More References on PTI for the Big Red?

Will Cornell get more mentions on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption shownow that the Big Red are in the Top 25? We shall see.

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Cornell Athletics Press Release for Big Red Top 25 Ranking

Men's Basketball Earns First National Ranking in 59 Years
CornellBigRed.com

* Click here to see the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

ITHACA, N.Y. -- For the first time in the history of the Cornell men's basketball program, the Big Red sit among the nation's top 25 teams in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll released this afternoon. The Big Red picked up 53 votes from the panel of 31 Division I head coaches to sit at No. 25 in the poll. The Big Red is also in the second spot of others receiving votes in the Associated Press top 25 poll.

It is the first time in 59 years Cornell has been ranked in a national poll in men's basketball, as the 1950-51 team climbed as high as No. 14 in the Associated Press poll on Jan. 3, 1951. The Big Red opened the season with nine straight wins, including a victory over Stanford. It fell out the following week after an 85-45 loss at Columbia. The previous two weeks, Cornell had been ranked No. 19 (Dec. 19, 1950) and No. 18 (Dec. 26, 1950).

The last Ivy team to appear in the national polls was the 1997-98 Princeton squad that finished No. 8 in the final AP poll and No. 16 in the final USA Today/NABC poll. The last team other than Penn or Princeton to be ranked in the national poll was Columbia in 1969-70, climbing as high at No. 13 during a seven-week run.

Cornell received votes in the Coaches' Poll in the preseason (three votes) and on Nov. 16 (two votes) before five weeks of receiving zero votes. After winning the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival, the Big Red started receiving votes On Dec. 28 and has steadily increased its totals, with its 38 points moving it to 27th last week before bursting through into the top 25 this week.

The Big Red are off to an 18-3 start (4-0 Ivy) that includes wins at Alabama, St. John's, Drexel, La Salle and Massachusetts, as well as neutral site wins over Vermont and Davidson and a home victory over Harvard. Cornell's only three losses came to a pair of top five teams on the road (Syracuse and Kansas, combined 41-2 record) and to Big East foe Seton Hall. Cornell has won six straight and 16 of its last 17 contests, with nine of those wins coming by double figures and seven coming by more than 20 points. The senior trio of Ryan Wittman (17.5 ppg., 66-pointers), Jeff Foote (12.4 ppg., 8.4 rpg., 1.9 bpg.) and Louis Dale (10.7 ppg., 5.0 apg.) lead a balanced team that has been among the most potent offensively (.471 field goal percentage, .419 from 3-point range and 76.2 ppg.) and defensively (.401 field goal percentage, 63.5 ppg) in the country.

Cornell returns to action this weekend when it faces Yale on Friday, Feb. 5, and Brown on Saturday, Feb. 6, with both contests tipping off at 7 p.m. at Newman Arena in Bartels Hall.

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Big Red Rankings Update: Cornell #25 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll and #27 in A.P. Poll

Cornell is ranked No. 25 in the nation in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Cornell received 53 points, up from 38 points a week ago.

Cornell also received 39 points in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll this week. This places Cornell at No. 27 in the country. Even more impressive, Cornell jumped up from 16 points a week ago when the Big Red were ranked 36th. There are also now just 6 teams in the “receiving votes” category, down from 22 teams hovering outside the Top 25 last week.

Cornell received A.P. votes from Dick Vitale of ESPN and Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated.

So who else among the 65 A.P. panel members cast votes for Cornell in this week's A.P. Poll? All of the A.P. Ballots can be viewed by clicking here. Cornell's points came from Michael Rothstein (AnnArbor.com, 22nd-4 points), Dave Jones (Patriot News Harrisburg Pa., 19th-7 points), Mark Berman (Roanoke Times, Va., 19th-7 points), Nick Jezierny (Idaho Statesman, Boise Id.-24th-2 points), and John Feinstein (National Public Radio, 20th-6 points), Craig Stouffer (Washington, D.C. Examiner-25th-1 point), Lamond Pope (Ft. Wayne, IN Journal Gazette-24th-2 points), Tom Keegan (Lawrence KS Journal World-25th-1 point), Rick Bozich (Lousiville Courier Journal-25th-1 point), Brian Rosenthal (Lincoln NE Journal Star-24th-2 points), Elton Alexander (Cleveland Plain Dealer-25th-1 point), John Rohde (Daily Oklahoman-25th-1 point), Chris Lang (News Advance Lynchburg VA-25th-1 point), Seth Davis (CNN Sports Illustrated-25th 1 point), Dick Vitale (ESPN-24th-2 points).

