Game of the year in Cornell athletics

Tomorrow night's men's basketball game against Brown is as big as it gets.

A win for Cornell would give the Big Red a 3 game lead with 4 to play.

A loss and the Big Red would have just a one game lead over Brown and possibly just a 2 game lead over Penn.

If Newman Arena isn't sold out for this one, something is very seriously wrong.

I'm hoping that midmajority.com has it as the Game! Of! The! Night!

On any other Saturday, it probobly would be but alas, tomorrow is Bracket Buster Saturday and the G!O!T!N! is sure to be Drake @ Butler.

They did it!

Cornell wins 74-65!

Cornell can clinch the Ivy title next weekend with a pair of wins, and in fact could potentially clinch on Friday night with a win and a Brown loss.

Penn fell to Harvard so the next Cornell win will eliminate the Quakers.

how does the tie breaker work? if cornell wins the next one, the worst record we could have is 11-3, which is also the best record brown can have if they win out. If the tie breaker is who has the better head to head record, we should win the tie breaker. What do I have wrong here?

jaybert
how does the tie breaker work? if cornell wins the next one, the worst record we could have is 11-3, which is also the best record brown can have if they win out. If the tie breaker is who has the better head to head record, we should win the tie breaker. What do I have wrong here?

No tie-breakers. Co-champions are named, and to determine the league autobid, a playoff is held. A few years ago (2002), there was a 3-team playoff between Penn, Princeton, and Yale.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

ahhh, gotcha, thanks. I just assumed there was a tiebreaker, and not a playoff (imagine that...a playoff/tourney)

jaybert
ahhh, gotcha, thanks. I just assumed there was a tiebreaker, and not a playoff (imagine that...a playoff/tourney)

As I recall, the playoff is held at a neutral court roughly equally convenient (or, should Cornell be involved, equally inconvenient) to the two schools participating.

RichH

jaybert
how does the tie breaker work? if cornell wins the next one, the worst record we could have is 11-3, which is also the best record brown can have if they win out. If the tie breaker is who has the better head to head record, we should win the tie breaker. What do I have wrong here?

No tie-breakers. Co-champions are named, and to determine the league autobid, a playoff is held. A few years ago (2002), there was a 3-team playoff between Penn, Princeton, and Yale.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

I sort of remember that. Was it a 3 team round robin, or was it set up that one team got the winner of the first playoff game (which I think involved Yale)?

Penn was given a bye (I believe due to a superior record among the 3 teams who tied). Yale defeated Princeton and then fell to Penn, who went to the NCAA tournament.

A two way tie would indeed result in a 1 game playoff at a neutral site.

[query.nytimes.com]

NY Times March 6, 2002
The three teams will begin to sort things out Thursday night when Princeton (16-10) faces Yale at the Palestra. The winner will play Penn (24-6) on Saturday at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., with a trip to the N.C.A.A. tournament on the line. Penn received a first-round bye based on its superior record in head-to-head play among the three teams. This was the first three-way tie at the end of an Ivy League regular season.

It is interesting that Cornell and Brown finish the season against the same four teams:

Brown
Princeton (H)
Penn (H)
Harvard (A)
Dartmouth (A)

Cornell
Dartmouth (H)
Harvard (H)
Penn (A)
Princeton (A)

I sure hope we seal the deal at home next weekend. I don't relish traveling to the Killer P's (even in their weakened state) needing a win to clinch. I also cringe at the thought of possibly having to root for Harvard to knock off Brown.

BillCharlton
It is interesting that Cornell and Brown finish the season against the same four teams:

Well, there are only four travel pairs, the teams have played the home-and-homes and the C/C - B/Y weekend just finished. Who cares about that pedantry, though. This season has been amazing.

The Bracket Buster win by Siena over Boise State can only help Cornell.

Here's hoping CU pushes back the hoops start time to 8 or 8:30. It could be some kinda conflict: hockey at home vs. Harvard on senior night... basketball next door looking for it's first title since 1988. I'd hate to see lynah empty out before senior night festivities so folks can run to newman.

