Dartmouth Athletics Game Notes for Cornell Game

Ivy Leaders Cornell Come to Leede Arena Tonight, Columbia Tomorrow

DartmouthSports.com

Notes

History in Many Forms
• Dartmouth pulled off a couple historical accomplishments last weekend. Both Penn and Princeton succumbed to the Big Green on the same weekend for just the fourth time — and first outside of Hanover — since the current Ivy weekend format was adopted in 1957-58. And the victory over Penn completed a season sweep of the Quakers for the first time in 50 years.
• Coincidentally, Dartmouth is honoring that very 1958-59 squad that swept Penn this weekend on the 50th anniversary of the team winning the Ivy League and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
• Once again, senior Alex Barnett scored at least 20 in both games, giving him 13 for the season and eight in 10 Ivy contests. He currently leads the league in scoring at 21.2 in conference games.
• Barnett converted 6-of-6 free throws in the final minute each of the games to secure the victories, earning Ivy Player of the Week accolades.
• Freshman David Rufful continued his emergence as another offensive weapon, reaching double figures for the fifth straight game at Princeton. He received the other Ivy weekly award as the loop’s top rookie.
• Dartmouth, two games behind Cornell in the standings, needs a win on Friday to stay in the hunt for the league crown.

Series vs. Cornell (18-8, 8-2)
• Dartmouth has played Cornell more than any other opponent with this being the 198th meeting. The Big Green hold a slim 101-96 lead overall.
• The Big Red have won the last seven games in the series, with the last Dartmouth victory coming in Leede Arena on Feb. 19, 2005, 67-54.
• Coach Terry Dunn is 1-8 all-time versus the Big Red.
• The Big Green are 13-8 versus Cornell in Leede Arena but have lost the last three.
• Dartmouth suffered a heart-breaking 79-76 double-overtime loss at Cornell on Valentine’s Day after rallying from 19 points down in the second half.

Scouting the Big Red
• Cornell has won 13 of its past 15 games, including a 40-point blowout at Brown last Saturday. Only one of its 10 Ivy contests have been decided by single digits — the double-overtime victory over the Big Green on Feb. 14.
• Despite that big margin of victory, the Big Red have been inconsistent on the road this year with a 4-7 mark and 3-2 record in the Ivy League.
• The Cornell offense is the most potent in league games at 75.7 points per game, and its scoring margin of 13 in the league tops the circuit.
• Guard Ryan Wittman is second only to Barnett in the Ivy League in scoring at 18.2 points per game, plus leads the league by far in threes made with 79.
• Also scoring in double figures are guard Louis Dale — the reigning Ivy Player of the Year who missed the first eight games this season — at 13.9 points per game and 7-0 center Jeff Foote at 12.2 ppg.
• Foote also leads the league in rebounding at 7.0 per game and blocks by a wide margin with 58.
• Dale led Cornell to the victory two weeks ago over Dartmouth with 18 points, including six free throws in the overtime periods, while Geoff Reeves had 15 points with a trio of triples. Foote led the Big Red with nine rebounds and five assists.

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Big Red Brackets: Friday, Feb. 27 Edition

The Cornell Basketball Blog monitors the Big Red's bracket projections until the 2009 NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday.

Updated today, both Rivals.com and ESPN have Cornell projected as a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament. ESPN projects Cornell as the top 14 seed, just outside of the 13 seed. CBS Sports also projects Cornell in the 14 seed as does Bracketography.com.

Rivals.com writes today as follows:

No. 14 seeds




53. American
54. Weber State
55. Binghamton
56. Cornell

The buzz: American and Weber State have clinched the regular-season titles in their leagues, and each will play their conference tourney games on its home court. If Binghamton wins the America East title, it would host the league tourney final if it's in the game. Cornell is in good position to win the Ivy League, the only conference without a tournament.

GAMES OF INTEREST:

Siena at Niagara, 7 p.m., ESPNU: Siena already has wrapped up the regular-season title in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and Niagara is going to finish second in the league. But this remains an important game for Siena. Can the Saints get into the NCAA tournament as an at-large candidate should they lose in the MAAC tourney? The chances would be better in that scenario if they win this game. Siena beat the Purple Eagles by 17 points at home last month

Cornell at Dartmouth, 7 p.m.: Cornell owns a two-game lead in the Ivy League, which is the only conference without a tournament. Dartmouth is one of three teams tied for second. In a meeting two weeks ago, the Big Red (that's Cornell) beat the Big Green (that's Dartmouth) by three in double-overtime. Both of Cornell's losses in league play have come on the road, by an average of 16 points per game. A win in this one and Cornell looks as if it will be in the NCAA tournament for the second season in a row.

Below are links to updated projections of the 2009 NCAA Tournament brackets.

