Cornell Athletics Game Notes for Senior Weekend

Big Red Out to Finish Season Strong, Say Goodbye to Seniors
Cornell Athletics

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GAME INFORMATION
Game #27: Brown at Cornell
Tip off: Friday, March 4, at 7:00 p.m.
Site: Newman Arena (4,473), Ithaca, N.Y.
2010-11 Records: Brown (11-15, 4-8 Ivy League); Cornell (8-18, 4-8 Ivy League)
Series Record: Cornell leads 69-45
Last Meeting: Cornell won 91-79, Feb. 5, 2011 in Providence, R.I.

Game #28: Yale at Cornell
Tip off: Saturday, March 5, at 7:00 p.m.
Site: Newman Arena (4,473), Ithaca, N.Y.
2010-11 Records: Yale (14-12, 7-5 Ivy League); Cornell (8-18, 4-8 Ivy League)
Series Record: Cornell leads 107-102
Last Meeting: Yale won 71-70, Feb. 4, 2011 in New Haven, Conn.

Radio: WVBR 93.5 FM (Barry Leonard)
TV: None
Live Stats: check availability at www.CornellBigRed.com
Live Video: check availability at www.CornellBigRed.com
Tickets: available by calling (607) 254-BEAR

HEAD COACH BILL COURTNEY
Cornell head coach Bill Courtney is in his first season at Cornell (8-18, .308) ... Courtney became the fifth Robert E. Gallagher '44 Coach of Men's Basketball at Cornell on April 23, 2010.

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ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell will look to close out the 2010-11 season strong while honoring its three seniors when it plays host to Brown (Friday, March 4) and Yale (Saturday, March 5), with both games tipping off at 7 p.m. Barry Leonard will provide the call on 93.5 WVBR-FM and on the internet as part of the RedCast subscription service.

Seniors Mark Coury, Aaron Osgood and Adam Wire will be honored prior to Saturday's game against Yale. Both Wire and Osgood have been a part of three Ivy championship teams, while Coury was a member of two.

The Big Red is playing its best basketball of the year entering its final weekend, going 4-3 in its last seven games, and will have a chance to post a winning Ivy home record for the fifth straight season with a sweep of the Bears and Bulldogs.

Chris Wroblewski, a Capital One third-team Academic All-American, continues to lead the Big Red in scoring (14.3 ppg.) and assists (5.7 apg.), while classmate Drew Ferry is pouring in 11.7 ppg. Sophomore Errick Peck is the third double figure scorer, averaging 11.2 ppg. Cornell ranks seventh nationally in 3-point field goals per game (9.0).

Friday's game will feature two teams jockeying for positioning in the final standings. Both Brown and Cornell enter the final weekend with 4-8 records and could climb as high as fourth place with weekend sweeps and some help in other league games. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have slim hopes for postseason play with a final weekend sweep. Head coach James Jones will capture a top half finish in the league standings for an 11th straight year.

ABOUT BROWN
• 2010-11 Record: 11-15 (4-8 Ivy League)
• Head Coach: Jesse Agel (Vermont '84), third season at Brown.
• Brown brings an 11-15 record into the contest, including 4-8 in Ivy play.
• The Bears are shooting 44 percent from the floor overall, but are also surrendering 44 percent shooting to opponents.
• Senior Peter Sullivan (14.0 ppg., 5.7 rpg.) leads the Bears in scoring and rebounding and is one of four Bears averaging 9.2 points or better.
• Tucker Halpern (12.7 ppg., 4.6 rpg.), Sean McGonagill 11.7 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 5.1 apg.) and Garrett Leffelman (9.2 ppg.) are also a large part of Brown's balanced offensive attack.
• Third-year head coach Jesse Agel is looking for his first win over Cornell (0-5) and has a 31-54 record overall.

THE SERIES: Cornell leads the series 69-45, dating back to the first meeting between the teams in the 1949-50 season. The Big Red is 12-1 in the last 13 contests against the Bears and has won nine straight. During Cornell's nine-game win streak, it has won by an average of 16.8points per game.

LAST TIME VS. BROWN: Cornell put six players in double figures to hand head coach Bill Courtney his first Ivy League win, a 91-79 victory over Brown on Feb. 5, 2011, at the Pizzitola Sports Center. Cornell continued to make the Pizzitola Sports Center its home away from home, hitting 16 3-pointers, outrebounding the home team by 12 (42-30) and holding a commanding 64-16 edge in bench scoring to snap a five-game skid. Drew Ferry scored 20 points, while both Johnathan Gray and Chris Wroblewski posted 13 points. Wroblewski added five rebounds and five assists to his totals. Both Max Groebe and Errick Peck also scored 11 points apiece and combined for 10 rebounds, while Mark Coury scored 10 points, grabbed nine rebounds, blocked two shots and stole a pass in 18 productive minutes off the bench. Brown got a 26-point, nine-rebound, five-assist effort from Tucker Halpen as the Bears hit 11 3-pointers of their own. The home team was credited with 21 assists and committed just eight turnovers in the loss.

ABOUT YALE
• 2010-11 Record: 14-12 (7-5 Ivy League)
• Head Coach: James Jones (Albany '86), 12th season at Yale.
• Yale is coming off a weekend home sweep of Dartmouth (79-75) and Harvard (70-69).
• Junior center Greg Mangano has been the league's dominant post player midway through the 2010-11 season, averaging a double-double (16.1 ppg., 10.0 rpg.). The 6-10 Mangano also leads the Ivy League in blocked shots (3.2 bpg.).
• Sophomore Austin Morgan (12.4 ppg.) and senior Porter Braswell (11.2 ppg.) are also averaging in double figures for Yale.
• During the non-conference season, the Bulldogs topped former Big Red head coach Steve Donahue's Boston College (75-67) team and had a narrow loss to Providence.
• Head coach James Jones is the dean of Ivy League coaches in his 12th season on the Yale sidelines. He sports a 156-180 overall record and has led the Bulldogs to top-half finishes in 10 consecutive years.

