recap

Dartmouth 60 Furman 83 Box Score - Recap
Delaware 97 Penn 94 2OT Box Score - Recap
Quinnipiac 71 Yale 64 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, November 22

Maine 62 Brown 75
Box Score - Recap


Monday, November 23

Harvard 53 Army 56
Box Score - Recap

Charlotte 88. Yale 74 NIT Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 24

Princeton 50 George Washington 65 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 73 Syracuse 88 Box Score - Recap
Loyola (Md.) 58 Dartmouth 41
Box Score - Recap

Bucknell 59 Columbia 73 Box Score - Recap
Drexel 58 Penn 49 Box Score - Recap
Elon 65 Yale 69 NIT Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, November 25

Brown 70 Bryant 68 Box Score - Recap
New Hampshire 60 Harvard 78 Box Score - Recap

Friday, November 27

Cornell 78. Toledo 60 (Legends Classic at Philadelphia, Pa.) Box Score - Recap
Brown 79 Siena 99 (Philadelphia Hoops Classic) Box Score - Recap
Yale 48 Army 64 Box Score - Recap
Hartford 56 Dartmouth 68 Box Score - Recap


Saturday, November 28

Cornell 67 Vermont 59
(Legends Classic at Philadelphia, Pa.) Box Score - Recap

Brown 79 Siena 99 (Philadelphia Hoops Classic) Box Score - Recap
Yale 48 Army 64 Box Score - Recap
Hartford 56 Dartmouth 68 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, November 29

Cornell 61 Drexel 54 (Legends Classic at Philadelphia, Pa.) Box Score - Recap
Harvard 78 Boston U. 70 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 60 California 81 [CSN California] Box Score - Recap

Monday, November 30

Columbia 55 Sacred Heart 60 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 1

Vermont 63 Dartmouth 58 Box Score - Recap


Wednesday, December 2

Holy Cross 85 Brown 79 (OT)
Box Score - Recap
Cornell 104 Bucknell 98 (OT)
Box Score - Recap
Yale 48 Hartford 46
Box Score - Recap
Rice 64 Harvard 85
Box Score - Recap

Thursday, December 3

Lehigh 75 Columbia 70
Box Score - Recap
Princeton 44 Rutgers 58
Box Score - Recap

Friday, December 4

Penn
67 Navy 73 [CBS College Sports] Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 5
Columbia 60 Stony Brook 63
Box Score - Recap
Brown 55 Minnesota 91 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 6

Harvard 73 UConn 79 [SNY/ESPN Fullcourt]
Box Score - Recap
Lafayette 48 Princeton 62
Box Score - Recap
Cornell 78 St. Joseph's (PA) 66 Box Score - Recap

Monday, December 7
Brown 62 Providence 78
Box Score - Recap
Vermont 72 Yale 60 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 8
Columbia 102 Wagner 91
Box Score - Recap
Albany 78 Penn 60 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 9
Harvard 74 Boston College
67 Box Score - Recap
Bryant 54 Yale 69 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 12
Columbia 69 Bryant 57
Box Score - Recap
Army 59 Dartmouth 46 Box Score - Recap
Penn 75 Monmouth 80 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 13
Princeton 65 UNC Greensboro 50
Box Score - Recap
Lyndon State 54 Dartmouth 83 Box Score

Wednesday, December 16
Monmouth 42 Princeton46
Box Score - Recap

Thursday, December 17
Dartmouth 58 Lehigh 66
Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 20
Cornell 91 Davidson 88 [
MSG Holiday Festival, Fox Sports Atlantic/MSG] Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 59 New Hampshire 69 Box Score - Recap
Princeton at Maine- Weather Cancellation

Monday, December 21
Yale 78 Providence 87
Box Score - Recap
Cornell 71 St. John's 66 [MSG Holiday Festival, Fox Sports Atlantic/MSG] Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 22
Colgate 63 Dartmouth 44
Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 23
Harvard 70 Georgetown 86 [ESPN Full Court/ MyTV9/ SNY]
Box Score - Recap
Columbia 51 Quinnipiac 63 Box Score - Recap

Monday, December 28

MIT 61 Harvard 88
Box Score
Kean 63 Brown 74 Box Score - Recap
Penn 50 Davidson 79 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 29
Yale 59 Colorado 70 [FSN Rocky Mountain]
Box Score - Recap
Cornell 78 La Salle 75
Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 30
Dartmouth 51 Quinnipiac 73 [NESN]
Box Score - Recap
Brown 78 Sacred Heart 83
Box Score - Recap
George Washington 53 Harvard 66 Box Score - Recap
Maine 65 Columbia 59 Box Score - Recap
Wagner 42 Princeton 45 Box Score - Recap