Below is a summary of Cornell's results in the A.P. and Coaches' polls this season.

• Week 1 Nov. 16 (1 AP. Top 25 Poll Point, 3 ESPN/USA TodayTop 25 Coaches' Poll Points)
• Week 2 Nov. 23 (none)
• Week 3 Nov. 30 (1 ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches' Poll Point)
• Week 4 Dec. 7 (3 A.P. Top 25 Poll Points)
• Week 5 Dec. 14 (3 A.P. Top 25 Poll Points)
• Week 6 December 21
  
• Week 7 December 28 (5 A.P. Top 25 Poll Points, 8 Coaches' Poll Points)
  
• Week 8 January 4 (9 A.P. Top 25 Poll Points, 15 Coaches' Poll Points)
• Week 9 January 11 (12 A.P. Top 25 Poll Points, 16 Coaches' Poll Points)
• Week 10 January 18 (15 A.P. Top 25 Poll Points, 24 Coaches' Poll Points)
• Week of January 25 (16 A.P. Top 25 Poll Points, 38 Coaches' Poll Points
• Week of February 1 (39 A.P. Top 25 Poll Points, #25 in the Nation Coaches' Poll)
  

ESPN/USA Today Poll

1. Kansas (26) 20-1 769

2. Villanova (4) 19-1 735

3. Kentucky (1) 20-1 705

4. Syracuse 21-1 703

5. Michigan State 19-3 652

6. West Virginia 17-3 596

7. Purdue 18-3 552

8. Georgetown 16-4 550

9. Duke 17-4 503

10. Texas 18-3 495

11. Kansas State 17-4 433

12. Brigham Young 21-2 432

13. Gonzaga 17-4 351

14. Tennessee 16-4 330

15. Butler 18-4 297

16. Wisconsin 16-5 277

17. Temple 18-4 253

18. Ohio State 16-6 245

19. Georgia Tech 16-5 211

20. Vanderbilt 16-4 160

21. Pittsburgh 16-5 133

22. Northern Iowa 19-2 129

23. New Mexico 20-3 125

24. Baylor 16-4 109

25. Cornell 18-3 53

Others Receiving Votes Mississippi 52, Clemson 49, Florida State 34, Missouri 32, UAB 21, Saint Mary's 18, Xavier 15, Rhode Island 11, UNLV 11, Siena 8, Connecticut 6, Maryland 5, Louisiana Tech 4, Virginia Tech 4, Tulsa 3, California 2, Oklahoma State 2.

AP Top 25

1. Kansas (54) 20-1 1,605

2. Villanova (4) 19-1 1,534

3. Syracuse (6) 21-1 1,506

4. Kentucky (1) 20-1 1,460

5. Michigan State 19-3 1,367

6. West Virginia 17-3 1,230

7. Georgetown 16-4 1,204

8. Purdue 18-3 1,182

9. Texas 18-3 1,069

10. Kansas State 17-4 1,025

10. Duke 17-4 1,025

12. Brigham Young 21-2 748

13. Ohio State 16-6 677

14. Tennessee 16-4 655

15. New Mexico 20-3 636

16. Wisconsin 16-5 585

17. Gonzaga 17-4 541

18. Vanderbilt 16-4 502

19. Temple 18-4 495

20. Baylor 16-4 461

21. Georgia Tech 16-5 459

22. Pittsburgh 16-5 278

23. Butler 18-4 216

24. Northern Iowa 19-2 193

25. Mississippi 16-5 132

Others Receiving Votes Florida State 77, Cornell 39, UAB 32, Wake Forest 31, Xavier 31, Siena 19, Rhode Island 17, UNLV 16, Clemson 16, Missouri 13, Charlotte 12, Marquette 10, Saint Mary's 9, UTEP 7, Wichita State 5, Oklahoma State 3, Maryland 2, George Mason 1.