THE SERIES: Cornell leads 107-102 overall in a series that dates back to the 1898-99 campaign. Cornell has had the best of the series recently, winning eight of the last 11 meetings. The Big Red's last five wins over the Bulldogs have come by an average of 21.4 points per game.

LAST TIME VS. YALE: Yale rallied in the final two minutes to pull out a 71-70 victory over Cornell at John J. Lee Amphitheater on Feb. 4, 2011. The Bulldogs stole the win by overcoming a 10-point in the final 1:58 of the contest. Drew Ferry scored a game-high 18 points for the Big Red, including hitting on 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, while Errick Peck scored 16 points and added six rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Also in double figures for Cornell was Eitan Chemerinski with a career-best 11 points and six rebounds and Johnathan Gray with 10 on 4-of-4 shooting. Yale got 18 points from Porter Braswell, while Austin Morgan chipped in with 17 points, including the game-winning three-point play with 12 seconds to play. Greg Mangano had 14 points, nine rebounds and five of Yale's 10 blocked shots on the evening. The Bulldogs shot 49 percent from the field overall and overcame 18 turnovers with 19 team assists.

THANK YOU SENIORS!: Cornell will say goodbye to three seniors this weekend, as Mark Coury, Aaron Osgood and Adam Wire will make their final appearances at Newman Arena.
• Coury was one of the team's top post players in each of the last two seasons, first as a reserve on last year's Sweet 16 squad, and this year as a regular in the rotation. A transfer from the University of Kentucky, Coury's biggest highlight came last weekend when he beat the shot clock to hit the game-winning basket with 35 seconds left at the Palestra to help Cornell sweep Penn.
• A team captain in 2010-11, Osgood was expected to be a major factor in the post this season, and was w en healthy. One of the team's top scorers (7.3 ppg.) and rebounders (4.5 rpg.) this year, Osgood has played in 43 career games with eight starts, shooting 52 percent from the floor and averaging 3.0 points and 2.0 rebounds.
• Another team captain, this four-year letter winner ranks among the top 20 all-time in steals and field goal percentage in school history. He has more that 100 steals and 100 assists and enters the weekend having played in 101 games with 18 starts. As a senior, Wire has set career highs in scoring, rebounding and assists.

STREAKS AND STRETCHES:
• Cornell has lost 10 of its 18 games by five points or less and six by three points or less. Its last three losses have come against top three Ivy teams by a total of 16 points. Big Red opponents have hit go-ahead baskets in the final minute of six games (St. Bonaventure, Lehigh, Binghamton, New Hampshire, Yale and Princeton).
• Cornell has started the same lineup in eight straight contests, its longest stretch of the season (4-4). The Big Red has had nine different starting lineups this year.
• The starting backcourt of freshman Jake Matthews and junior Miles Asafo-Adjei have combined for 21 points in the past eight games. Instead, the Big Red has had a dominant edge off the bench, outscoring opponents 355-156 (an average of 44.4-19.5).
• Sophomore Errick Peck has scored in double figures in 16 of the last 20 games, averaging 13.3 points on .449 shooting (93-of-207) after averaging just 4.2 points on .231 shooting (9-of-39) over the first six contests.
• Peck has made 16 3-pointers in his last 10 games (nine in his first 16 contests). He is shooting 16-of-37 from beyond the arc over that stretch (.432).
• Junior Chris Wroblewski has posted 95 assists and 34 turnovers over his last 17 contests.
• Wroblewski has posted at least four assists in 20 of his 24 contests.
• Junior Drew Ferry has hit at least three 3-pointers in 14 of the team's games so far this season.
• Sophomore Johnathan Gray has scored at least nine points in seven of his last 10 games and is averaging 7.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in his last eight contests.
• Senior Mark Coury is averaging 8.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in his last seven games, shooting 23-of-42 (.548). During that span he is averaging 1.3 blocks and 1.1 steals while playing 22.1 minutes per game.
• Senior Adam Wire became the 11th Cornell player to reach 100 career steals with his two against Princeton. He currently has 102.
• Senior Max Groebe has averaged 9.9 points in his last seven games after scoring just three points in the previous four contests.
• Cornell's opponents have hit more 3-pointers than the Big Red just four times in 26 games (at Seton Hall, 10-5; at Harvard 10-5; at Princeton 10-9; at Penn 10-8).
• After shooting under 40 percent from the floor in five straight contests, Cornell has shot 40 percent or better in 13 of the last 18 games.
• 16 of the last 23 opponents have shot at least 20 free throws against Cornell.
• The Big Red has posted positive assist:turnover ratio in 18 of its last 21 games.
• In the team's last eight games, the Big Red has hit 79-of-198 (.399) from 3-point range.
• Cornell has hit double figure 3-pointers in 10 contests this season.
• In its last seven contests, the Big Red has shot 98-of-127 (.772) from the free-throw line (.688 overall on the season).
• Excluding the 19 turnovers in a game at Dartmouth, Cornell is averaging just 10.9 turnovers per game in conference play.
• The Big Red's last seven opponents have just 49 offensive rebounds (7.0 per game).
• As a team, Cornell has 235 3-pointers, its fourth straight season with 200 in a year. Prior to 2007-08, the Big Red had just one such season. In the last six years, Cornell has averaged 238 3-pointers a season (and counting). Included was a school-record 326 a season ago.