• Rivals.com (Cornell No. 14 seed as of 2.27.09)
  
• ESPN's Nitty Gritty Report (Cornell No. 14 seed as of 2.27.09)
• CBS Sports (Cornell No. 14 seed as of 2.25.09)
• CollegeHoopsNet.com (Cornell No. 15 seed as of 2.25.09)
• Jordan Schwartz of Bleacher Report (Cornell No. 15 seed updated 2.25.09)
• The Hoops Report (Cornell No. 15 seed as of 2.24.09)
• Jameson Flemming Bracketology of Bleacher Report (Cornell No. 14 seed as of 2.24.09)
• RushTheCourt.Wordpress.com (Cornell No. 15 seed as of 2.24.09
• Jonathan Goodman of Bleacher Report (Cornell No. 14 seed updated 2.24.09)
• Sporting News (Cornell No. 15 seed as of 2.23.09)
• Joe Lunardi's ESPN Bracketology (Cornell No. 14 seed as of 2.23.09)
• Andy Glockner's Seed Report/CNNSI.com (Cornell No. 15 seed as of 2.23.09)
• Bracketography.com (Cornell No. 14 seed as of 2.22.09)
• United States Basketball Writers Association (Cornell No. 11 seed as of 2. 16.09)
  
• Mike Alessandrini of Bleacher Report (Cornell No. 13 seed as of 2.16.09)
  
• Marc Daley's "Bald Prophet" of Bleacher Report (Cornell No. 14 seed as of 2.16.09)
• Matt Browning of Bleacher Report (Cornell No. 15 seed as of 2.15.09)
• Shaun Reilly of Bleacher Report (Cornell No. 14 seed as of 2.2.09)
• The Washington Times (Cornell No. 14 seed as of 1.30.09)
• Curt Hogg of Bleacher Report (Cornell No. 15 seed as of 1.30.09)
  
• Gary Lloyd of Bleacher Report (Cornell No. 15 seed as of 11.23.08)
• Sports Illustrated/CNNSI.com (Cornell 55th--No. 14 seed as of 11.19.08)
  
• CBS Sports (Cornell No. 14 seed as of 11.11.08)
  
• ESPN.com Dick Vitale (Cornell Ivy League Champion as of 11.10.08)
  
• BleacherReport.com (Cornell No. 13 seed as of 11.1.08)
  

For The Cornell Basketball Blog's prior "Big Red Brackets" posts, click here.

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Andy Katz on Cornell-Dartmouth

From today's entry on the blog of ESPN's Andy Katz:

Dartmouth, a perennial doormat in the Ivy, is 6-4 after a rare weekend sweep of Penn and Princeton. The Big Green hadn't swept that trip since 1958-59. Dartmouth swept Penn in its two games for the first time since that same season. It is honoring the 1959 team at Saturday's home game against Columbia. Dartmouth lost in double overtime at Cornell on Feb. 14. Had that not occurred, the Big Green would be playing for first place this weekend, instead of being in a logjam with Columbia, Yale and Princeton with four losses, two behind Cornell.

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Recruiting News: McMillan and NMH Close Out Regular Season

Cornell recruit, 6'7" Peter McMillan and his Northfield Mount Hermon Hoggers of Northfield, Massachusetts finished their regular season on a low point. NMH dropped each of their last three games, falling to Proctor (99-91 on February 14), Worcester Academy (77-73 on February 21) and Winchendon (76-73 on February 25).

In the season finale against Winchendon, McMillan chipped in 2 points, 3 rebounds and 1 block in the defeat. Teammates Brian Fitzpatrick (a Penn recruit) finished with 6 points, while Andrew McCarthany (a Brown recruit) contributed 9 points. Louisville recruit, Mike Marra led the way for NMH with 21 points.

NMH was 18-9 on the season. McMillan averaged 6.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He shot 74% at the free throw line, 34% from beyond the collegiate distance arc, and 41% on field goals.

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Cornell Daily Sun Weekend Preview

Forget it: Senior Jeff Foote and men’s basketball hope up to lock in the Ivy League title this weekend at Dartmouth, Harvard.

Men’s Basketball on the Road at Dartmouth, Harvard

By Sun Staff
Cornell Daily Sun
February 27, 2009

The men’s basketball team can clinch at least a share of its second straight Ivy title this weekend as it travels to Dartmouth and Harvard. With four games to go, Cornell holds a two game lead over Columbia, Princeton and Dartmouth. Two wins this weekend would wrap up a share of the championship. A weekend sweep combined with a loss from all of the second place teams would secure an outright title.

Coming off a split weekend against Brown and Yale, Cornell (18-8, 8-2 Ivy) is looking to finish a season sweep of both Dartmouth (8-16, 6-4) and Harvard (11-13, 3-7). Two weeks ago, when the Red welcomed the Green and the Crimson to Ithaca, the two wins extended Cornell’s home win streak to 19 games.