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Foote to Ivy Honor Roll

The Ivy League Office announced that Cornell's Jeff Foote was named to the Weekly Honor Roll. For The Ivy Office notes:

HONOR ROLL

Jeff Foote, Cornell —10.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.5 bpg, 3.0 apg and 1.0 spg

Had 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots in win over Harvard.

2009-10 AWARD WINNERS

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

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

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Additional Cornell-Harvard Coverage from the Cornell Daily Sun

Public Enemy No.1: The Red defense forced eight turnovers by Harvard senior Jeremy Lin (4) while limiting him to only one assist.

Much Ado About Nothing Cornell massacres Harvard in highly-anticipated battle of undefeated Ivy teams

By Matthew Manacher
Cornell Daily Sun
February 1, 2010

It was billed by many college basketball analysts as the early season Ivy League game that would ultimately decide the 2009-10 conference champion. It was the game that would settle which of the eight Ivies will be dancing in March. Although Cornell has 10 conference games remaining, the Red took a significant step forward in claiming its third-consecutive Ancient Eight championship Saturday evening with an 86-50 drubbing of Harvard.

The Red (18-3, 4-0 Ivy) snapped the Crimson’s (14-4, 3-1 Ivy) seven-game win streak with a complete team effort. All five Cornell starters posted double figures while senior center Jeff Foote registered a team-high 16 points and nine rebounds. Cornell took advantage of a young and inexperienced Harvard squad, capitalizing on a 16-0 first half burst and a 17-0 second half explosion to coast to victory.

While the contest was considered a barometer of the two best teams in the Ivy League, it also featured the two premier players in the Ivy League, Cornell senior forward Ryan Wittman (17.5 ppg. and 41 percent 3-pt.) and Harvard senior guard Jeremy Lin (17.1 ppg. and 4.4 apg.), both vying for Player of the Year accolades. However, Foote stole the spotlight as Wittman played only 11 minutes in the first half due to foul trouble and Lin struggled with a mere four points to match his four turnovers at the break. Cornell’s lockdown three-quarter court press kept Lin off of his game. Meanwhile, Foote proved to be a dominating inside presence on both ends of the court.

“I don’t think they exactly knew how to guard me,’’ Foote said. “I just knew that I had an advantage with size and strength. They do a much better job of defending. They do a terrific job all-around. I was able to get into my moves more and the lack of a double team really helped me out. I was able to get in my groove today.’’

The 7-0, 265-pound pivot man exploited smaller opponents and single coverage throughout the entire contest. Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker refused to double team the 2008-09 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year for fear of unleashing Cornell’s precise perimeter shooters. Without a significant center to stand in his path, Foote took turns abusing the 6-8 sophomore Keith Wright and 6-7 senior Doug Miller.

“From scouting, I always thought [Foote] was the key to the team,’’ Amaker said. “He scores on the inside. He’s a great passer and he’s a very unselfish player. I’m very fond of his game and I admire how he plays. I mentioned to the kids that he’s the guy that makes them go.’’

Once Harvard cut the deficit to 19-17 midway through the first half, Foote ignited the boisterous crowd and sparked a 16-0 run with a one-handed slam over Miller. Amaker turned to his bench, but there were still no answers to be found as freshman Kyle Casey and sophomore Andrew Van Nest proved equally futile in their efforts to harness Foote.

“I thought this was the game where we knew we needed to utilize Jeff,’’ said Cornell head coach Steve Donahue. “We talked about it because [Harvard] scrambled around so well. I told him to slow it down and take it in and he’s one of the best passing centers in the nation.’’

Harvard’s sloppy play was exploited by a stout Cornell defense, which has vastly improved in recent weeks. The Crimson turned the ball over 25 times, including 14 steals. Lin found his groove in the second half as he dropped a game-high 19 points, but it was too little too late. Lin’s ball handling was problematic as he withered under the Red’s pressure and committed eight turnovers. Cornell’s rejuvenated defense was on display as the Red scored 29 points off turnovers, and held Harvard to a season-low 50 points.