WROBLEWSKI NAMED TO CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA THIRD TEAM: Junior Chris Wroblewski has been named to the Capital One Academic All-America third-team for his performance on the court and in the classroom during the 2010-11 season. He was one of two Ivy League players to earn the honor, joining Brown's Garrett Leffelman, a second-team member. Wroblewski is the fourth Cornellian to earn a spot on the Academic All-America team and the first non-senior. Jeff Gaca was a third-team pick in 1993, Lenny Collins was a third-team member in 2006 and Graham Dow earned first-team accolades in 2007.

NEXT UP: With the 2010-11 season complete, the Big Red will kick off the 2011-12 campaign this coming October. Cornell will return all five starters and five of its top six scorers next year.

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RTC Checks in on the Ivy League

Rush The Court: Checking in on the Ivy League

A Look Back

While most of the country dribbles through the dog days of February with talk of seedings and bubbles (alive, alive-o), the Ivy League plays in search of their conference champion and its NCAA tournament representative. After their first meeting, it appeared the rest of the schedule would be a formality for Harvard and Princeton, as they both moved inexorably toward a March 5 date with destiny. But then….

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To A Title: After beating Harvard at home at the beginning of February, and extending their winning streak to five, Princeton could be forgiven if they were looking a month ahead to the rematch; a game where a win would all but guarantee an Ivy championship. And indeed, despite a couple of close calls along the way, the Tigers did win another five straight, allowing them to maintain their slim lead on the Crimson who, to their credit, kept pace. A trip to Providence did not seem to represent a particularly difficult hurdle. But then they let Brown do it to them. It was a game they never really threatened to win, leading only once briefly mid-way through the second half, before a 13-2 Bear run put the ribbon around a 75-65 win. It was the most points the defensive-minded Tigers had allowed since their early season Duke debacle. They were no better offensively as those Tigers not named Ian Hummer and Kareem Maddox shot a collective 8-32. The loss dropped them out of the league lead and needing an unlikely Crimson crumble to regain it. This past Saturday, they got what they needed.

Not exactly The Game, but anything pitting the Bulldogs against Harvard gets the juices flowing in New Haven and Cambridge. And it should have come as no surprise to see the Crimson stub their toe. After the Princeton loss, they needed two overtimes to beat Penn, had to dig out of two large halftime holes in both games against Brown, and eked out a three point win vs. Yale at home. The rematch at Lee Amphitheater saw Harvard cling to a slight lead most of the way. But the Elis hung tough and went ahead with 41 seconds remaining. Harvard had a couple of shots to win, including a Brandyn Curry missed layup at the buzzer, but fell 70-69 and out of first place. Harvard must now defeat Princeton next weekend and then hope for the Quakers to play spoiler. A playoff is a distinct possibility where fate could be decided by a flip of the coin to determine home court.

The Future is Now: Most basketball fans by now have heard of Kyrie Irivng of Duke and the ACC and Brandon Knight of Kentucky and the SEC. Both great freshman guards. But it is unlikely any league can boast of three backcourt newcomers that have made an immediate impact like Miles Cartwright, Sean McGonagall and Laurent Rivard have done in the Ivy League. Cartwright is perhaps the most electric with the most upside once he gets a bit stronger. He announced his presence in the season opener for Penn when he came off the bench to score 18 first half points against Davidson. He has started the last 17 games and seems unlikely to relinquish that spot. Rivard has had the most impact; thrown into the pressure cooker as Harvard’s sixth man as they search for their first ever Ivy crown. But the most versatile and most consistent has been McGonagill at Brown. He has started every game for the Bears and is third in scoring and rebounding while leading the team in assists. Amazingly, their stats are almost identical:

Player Minutes FG% FT% PPG

McGonagill 33 45% 83% 11.7

Rivard 25 43% 89% 11.2

Cartwright 34 43% 82% 11.6

Throw in Rivard’s two made threes per game, Cartwright’s defense (1.3 steals per game), and McGonagill’s four rebounds and five assists per game and you have three worthy candidates for Ivy Freshman of the Year.

Player of the Week: By his own standards, it is likely Zack Rosen of Penn would be the first to admit that it has been a disappointing year for him and for the team. After all he was the defending RTC Ivy Player of the Year and some of the more zealous Quaker faithful and alumni were quietly confident that this team could contend for an Ivy title. Well that is not going to happen and Rosen is unlikely to earn back-to-back trophies for his mantle. After a couple of down games, Rosen has responded and led Penn to three straight wins before losing to Cornell. Over the past two weekends, he has played 146 of a possible 160 minutes. He shot 48% from the field, 54% from long range, and 89% from the line. He grabbed 15 boards, averaged six assists and 16.5 points per game. And while he only scored eight against Yale, his last-second basket was the game-winner. So this week, we honor the 6’1 junior from the Garden State with a fitting bouquet of..you guessed it, roses. The Zack Attack lives!

Power Rankings

1. Princeton (22-5, 10-1)—The Tigers breathe a sigh of relief as they come from behind to take the lead versus Columbia, scoreboard watch, and see Harvard go down in defeat. Princeton can celebrate if they beat the Crimson on Saturday and then not have to worry about a date with Penn that follows. The most veteran team still is experiencing shooting woes, however.

2. Harvard (21-5, 10-2)–Probably the most talented team has played in spurts over the last two weeks and that attitude finally came back to bite them. A win on Saturday most likely guarantees a playoff. An interesting scenario finds the Crimson at 43 in RPI rankings-ahead of tournament likely Missouri State (Missouri Valley champs), Florida State ( #3 in the ACC), Butler (atop the Horizon with Cleveland State), and Marquette (9-7 in the Big East). Could the unthinkable happen and the Ivies get two bids in the new and expanded NCAA Tournament?

3. Penn (12-13, 6-5)–Below .500 overall and trailing Yale by a half game in standings, but the Quakers rank above the Elis thanks to a head-to-head series sweep. A disappointing pair of losses to Cornell and two other overtime disappointments sealed their fate. One has to wonder if Fran Dunphy (or Steve Donahue) on the bench might have made a difference in those games and kept the Quakers in the mix.