But Cornell is on the road this weekend, where it has lost its only two Ivy games this year. The squad will face off against Dartmouth tonight in New Hanover, N.H. The Green is the only Ivy squad to lose to the Red by less than double digits. In fact, Dartmouth stormed back from a 19-point deficit to take Cornell to double overtime where the Red emerged 79-76.

Dartmouth, which has emerged this year behind star Alex Barnett, will try to exploit Cornell’s defense much in the same way it did two weekends ago. Donahue said his team got taken out of its defensive mindset in the second half allowing the Green to climb back into the game. He took his team back to basics in practice the next week, going over defensive drills the team hadn’t done since October.

It will most likely take this fundamental team defense to stop Barnett tonight, who dropped 22 on the Red last time out. Although he only shot 10-for-27 — nearly 40 percent of his team’s shots — from the floor, Barnett will certainly be the focal point of the Green’s offense. He leads his team in virtually every category and has bettered his 3-point shooting this year, according to Donahue, making him more of a threat. His 21.2 points per game in Ivy play are nearly four points ahead of second-place Jeremy Linn of Harvard. He is also fifth in rebounding in conference action.

Last time out against Dartmouth, Cornell used a small lineup fueled by guards Louis Dale, a junior and freshman Chris Wroblewski, to get more ball handlers on the court. The Red’s starting frontcourt — senior Jeff Foote and junior Alex Tyler — struggled from the floor throughout the Dartmouth matchup. The Red will have to address these issues going into the contest this evening.

Tomorrow, Cornell will travel to Harvard. While Dartmouth presents a strong front line with the multi-talented Barnett, Harvard boasts a seasoned backcourt with Jeremy Lin and Drew Housman. This combination teamed up for 27 points on 10-for-16 shooting last time out against Cornell.

But it was a weak Harvard defense that bent and broke on the way to a Cornell victory. The Red put up 96 points — the team’s second biggest output of the season — en route to victory. This was not an aberration for the Crimson. On the season, Harvard has allowed opponents to shoot 46 percent from the floor, including 51 percent from behind the arc. The Crimson has allowed over 70 points per game in Ivy play, most in the league, and trails the Ancient eight in field goal defense as well.

Alternatively, Cornell has paced the conference in offense, putting up 75.7 points per game, more than 10 more than second-place Penn. The Red also leads the Ancient Eight in field goal percentage, free throw percentage and field goal defense. On paper, it might seem like a case of the League’s best offense against the League’s worst defense, but Harvard’s early season win over then-No. 17 Boston College, revealed the talent of the squad. Additionally, tomorrow will be senior night for Harvard, providing the squad with extra motivation.

Regardless, the facts about the standings do not change. Two wins and Cornell is at least a co-Ivy League champion for the second year in a row, something not seen on the East Hill since the Ancient Eight’s inception in 1954.

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Harvard Crimson's Ivy League Weekend Preview

AROUND THE IVIES: Harvard Looking To Split Weekend

By Kirby
The Harvard Crimson
February 29, 2009

With just two weekends of games left, despite all the unpredictable, head-scratching, how–did-that-happen results, the season is poised to end the way last season ended, with Cornell on top.

At 8-2 in the league, the Big Red has a two-game lead on four contenders tied for second: Columbia, Dartmouth, Princeton, and Yale, all with 6-4 conference marks. The defending champions’ magic number is three to guarantee a return to the NCAAs. If it wins all three, boom, it’s tourney time. Win twice and if each of the other contenders lose once, same result. Lose two of four and one those teams goes 4-for-4 in its remaining games, and we’re looking at a one game Ivy League Tournament.

As one of four teams to take on Cornell this weekend, Harvard will look to pull an upset over the Big Red at Lavietes. Although Cornell is favored, as fans of Ivy League teams have seen all season, nothing is as simple as it seems.

So what to expect? Frankly, after all the crazy out-of-nowhere results since league play began, your guess is at least as good as mine and you might just want to flip a coin. But be sure to sit back and enjoy the exciting action this weekend.

COLUMBIA (11-13, 6-4 Ivy) at HARVARD (10-12, 3-7 Ivy)

Believe it or not, the Lions have the second longest winning streak against the Crimson—after Yale—with the New York school winning the past five games. Columbia needs to extend that streak if it wants to stay alive in the league race. Two weeks ago, a short-handed Harvard team nearly pulled out victory in New York, although it could be even more short-handed if star guard Jeremy Lin is still affected by a hurt ankle suffered at Princeton a week ago.

Pick: HARVARD

CORNELL (18-8, 8-2 Ivy) at DARTMOUTH (8-16, 6-4 Ivy)

This is the fixture to watch for the weekend. Imagine if Dartmouth had pulled out the double overtime game in Ithaca, the two teams would be tied for first now! No doubt, this is one of the biggest games in recent history for a Big Green team that last reached the NCAA Tournament in 1959 and Leede Arena should be rocking despite its small space.