Thursday, December 31
Yale 71 Colorado State 93
Box Score - Recap
Penn St. Erie-The Behrend College 59 Cornell 73 Box Score - Recap
Penn 55 Duke 114 [ESPN2]
Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 2
American 76 Brown 68
Box Score - Recap
Bryant 49 Cornell 75 Box Score - Recap
Harvard at Seattle, 5:10 pm
Princeton 70 St. Joseph's 62 [The Comcast Network]
Box Score - Recap

Sunday, January 3
Penn 62 Lafayette 77
Box Score - Recap
Yale 68 Albany 89 [Time Warner Cable (TW3)] Box Score - Recap

Monday, January 4
Wagner 71 Brown 72 Box Score - Recap
American 51 Columbia 56 Box Score - Recap
Bucknell 43 Dartmouth 49 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 50 Maine 52 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 74 Santa Clara Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, January 5
Yale 69 Lehigh 75
Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 6
Brown 51 Army 59 Box Score - Recap
Columbia 74 Lafayette 91 Box Score - Recap
Penn 82 UMBC 71 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 77 Marist 58 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 66 Kansas 71 (ESPN Fullcourt/ESPN360) Box Score - Recap

Thursday, January 7
Albertus Magnus 71 Yale 92
Box Score

Friday, January 8
Cornell 71 South Dakota 65
Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 9
*Dartmouth 47 Harvard 76 Box Score - Recap
NJIT 48 Yale 79 Box Score - Recap

Monday, January 11
Brown 75 Quinnipiac 88 Box Score - Recap
St. Francis (N.Y.) 59 Columbia 53 Box Score - Recap
Clarkson 37 Cornell 82 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 13
Temple 60 Penn 45 Box Score - Recap

Friday, January 15
*Brown 75 Yale 66 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 16
*Columbia 53 Cornell 74 (Time Warner Sports) Box Score - Recap

Monday, January 18
St. Francis (N.Y.) 64 Dartmouth 65 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 20
La Salle 76 Penn 57 Box Score - Recap

Friday, January 22
*Yale 71 Brown 63 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 23
*Cornell 77 Columbia 51 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 62 Dartmouth 58 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, January 24
Goucher 35 Princeton 88 Box Score - Recap

Monday, January 25
St. Joseph's 85 Penn 64[Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap

Friday, January 29
*Penn 48 Yale 61 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 63 Brown 46 Box Score - Recap
*Dartmouth 37 Cornell 71 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 74 Columbia 45 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 30
*Penn 55 Brown 54 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 58 Yale 45 Box Score - Recap
*Dartmouth 51 Columbia 63 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 50 Cornell 86 Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 5
*Penn 53 Dartmouth 51 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 56 Harvard 53 Box Score - Recap
*Brown 54 Columbia 65 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 71 Cornell 90 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, February 6

*Penn 66 Harvard 80 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 54 Dartmouth 38 Box Score - Recap
*Brown 60 Cornell 74 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 79 Columbia 64 Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 12
*Columbia 45 Princeton 55 Box Score - Recap
*Dartmouth 60 Brown 75 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 82 Yale 79 OT Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 64 Penn 79 [Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap

Saturday, February 13
*Cornell48 Princeton 45 [Verizon FiOS]
Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 66 Penn 62 [Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 81 Brown 67 Box Score - Recap
*Dartmouth 56 Yale 69 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, February 16
*Princeton 58 Penn 51 Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 19
*Brown 80 Penn 73 [Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 44 Dartmouth 48 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 58 Princeton 82 [ESPNU] Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 79 Harvard 70 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, February 20

*Brown 57 Princeton 54 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 69 Penn 81[Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 88 Dartmouth 70 Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 57 Harvard 77 Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 26
*Penn 55 Columbia 56 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 47 Cornell 50 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 55 Dartmouth 45 Box Score - Recap
*Brown 71 Harvard 91 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, February 27
*Penn at Cornell, 7 pm
*Princeton at Columbia, 7 pm
*Brown at Dartmouth, 7 pm
*Yale at Harvard, 7 pm

Friday, March 5

*Harvard at Penn, 7 pm
*Dartmouth at Princeton, 7 pm
*Cornell at Brown, 7 pm
*Columbia at Yale, 7 pm

Saturday, March 6
*Dartmouth at Penn, 7 pm
*Harvard at Princeton, 7 pm
*Cornell at Yale, 7 pm
*Columbia at Brown, 7 pm

Tuesday, March 9
*Penn at Princeton, 7 pm

Thursday, March 11
Ivy League Playoff (if necessary)

Saturday, March 13
Ivy League Playoff (if necessary)

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