4. Yale (7-5, 14-12)—Yale made Princeton fans ecstatic when they found a way to beat Harvard. Having lost five close games during the season, they will definitely be a contender next season as they lose no one of consequence. Player of the Year candidate Greg Mangano (averaging a double/double) should receive some national recognition.

5. Columbia (5-7, 14-12)–A promising start for first year coach Kyle Smith came grinding to a halt as the Lions have lost six of their last eight. Columbia has the opportunity to finish .500 if they get two home wins to conclude the season. Another team that returns its nucleus and must be in the 2011-2012 conversation.

6. Brown (4-8, 11-15)—The Bears have beaten Princeton, sustained a two-point loss at Penn, and have had Harvard on the ropes twice. I have a feeling coach Jesse Agel is a star in the making, as is his freshman point guard Sean McGonagall (see above). They will lose Peter Sullivan but return everyone else who contributes.

7. Cornell (4-8, 8-18)–Four games ago, coach Bill Courtney started looking ahead and has played 14 players in three of their last four games and averaged 13 players in their last seven games. It has worked, as the Big Red is 4-3 over that span. Have to believe this prime recruiter will have Ithaca rocking soon.

8. Dartmouth (1-11, 5-21)–After beating Cornell, it looks as if Dartmouth will end the season on an 11 game losing streak. With the teams above them keeping most of their good players, it is difficult to imagine the Green escaping the cellar. Most promising is freshman guard Tommy Melville who has averaged in double figure over the last four games.

A Look Ahead

One weekend left to the Ivy season, so circle the date—Saturday, March 5. That is when Princeton travels to Cambridge to visit Harvard. A Princeton win sends the Tigers dancing; a Harvard win and all eyes then turn to the Palestra three days later as Penn tries to ruin the season of their archrivals. A playoff for league honors is not out of the question. Either way, as per usual, the one left standing will become the first official entrant into the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Whatever happens, our next column will take a close look at the Ivy champ, how they eventually earned the crown, and dissect their matchup with their first round opponent, and if they realistically have a chance to duplicate Cornell’s run. We will also bestow our annual Bradley Awards in the form of the All-Ivy team, Coach of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, and of course, Player of the Year

And as an added bonus, as defending RTC NCAA Bracket Pool contest winner, and proud owner of the coveted red leather Hickory High letter jacket, I feel it is my duty and responsibility to offer you my analysis of this year’s tournament–including who may surprise and of course the team that will ultimately enjoy a shining moment. See you then!

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A Date in Cornell Basketball History: Yale 1914

Above, excerpt clippings from the Cornell Daily Sun's February 6, 1914 issue previewing Cornell's Saturday, February 7, 1914 game with Yale in the Old Armory in Ithaca. Also shown, a team photo of the 1913-1914 Big Red and a ticket stub to the game. Far right, the February 9 issue of the Cornell Daily Sun recaps Cornell's 39-26 victory. The Big Red would go on that season to capture the 1913-1914 EIBL title, the program's second consecutive championship, finishing 14-2 overall and 8-2 in the league.

The programs date the beginning of their series back to 1898. This Saturday, Cornell once again hosts Yale with the Big Red celebrating Senior Night. Come witness one of college basketball oldest rivalries in Newman Arena.

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Ivy Awards: Coury on Honor Roll

Cornell's Mark Coury was named to the Ivy League's weekly honor roll. The Ivy League Office notes:

Mark Coury, Cornell, Senior, Center (West Bloomfield, Mich.)
13.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.0 bpg
13 pts., 3 rebs., 2 blks. at Penn

2010-11 AWARD WINNERS

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
November 15-Keith Wright, Harvard, Jr.
November 22-Christian Webster, Harvard, So./Austin Morgan, Yale, So.
November 29-Keith Wright, Harvard, Jr.
December 6-Ian Hummer, Princeton, So.
December 13-Noruwa Agho, Columbia, Jr./Kareem Maddox, Princeton, Sr.
December 20-Kareem Maddox, Princeton, Sr.
December 27-Zach Rosen, Penn, Jr.
January 3-Chris Wroblewski, Cornell, Jr.
January 10-Noruwa Agho, Columbia, Jr./Greg Mangano, Yale, Jr.
January 17-Noruwa Agho, Columbia, Jr./Greg Mangan0, Yale, Jr.
January 24-Greg Mangan0, Yale, Jr.
January 31-Jack Eggleston,Penn, Sr./Kyle Case, Harvard, So.
February 7-Sean McGonagil, Brown, Fr.
February 14-Keith Wright, Harvard, Jr./Greg Mangano, Yale, Jr.
February 21-Tyler Bernardini, Penn, Jr./Peter Sullivan, Brown, Sr.
February 28-Kareem Maddox, Princeton, Sr.

ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
November 15-Miles Cartwright, Penn, Fr.
November 22-Sean McGonagil, Brown, Fr.
November 29-Miles Cartwright, Penn, Fr.
December 6-Laurent Rivard, Harvard, Fr.
December 13-Steve Frankoski, Columbia, Fr.
December 20-Gediminias Bertasius, Dartmouth, Fr.
December 27-Miles Cartwright, Penn, Fr.
January 3-Laurent Rivard, Harvard, Fr.
January 10-Dockery Walker, Brown, Fr.
January 17-Laurent Rivard, Harvard, Fr.
January 24-Jeremiah Kreisberg, Yale, Fr.
January 31-Miles Cartwright, Penn, Fr.
February 7-Sean McGonagil, Brown, Fr.
February 14-Sean McGonagil, Brown, Fr.
February 21-Sean McGonagil, Brown, Fr.
February 28-Jeremiah Kreisberg, Yale, Fr.