Pick: CORNELL

YALE (11-13, 6-4 Ivy) at PENN (10-12, 4-5 Ivy)

Who would have thought it would be Yale and not Penn in contention for Ivy accords? Or that Penn would be 0-4 at home so far on the season?? The Quakers do have three more chances to break their goose egg at home, and the Bulldogs haven’t won in the Palestra since 1997. But Penn has been all about breaking streaks at home this season, a good omen for the visitors.

Pick: PENN

BROWN (7-17, 1-9 Ivy) at PRINCETON (10-12, 4-5 Ivy)

The Tigers would be in control of their own destiny if they hadn’t been mauled by the Bears for Brown’s lone win in the Ivy season. That is a big dent in their title drive. Look for Princeton to exact revenge this weekend.

Pick: PRINCETON

COLUMBIA at DARTMOUTH

An elimination game for both teams, although they have to get through today unscathed. Regardless, another interesting race to watch this weekend is the league Player of the Year award. Big Green star Alex Barnett has won three of the five Player of the Week awards since Ivy play began in earnest. He also leads the Ivies in scoring and is near the top in many other categories. My money for POY is on him. For now.

Pick: COLUMBIA

BROWN at PENN

This is the one game that is sure to be irrelevant for the Ivy League race. The Bears have a tough road back to the top of the league, but do you know what would be a great step in that direction? If at quiet Pizzatola Sports Center, there was a live bear as a mascot! Think about it, a big hairy scary bear would constantly roar at the opposing team to frighten the jeepers out of it and also dance around the court at halftime to provide better entertainment than any other halftime stuff I’ve seen in the Ivies.

Pick: PENN

YALE at PRINCETON

Just like the Columbia-Dartmouth matchup, this will be a crucial game if both teams win Friday. After schooling the Tigers in the reverse fixture and sweeping Cornell and Columbia last weekend, the Bulldogs seem to have the edge as the Tigers have lost two of their last three home games. But Yale is just 2-3 on the road in the league, so who knows?

Pick: PRINCETON

CORNELL at HARVARD

The last two times these schools met here, the games were decided on the final possession, with a one-point Crimson victory in 2007, and a Cornell win by the same margin last year. It was this time last year in Ithaca the Big Red clinched the Ivy title. If it wins at Dartmouth, it can clinch at least a tie with a win at Harvard. In the Crimson’s favor, it has by and large played much better on the second night of back-to-back games so far. And surely Cornell would rather wait until next weekend to clinch in front of its own fans where it has not lost all season, yes? Hopefully?

Pick: CORNELL

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The Dartmouth Weekend Preview of Cornell

Men make run at Ivy title, women still on top of the League

By Tianchi Xu
The Dartmouth
February 29, 2009

The Dartmouth men’s and women’s basketball teams toward the end of their respective campaigns with high spirits and high expectations. The men’s squad tips off for the final two times this season at Leede Arena, while the women’s squad prepares for its last roadtrip doubleheader this weekend.

Both teams seek not only the Ivy crown, but also the chance to play in the NCAA postseason tournament next month.

The men’s squad, coming off tough losses to Columbia and Cornell two weeks ago, looked last weekend to recapture both its momentum and the top spots in Ivy standings.

Alex Barnett ‘09 and David Rufful ‘12 helped keep the team’s title hopes alive, as both players delivered big in crucial wins over the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton. The doubleheader victories marked the first Dartmouth sweep of the Quakers and the Tigers in 50 years.

Earning the league’s weekly basketball awards, Barnett and Rufful combined for 65 total points in the team’s last two matchups. Barnett moved to 10th place on Dartmouth’s all-time scoring leaderboard, while Rufful scored in double figures for the fifth straight game.

This week, the Big Green will look for equally strong performances from the senior-freshman duo, as well as consistent support from the bench. With the title on the line, the Big Green will host defending Ivy champion Cornell, as well as Columbia, with which the Big Green is currently tied for second place, hoping to avenge losses to both teams earlier in the season.

Dartmouth, however, will have to face off against tough perimeter defense from both teams. In the teams’ previous meetings this year, the Big Red limited Dartmouth to only 23 points in the first half, while the Lions suffocated the Big Green offense throughout the game, holding the visitors to 52 points.

The men’s squad is also looking to contain opponents’ open looks from beyond the arc and ball movement into the paint. Alhough the Dartmouth defense has been solid during the last two games, the Tigers and the Big Red have combined to score 146 points against the Big Green this season.

***

The men will host Cornell and Columbia on Friday and Saturday at Leede Arena, while the women will square off against the Big Red and the Lions on the road. All games are set for 7 p.m. tipoffs.

Big Green athletics will also host its “Bleed Green Weekend” for the upcoming home games. Dartmouth students are encouraged to wear green to all athletic events.

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