“They were very aggressive,” Amaker said. “They took us out of anything we wanted to run and knocked the ball off of us. You can see that with eight turnovers by Jeremy [Lin] and five by Kyle [Casey]. Obviously, having 25 turnovers and only seven assists is not a very good formula for positive basketball.”

There was certainly an elevated sense of importance attached to this game, as the sold-out 4,473 raucous fans in attendance were well aware that early season Ivy League bragging rights were on the line. The Red remained dominant on its home floor in the Ancient Eight, extending an 18-game home conference winning streak with the victory.

“I would compare it to the first time we won the Ivy League title,” Foote said. “The crowd was rocking. They gave us tremendous energy and made it a great college basketball atmosphere. It really fires us up and we really like to play in front of a lot of people.”

The new ESPN/USA Today Top-25 Coaches Poll comes out this afternoon, and Cornell entered this weekend tied at No. 27 with New Mexico. When asked about the team’s chances of breaking into the Top-25 after defeating Dartmouth by 34 points Friday night and Harvard by 36 points Saturday night, Foote initially downplayed the importance.

“Coach says all the time that the ratings and all that stuff doesn’t really matter to us. We have to focus on ourselves and getting better every day,” but Foote admitted, “It would be kind of cool to be in the Top-25.”

However, Coach Donahue sensed the team’s excitement and immediately clarified Foote’s diplomatic response. “You got the real answer in the second part of that,” he quipped.

Later, Donahue added:

“The only thing I would say is I feel very comfortable playing any team in the country on a neutral court with this group. I feel that we would fare well. We have enough experience, size, skill and toughness, to compete with anybody in college basketball right now.”

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Daily Review Profiles Jeff Foote

Foote key to Big Red's success

By Chris Manning
The Daily Review
February 1, 2o10

He may not hit the big threes or make the nifty passes, but Jeff Foote is the key to Cornell's success. That was most evident in the Big Red's dismantling of IVY League rival Harvard on Saturday. Even Harvard's coach knew it.

"I told my kids he's the guy that makes the biggest difference" Harvard coach Tommy Amaker said.

From the get go Cornell dumped the ball inside to Foote, who used an array of moves, mostly a right handed hook, to score at will in the paint. He topped it off with a ferocious dunk that made the sell-out crowd go nuts.

"I thought he was the key to the team" Amaker said.

Foote's play is not only a testament to his size and skill, but also his work ethic. He began as a long, gangly 6-foot, 9-inch senior at Spencer Van-Etten. From there he walked on to St. Bonaventure, but was nothing more than a big man at the end of the bench for the Bonnies.

"Now, I don't want to embarrass him" Cornell coach Steve Donahue said, "but I've never been around a player whose made such big strides in his game."

When he came to Cornell, most people wondered why he was even on the team.

"I had coaches in division three saying 'What are you doing with this kid?'" Donahue remarked. The big man would prove them all wrong.

Foote not only filled out his 7-foot frame with an added 65 pounds but also worked on his biggest liability: athleticism. The big man has added five inches to his vertical jump.

"Now I have NBA teams calling about him," Donahue mentioned, "At this point of his career he's extremely effective. Scoring the basketball inside, making good decisions."

"His skills on the inside," Amaker raved after Foote destroyed his team in the paint to tune of 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting and nine boards, "He's a great passer. I'm very fond of his game."

His passing is not only what gives his teammates open shots, it keeps defenders off him.

"Maybe their worried about me passing out of the double team," Foote said about why the Crimson were reluctant to guard him, "I pride myself on my passing."

His passing not only gave him four assists in the game, but helped his team shoot 12-for-27 behind the arc.

This has led to others outside of up state New York to see how good the Big Red are.

"(They) are an outstanding basketball team," Amaker said. "One of the better teams in the country from what I've seen."

For the past couple weeks Cornell has been knocking on the door of the Top 25. Maybe this will get them in.

"The ratings don't really matter to us," Foote said. "We want to focus on ourselves."

But the home grown talent couldn't keep it in.

"But, it would be pretty cool." He added with a big smile about being in the Top 25.

If he keeps playing like he has been, they soon will be.

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Slope TV Video Highlights of Cornell-Harvard

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