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George Mason cracks the Top 25 this week

George Mason finally got the respect they deserved today as they were ranked #25 in the nation on this week's ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.

I believe the last time a team in the CAA headed into the conference tournament with a ranking was when David Robinson was with Navy and they were ranked #17 back in 1986. They eventually took home the CAA title that season.

Also, Mason is ranked #26 in the AP Poll.

If you curious here's a link to see how each one of the AP members voted.

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Game Preview Center: Senior Week vs. Brown (3/4/11) and Yale (3/5/11)

Get all the information you need about the Big Red's games this weekend vs. Brown (March 4) and Yale (March 5) 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 games 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). GO BIG RED!

Multimedia Links

• Cornell Athletics Redcast Audio/Video Coverage
• Cornell Athletics: Live Stats
  
• Free Online Audio: WVBR.com

Cornell Basketball Related Links

• The Cornell Basketball Blog's Community Forum and Message Board
• Cornell Redcast Audio/Video Coverage
• Cornell Basketball's Official Website at CornellBigRed.com
• Cornell Daily Sun Sports
• Ithaca Journal Sports
• Cornell on CBS
• Cornell on CNN/SI
• Cornell on ESPN
• Cornell on Fox Sports
• Cornell on YahooSports/Rivals.com
• Cornell on TheSportsNetwork.com
• SlopeTV Previews Senior Weekend
• Ithaca Journal: Cornell Seniors Leave with Lasting Memories
• Cornell Daily Sun Previews Senior Weekend vs. Brown/Yale
• Sports Network Previews Cornell vs. Brown

Brown Basketball Related Links

• Official Brown Basketball site
• Brown on CBS
• Brown on CNN/SI
• Brown on ESPN
• Brown on Fox Sports
• Brown on YahooSports/Rivals.com
• Brown Athletics Game Notes for Visit to Cornell

Yale Basketball Related Links

• Official Yale Basketball site
• Yale on CBS
  
• Yale on CNN/SI
• Yale on ESPN
• Yale on Fox Sports
• Yale on YahooSports/Rivals.com
• Yale Athletics Game Notes for Visit to Cornell
• Yale Daily News Previews Bulldogs at Cornell

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You just never know what will happen on Selection Sunday

This post is not to say I think George Mason has a chance at being snubbed from this year's NCAA tournament.  I simply just want to show the track record of the selection committee when it comes to the final who's in and who's out decision time. Mason is a lock for the tournament in my opinion regardless of what happens next weekend at the CAA tournament. It's interesting to think that this year's conference tournament could have national implications, especially if someone other than VCU, ODU or Mason won the auto-bid. The ripple effect of who wins these conference tournaments can doom a lot of bubble teams and that is why you just don't know what Selection Sunday will bring.

Take a look at the graphic below from RPIratings.com of all the top 40 RPI teams that have gotten snubbed from the selection committee since 1992. George Mason's RPI currently stands at 25 today.

This further proves that RPI isn't everything and there are many factors that go into the decision making process. Also this year the committee isn't putting any special emphasis on a team's final 10-12 games like they have done in the past. Be that as it may I still find it difficult to believe that the Patriots' 15-game winning streak won't carry any additional weight on the minds of the committee, especially when it's a statistic that led the nation.

The difference between this year's George Mason team and the teams with similar RPI numbers on this graphic are the conference records.  The Patriots' only conference losses were against the #2 and #3 teams in the final standings and no other team on the above graphic had that going for them during selection time. Expert said in 2006 that Mason's success in the CAA that season is what got them an at-large bid into that tournament.

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News and Notes: Monday Edition

(Photo Daily Pennsylvanian)

Below, some news and notes for Monday...

• We have updated our game recap posts with additional articles from Friday's action at Princeton and Saturday's game at Penn.

• In NBA D-League action, Ryan Wittman ('10) and the Ft. Wayne Mad Ants faced the Dakota Wizards in Bismarck on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, Ft. Wayne lost 120-113 with Wittman getting 9 minutes of action. He finished 1/2 with 2 points and 1 rebound. On Sunday, Ft. Wayne won 117-111 with Wittman getting 4 minutes of playing time, during which he picked up 4 fouls and buried two 3-pointers on 2/2 from the floor for 6 points. More alumni news on Cornell's former players further down below in this post.
  

• On the topic of Cornell's incoming recruits the Cleveland Plain Dealer recaps the Saturday night results for Ned Tomic (North Royalton HS) North Royalton, OH, 6-7, F and Shonn Miller (St. Ignatius HS) Cleveland, OH, 6-6, F. The Plain Dealer writes:
  

North Royalton 79, Parma 41: North Royalton's Ned Tomic, a Cornell recruit, scored 31 points in his final regular-season game and went over the 1,000-point mark for his career. The 6-7 senior now has 1,021 points.

Benedictine 63, St. Ignatius 62: Junior Desmond Ridenour's 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds remaining lifted 18th-ranked Benedictine over the17th-ranked Wildcats and enabled the Bengals to finish the regular season with a .500 record. Ridenour led Benedictine (10-10) with 25 points, making four 3-point baskets and 6-8 sophomore Mark Williams finished with 17 points. Cornell recruit Shonn Miller had four 3-pointers and led the Wildcats (11-9) with 28 points.

• The Daily Princetonian notes of Friday night, "the Tigers defeated Cornell, 84-66. It was their highest scoring output in league play since dropping 85 at Brown on March 4, 2000."

• The Yale Daily News has a quote from Yale coach, James Jones, following his team's win over Dartmouth on Friday. Jones said, "Dartmouth did a real nice job. They’ve shown they are capable of being pretty good. They beat Cornell by [seven] and had a lead on Harvard in the second half. They made some shots, and we didn’t do a good job of stopping penetration.”