Also be curious to see what the crowd in Newman is like at tip off.

Hello redcast split screen...

I think next weekend also makes the case for some sort of winter carnival or alumni winter weekend... if Dartmouth can do it, so can we.

Is there any chance that Cornell will push the basketball game back?

I wonder if security will allow the fans to storm the court on Saturday?

They HAVE to stagger the start times. These two events are too big for people not to be able to see both.

Fans should absolutely storm the court at Newman if and when the outright title is secure.

jksnake06
They HAVE to stagger the start times. These two events are too big for people not to be able to see both.

Agreed. I just hope they don't push back the hockey so I can still make the drive home to Boston after the game.

redhair34

jksnake06
They HAVE to stagger the start times. These two events are too big for people not to be able to see both.

Agreed. I just hope they don't push back the hockey so I can still make the drive home to Boston after the game.

Hoops will be the later of the two if they stagger since opposing hoops teams have to make the 4 hour trip up from NYC while hockey is considerably closer.

Of course the early senior night vs. harvard didn't work out so well last time around...

BillCharlton
I sure hope we seal the deal at home next weekend. I don't relish traveling to the Killer P's (even in their weakened state) needing a win to clinch. I also cringe at the thought of possibly having to root for Harvard to knock off Brown.

Not to mention that if Cornell does clinch, the earlier they do it, the more often they get mentioned by the media before the tournament starts.

Chris '03
Of course the early senior night vs. harvard didn't work out so well last time around...

No it didn't *shudder*

If Cornell clinches this weekend, they are likely to get a highlight on SportsCenter and I hope the shot of the crowd rushing the court doesn't reveal a sparse crowd.

I'm curious as to whether anyone would choose a basketball over hockey this weekend. I know it would be an easy decision for me...

Everyone should email Athletic Director Andy Noel jan16@cornell.edu and Director of Athletic Communications Jeremy Hartigan jh295@cornell.edu to ask them to change the game times

[www.ivyleaguesports.com]

They have the Saturday basketball game start time as 6pm. They also have it incorrectly listed as a Cornell away game so who knows...

Editted to add: Looks like they listed the women's schedule under the mens' standings... forget it.

Adara
http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/sports/standings.asp?intSID=6

They have the Saturday basketball game start time as 6pm. They also have it incorrectly listed as a Cornell away game so who knows...

Editted to add: Looks like they listed the women's schedule under the mens' standings... forget it.

Why believe anything on that site?

Sent them an email last night pointing out that listing Matt Moulson as a 2006 All-Ivy player from Dartmouth was...um...not correct. They also had Matt on their list of three-time All-Ivy team members as being from Harvard.

I'm hoping Jerry Recco is doing updates at some point this afternoon so that we get more WFAN mentions of Cornell leading -- and close to wrapping up -- the Ivy League.

So, it's not looking like they're moving either of Saturday's game times based on the game previews on the athletics site, and that it's getting late in the week and there's been no announcement.

Anyone know/heard anything more?

I have received the following 2 emails from Jeremy Hartigan, Director of Athletic Communications, in response to my request that they change game times.

First email:
Thanks for your e-mails. I'll pass them along to the
administration, but my early guess is that it would be unlikely. Even if
there was a decision to move one of the games up (which I don't think will
happen due to the already short time periods between games - approx. 21
hours), and the likelihood that Harvard would agree to change the times. It
will certainly come up for discussion tomorrow though. Thanks for
supporting both teams!

Second email in response to asking if game time could be pushed back instead of moved up:
We will consider it, but why would Harvard want to move the
game back an hour? They already have a six-hour trip home, and it comes
with no positive for them. I'm sure it will be discussed though. Hope all
is well!

Thanks

Then I guess I'm rooting for a zamboni malfunction that pushes hockey to sunday. Maybe basketball can engineer a really really long senior night ceremony before the game saturday.