• The Daily Pennsylvanian writes on "the good, the bad, and the ugly" of Cornell's Saturday night win at Penn. The DP writes:

This was a tough one for the team to swallow. They definitely didn't want to lose the series to Cornell this year, and I know they wanted to give a great crowd the win. Nonetheless, here's my take:

The good: Miles Cartwright turning on beast-mode in the second half. Lots of players contributed to erasing a 15-point deficit (gee, that sounds familiar), but none took control more than the freshman. From re-finding his shot, to driving the lane, he was excellent, scoring a game-high 23 points with four assists and three steals in 38 minutes. Mizzo put on a clinic in body control, power and finesse going to the rim. That kind of play will make for, at the very least, an entertaining three years to come.

The bad: Jerome Allen's timeout call with 36 seconds remaining. Cartwright had just given Penn a one point lead and the Quakers weren't giving Cornell any chances on offense. The shot clock ticked down to just 1 second before the ball went out of bounds off Penn. Allen's 30 second timeout might have given him a chance to set up some defense, but it also gave Cornell's coaching staff enough time to regroup before one successful inbounds play, a baseline pass to Mark Coury who hit the jumper to give Cornell the lead, which the Big Red would hold onto for the win.

The Ugly: The fact that Penn's seniors will have to return for their final home game — senior night — looking for a last win at the Palestra over spring break, when the student body will not be here to see it.

• 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 RPI rank as of February 28 is No. 224 out of 347 total Division I teams. While neither the Ken Pomeroy or Jeff Sagarin rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, the KenPom.com site ranks Cornell No. 201 in the nation, while the USA Today Sagarin rankings have Cornell at No. 217. 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 Albany W 65-61 (video recaps)
   
2. at Seton Hall L 68-92
3. vs. Delaware W 75-61 (video recap)
4. vs. St. Bonaventure L 54-56
5. at Lehigh L 57-60
6. at Boston University L 61-66
7. at Syracuse L 58-78
8. at Minnesota L 66-71 (video recap)
9. at Binghamton L 68-69
10. vs. Bucknell L 64-75
11. vs. New Hampshire (@ VCU) L 66-68
12. vs. Wofford (@VCU) W 86-80
13. vs. Buffalo L 66-78
14. vs. Stony Brook W 60-52
15. at Columbia L 75-79
16. Columbia L 66-70
17. at Dartmouth L 57-64
18. at Harvard L 57-78 (video recap)
19. at Yale L 70-71
20. at Brown W 91-79 (video recap)
21. vs. Penn W 82-71 (video recap)
    
22. vs. Princeton L 55-57 (video recap)
23. vs. Harvard L 60-73 (video recap)
    
24. vs. Dartmouth W 96-76 (video recap)
25. at Princeton L 66-84
26. at Penn W 74-72
    

• Here is a look at Ivy League results and upcoming games. A full Ivy composite schedule may viewed by clicking here.

IVY LEAGUE COMPOSITE SCHEDULE

Friday, November 12
Columbia 71 La Salle 82 Box Score - Recap
Rutgers 73 Princeton 78 OT Box Score - Recap
Cornell 65 Albany 61 Box Score - Recap
Brown 69 Fordham 65 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, November 13
Harvard 53 George Mason 66 Box Score - Recap
Davidson 64 Penn 69 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 52 Providence 87 Box Score - Recap
Yale 75 Quinnipiac 84 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, November 14
Cornell 68 Seton Hall 92 Noon [SNY/ESPN3/ESPN Full Court] Box Score - Recap
Princeton 60 Duke 97 [ESPNU] Box Score - Recap

Monday, November 15
Maryland-Eastern Shore 74 Columbia 108 Box Score - Recap
Yale 55 Providence 58 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 16
Brown 67 Rhode Island 92 Box Score - Recap
New Hampshire 55 Dartmouth 53 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, November 17
Delaware 61 Cornell 75 Box Score - Recap
Holy Cross 49 Harvard 72 Box Score - Recap
Penn 54 Manhattan 59 Box Score - Recap
Columbia 66 St. John’s 79 Box Score - Recap

Thursday, November 18
Yale 75 Boston College 67 Box Score - Recap

Friday, November 19
St. Bonaventure 56 Cornell 54 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 71 Hartford 57 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, November 20
Harvard 75 Mercer 69 Box Score - Recap
Sacred Heart 67 Brown 81 Box Score - Recap
Columbia 76 Longwood 95 Box Score - Recap
Drexel 77 Penn 56 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, November 21
Dartmouth 59 Loyola (Md.) 73 Box Score - Recap

Monday, November 22
Cornell 57 Lehigh 60 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 64 James Madison 65 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 23
Bucknell 55 Princeton 66 [at JMU] Box Score - Recap
Colgate 63 Columbia 76 Box Score - Recap
Quinnipiac 69 Dartmouth 52 Box Score - Recap
Lafayette 65 Penn 74 Box Score - Recap
Yale 47 Illinois 73 [ESPNU] Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, November 24
St. Francis (N.Y.) 63 Brown 67 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 69 Bryant 66 Box Score - Recap
Presbyterian 69 Princeton 67 [at JMU] Box Score - Recap

Saturday, November 27
Brown 66 New Hampshire 70 Box Score - Recap
Army 79 Yale 87 Box Score - Recap
Colgate 63 Dartmouth 80 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 61 Boston University 66 Box Score - Recap
Penn 58 Pittsburgh 82 [ESPN3.com] Box Score - Recap

Sunday, November 28
Colorado 66 Harvard 82 Box Score - Recap
Columbia 64 American 62 Box Score - Recap
Siena 77 Princeton 86 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, November 30
Cornell 58 Syracuse 78 [ESPN3.com/Big East Sports Network] Box Score - Recap
Maryland-Baltimore County 59 Penn 71 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 82 Lafayette 64 [Lafayette Sports Network] Box Score - Recap
Hartford 76 Yale 81 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 1
Columbia 68 Bucknell 73 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 53 Vermont 80 Box Score - Recap
Fordham 57 Harvard 80 Box Score - Recap

Thursday, December 2
Brown 46 Hartford 58 [Connecticut Sports Network] Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 4
Army 52 vs. Penn, 68 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 62 Michigan 65 [Big Ten Network] Box Score - Recap
Yale 78 Vermont 82 Box Score - Recap
Brown 62 Maine 54 Box Score - Recap
Stony Brook 72 Columbia 73 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 66 Minnesota 71 [Big Ten Network] Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 5
Saint Joseph’s 65 Princeton 74 Box Score - Recap

Monday, December 6
Brown 64 Providence 91 Box Score - Recap
Albany 53 Yale 74 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 7
WPI 54 Harvard 69 Box Score - Recap
Wagner 71 Columbia 77 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 8
Princeton 64 Monmouth 61 Box Score - Recap
Yale 75 Bryant 53 Box Score - Recap
Villanova 65 Penn 53 [The Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 11
Boston University 71 Harvard 87 Box Score - Recap
Bryant 72 Columbia 76 Box Score - Recap
Army 68 Dartmouth 71 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 12
Princeton 82 Tulsa 78 (2 OT) Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 14
Dartmouth 61 St. Francis (N.Y.) 69 Box Score - Recap

Friday, December 17
Princeton 69 Wagner 57 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, December 18
Cornell 68 Binghamton 69 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, December 19
Dartmouth 42 Iowa State 71 Box Score - Recap
Sacred Heart 71 Yale 62 Box Score - Recap

Monday, December 20
Bucknell 75 Cornell 64 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 21
Army 88 Brown 86 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 67 Drake 59 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 22
Princeton 75 Towson 65 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 52 Connecticut 81 [SNY] Box Score - Recap
Penn 78 Delaware 68 Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, December 28
Yale 44 Stanford 60 [Comcast SportsNet Bay Area] Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, December 29
New Hampshire 68 Cornell 66 [at VCU] Box Score - Recap
Monmouth 69 Harvard 74 Box Score - Recap
Brown 51 Central Connecticut State 67 Box Score - Recap
Penn 57 Marist 66 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 65 Northeastern 63 [at UCF] Box Score - Recap

Thursday, December 30
Cornell 86 Wofford 80 [at VCU] Box Score - Recap
Princeton vs. Furman/Central Florida, 5/7:30 pm [at UCF]
Columbia 74 Maine 71 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 57 Bucknell 74 Box Score - Recap

Friday, December 31
Bryant 71 Brown 84 Box Score - Recap
Lehigh 62 Yale 57 Box Score - Recap
MIT 58 Harvard 84 Box Score - Recap

Sunday, January 2
Elon 70 Columbia 69 Box Score - Recap

Monday, January 3
Buffalo 78 Cornell 66 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 47 Army 67 Box Score - Recap
Penn 62 Kentucky 86 [ESPNU] Box Score - Recap
Brown 67 American 77 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 5
Columbia 76 Lafayette 73 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 78 Boston College 69 Box Score - Recap
Marist 57 Princeton 68 Box Score - Recap
Yale 77 Holy Cross 76 OT Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 8
Stony Brook 52 Cornell 60 Box Score - Recap
Baruch 57 Yale 85 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 68 Dartmouth 53 Box Score - Recap
Lyndon State 55 Brown 88 Box Score - Recap
Union (N.Y.) 59 Columbia 64 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 12
Penn 83 La Salle 89 OT [The Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 15
*Yale 69 Brown 64 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 67 George Washington 62 Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 75 Columbia 79 Box Score - Recap

Monday, January 17
Quinnipiac 78 Brown 87 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 64 Colgate 67 Box Score - Recap

Wednesday, January 19
Penn 56 Temple 73 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 22
*Brown 51 Yale 59 Box Score - Recap
*Dartmouth 50 Harvard 59 Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 70 Cornell 66 [Time Warner] Box Score - Recap
Saint Joseph’s 61 Penn 73 [The Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap

Sunday, January 23
College of New Jersey 40 Princeton 73 Box Score - Recap

Friday, January 28
*Brown 60 Princeton 78 [Verizon FiOS 1] Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 57 Dartmouth 64 Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 66 Harvard 77 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 58 Penn 66 [The Comcast Network] [SIRIUS] Box Score - Recap

Saturday, January 29
*Cornell 57 Harvard 78 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 63 Princeton 67 Box Score - Recap
*Brown 78 Penn 80 OT Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 66 Dartmouth 45 [SIRIUS] Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 4
*Dartmouth 47 Penn 78 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 61 Princeton 65[ESPNU] [SIRIUS] Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 79 Brown 87 Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 70 Yale 71 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, February 5
*Dartmouth 53 Princeton 68 Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 91 Brown 79 [SIRIUS] Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 67 Yale 72 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 83 Penn 82 (2OT) Box Score - Recap

Tuesday, February 8
*Penn 59 Princeton 62 OT [Verizon FiOS 1] Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 11
*Brown 75 Dartmouth 66 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 76 Columbia 46 [SIRIUS] Box Score - Recap
*Penn 71 Cornell 82 OT Box Score - Recap
*Yale 75 Harvard 78 Box Score - Recap

Saturday, February 12
*Brown 78 Harvard 85 Box Score - Recap
*Penn 62 Columbia 75 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 57 Cornell 55 Box Score - Recap
*Yale 69 Dartmouth 60 [SIRIUS] Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 18
*Penn 70 Brown 62 [SIRIUS] Box Score - Recap
*Dartmouth 60 Columbia 67 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 73 Cornell 60 Box Score - Recap
*Princeton 58 Yale 51 [YES] Box Score - Recap

Saturday, February 19
*Princeton 65 Brown 75 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 61 Columbia 42 [SIRIUS] Box Score - Recap
*Dartmouth 76 Cornell 96 Box Score - Recap
*Penn 60 Yale 58 Box Score - Recap

Friday, February 25
*Harvard 68 Brown 74 [SIRIUS] Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 54 Penn 64 [The Comcast Network] Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 66Princeton 84 [Verizon FiOS 1] Box Score - Recap
*Dartmouth 75 Yale 79 OT Box Score - Recap

Saturday, February 26
*Dartmouth 76 Brown 100 Box Score - Recap
*Columbia 61 Princeton 66 Box Score - Recap
*Harvard 69 Yale 70 Box Score - Recap
*Cornell 74 Penn 72 [SIRIUS] Box Score - Recap

• Throughout the season we will provide periodic updates on Cornell's eight (8) overseas alumni playing professionally. Below, some updates:
  

-John McCord ('97) (SIG Strasbourg, Pro A France)-Through February 28 the 6'6" forward and long time veteran of the European leagues is averaging 10.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Strasbourg sits at 8-11 and in 10th place in the 16 team league. During his roughly fifteen year pro career, McCord, a former 1st Team All Ivy League selection, has played in France's pro leagues and in England.

-Jeff Aubry ('99) (Halcones, LNBP Mexico/Puerto Rico Basketball League, Arecibo Capitanes)-Through February 28 Aubry, who splits his time in both Mexican and Puerto Rican professional leagues is averaging 5.9 points and 7.1 rebounds with Mexico's Halcones (25-11, 4th place out of 18 teams) and 5.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for Puerto Rico's Arecibo (22-7, 2nd place out of 10 teams). Aubry played several seasons in the NBA D League in the early part of his career with the Fayetteville Patriots and Florida Flame. During his more than a decade of pro experience, Aubry has also played professionally in the ABA and abroad in Poland, Argentina, Uruguay and Peru.

-Cody Toppert ('05) (Forli, LegaDue Italy)-Through February 28 Toppert, a 6'4" shooting guard is averaging 9.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game for Forli. Forli is 4-17 and in 16th place out of 16 teams. Toppert previously played this season with the Plymouth Raiders of the British Basketball League before moving to Italy. Like Aubry, Toppert is a veteran of the NBA D League, a former Albuquerque Thunderbird. During his pro career, Toppert has also played in the CBA as well as in Germany, Portugal, and New Zealand.

-Jason Hartford ('08) (Ginasio, LPD Portugal)-Through February 28 the 6'9" Hartford is averaging 15.5 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Ginasio is 7-10 and in 8th place in the 12 team league. During his career, Hartford has played professionally in Finland and Africa (Mozambique).

-Louis Dale ('10) (Gottingen, Bundesliga Germany)-Through February 28 Dale is averaging 6.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Goettingen is 12-11 on the season and in 10th place out of 18 teams in the Bundesliga. Goettingen also advanced to stage 2 of the EuroCup and is one of 16 remaining teams in the tournament. Goettingen is currently 4-1 in Group J.

-Ryan Wittman ('10) (Ft. Wayne Mad Ants, NBA D-League)-Through February 28 Wittman is averaging 5.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game. Wittman averaged 14.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game for Forli in Italy's LegaDue this season before moving to the NBA D-League during January. Ft. Wayne in 17-20 and 3rd place in the Eastern Conference.

-Jeff Foote ('10) (Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel Winner's League/Melilla, Spanish 2nd Division)- Through February 28 Foote is averaging 8.9 points and 6.9 rebounds. Melilla is 13-12 and in 8th place out of 18 teams. Foote is on loan to Melilla from Maccabi Tel Aviv. On February 25, Foote finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 5 blocked shots in a 76-64 defeat to Navarra. He was 6/9 from the floor.

-Jon Jaques ('10) (Ashkelon, Israel Winner's League)-Through February 28 Jaques is averaging 3.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. Ashkelon is 4-14 and in 9th place in the 10 team Israeli league.

• Below is an updated directory listing of some Twitter feeds associated with the Cornell basketball program. You can also follow The Cornell Basketball Blog on Twitter.
  

-Josh Wexler ('88)
-Steve Cobb ('05)
-Andrew Naeve ('07)
-Jason Canady ('08)
-Khaliq Gant ('09)
-Conor Mullen ('09)
-Ryan Wittman ('10)
-Pete Reynolds ('10)
-Jon Jaques ('10)
-Louis Dale ('10)
-Alex Tyler ('10)
-Geoff Reeves ('10)
-Jeff Foote ('10)
-Andre Wilkins ('10)
-Max Groebe ('10)
-Aaron Osgood ('10)
-The Cornell Rebounders Club
-Andrew Ferry ()
-Peter McMillan ()
-Errick Peck ()
-Dominick Scelfo ()
-Jake Mathews ()
-Dwight Tarwater ()
-Manny Sahota ()
-Dave LaMore
-Shonn Miller
-Assistant Coach Ricky Yahn ()
-Assistant Coach Mike Blaine ()
-Assistant Coach Marlon Sears ()
-Brian Delaney, Ithaca Journal ()
-Cornell Daily Sun Sports ()
-Slope Sports ()
-WVBR Sports ()
-Former assistant coach, Jay Larranaga ()

And a few reminders....

Visit The Cornell Basketball Blog's Community Forum and Message Board to interact with other fans of Cornell and Ivy League basketball. Membership is free! You may also follow us on Twitter.

Blueprint for Success, the yearbook commemorating Cornell's 2009-2010 season is now on sale and available for delivery. Visit the Cornell Athletics website to order your copy today! Or pick up a copy sold in the Cornell Store on campus.

Fans of the basketball program in the Ithaca area should not miss the opportunity to join the Cornell Rebounders Club.

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