Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by ansky629
Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: ansky629 (---.reshall.umich.edu)
Date: March 20, 2008 07:15PM
Still great season...wrestled the league away from the P's, swept the road weekend at the P's and went undefeated in the league. And we've still got 2 years with most of these guys. Just couldn't deal with the size of Stanford. As Cubs fans say...there's always next year (and hopefully another ivy title and a better first round matchup).
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: Beeeej (Moderator)
Date: March 20, 2008 07:54PM
What was most disappointing to me is how undisciplined the team seemed compared to their game against Duke. Stanford is not a team full of Gods, and we were making poor shot selection and trying to play a fast, major conference game of basketball. That's not us, and we'll not only never win that game, we'll never be competitive in it.
The country saw us play far below our potential for a good 30 out of 40 minutes. Stanford has big, fast defense, but we have weapons, and we weren't using them.
Maybe it takes two or three trips to the tournament before you figure out how not to be terrified. But while I was proud of the Big Red for making it there, and proud of them for not giving up, I was not happy with how they used the opportunity.
The country saw us play far below our potential for a good 30 out of 40 minutes. Stanford has big, fast defense, but we have weapons, and we weren't using them.
Maybe it takes two or three trips to the tournament before you figure out how not to be terrified. But while I was proud of the Big Red for making it there, and proud of them for not giving up, I was not happy with how they used the opportunity.
___________________________
Beeeej, Esq.
"Cornell isn't an organization. It's a loose affiliation of independent fiefdoms united by a common hockey team."
- Steve Worona
Beeeej, Esq.
"Cornell isn't an organization. It's a loose affiliation of independent fiefdoms united by a common hockey team."
- Steve Worona
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: Al DeFlorio (---.hsd1.ma.comcast.net)
Date: March 20, 2008 08:04PM
Well put, Beeeej. Night and day compared with the Duke game.Beeeej
But while I was proud of the Big Red for making it there, and proud of them for not giving up, I was not happy with how they used the opportunity.
___________________________
Al DeFlorio '65
Al DeFlorio '65
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: Jordan 04 (---.nyc.res.rr.com)
Date: March 20, 2008 08:26PM
Great season for the Big Red.
Our young squad was overwhelmed and probably quite nervous with the NCAA tournament scene. Whether or not that's an excuse can be debated ad nauseum. I look forward to the team making a run to return in the near future.
I think it's also quite unfair to expect the Duke game against any nationally-ranked opponent. A lot of things broke our way that game; we were shooting extremely well that game, and Duke is a team that lives and dies by the 3 -- and was dying that day. We also likely match up better against Duke, because there's no real inside presence to contend with.
All in all, our true ability as a team probably lies somewhere in between the one that took Duke to the last minutes and the one that was woeful today in Anaheim.
Our young squad was overwhelmed and probably quite nervous with the NCAA tournament scene. Whether or not that's an excuse can be debated ad nauseum. I look forward to the team making a run to return in the near future.
I think it's also quite unfair to expect the Duke game against any nationally-ranked opponent. A lot of things broke our way that game; we were shooting extremely well that game, and Duke is a team that lives and dies by the 3 -- and was dying that day. We also likely match up better against Duke, because there's no real inside presence to contend with.
All in all, our true ability as a team probably lies somewhere in between the one that took Duke to the last minutes and the one that was woeful today in Anaheim.
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: scoop85 (---.hvc.res.rr.com)
Date: March 20, 2008 08:26PM
FWIW, Mike Francesca on the YES Network was moaning and groaning watching the Red try to force the ball inside with zero results. He kept repeating how we were playing into Stanford's hands. While he hadn't seen a Cornell game all season, it was evident to anybody watching that we just had nothing going.
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty - about what you'd expect
Posted by: billhoward (---.hsd1.nj.comcast.net)
Date: March 20, 2008 08:31PM
It would have been nice to have lost by 15 or maybe 10 ... but it didn't happen. I thought when we got it to 15-12, that was our moral victory for the day. But it's a far better way to go than the other Ivies ended up this year.
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: nyc94 (---.dsl.wlfrct.sbcglobal.net)
Date: March 20, 2008 08:36PM
Maybe Duke isn't as good as everyone thinks. They lead Belmont 51-50 in the second half. 
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: ebilmes (---.adsl.snet.net)
Date: March 20, 2008 08:42PM
scoop85
FWIW, Mike Francesca on the YES Network was moaning and groaning watching the Red try to force the ball inside with zero results. He kept repeating how we were playing into Stanford's hands. While he hadn't seen a Cornell game all season, it was evident to anybody watching that we just had nothing going.
Listening to a little of Mike and the Mad Dog during halftime....apparently Donahue had called into their show an hour before the game. They had both been expecting a close game, with Cornell's famed 3-point shooting leading the way. A couple guys at WFAN had picked Cornell in their brackets. I don't think anyone thought we'd have such a bad first half.
This was a great season, but our performance today was a little embarrassing. We just didn't look like we belonged in the tournament.
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: French Rage (---.packetdesign.com)
Date: March 20, 2008 09:17PM
A great season, regardless of the result today. They ended 20 years of P/P dominance, and went undefeated in the Ivy League. It's not a national championship, but it's the biggest step in the last two decades.
And with this team's youth the chances look good of coming back last year with experience under their belts. To make a somewhat odd comparison, this Stanford team is virtually unchanged from last year, when they got routed by Louisville, but you can see how another year together, having already "been there" once, helps.
And with this team's youth the chances look good of coming back last year with experience under their belts. To make a somewhat odd comparison, this Stanford team is virtually unchanged from last year, when they got routed by Louisville, but you can see how another year together, having already "been there" once, helps.
___________________________
03/23/02: Maine 4, Harvard 3
03/28/03: BU 6, Harvard 4
03/26/04: Maine 5, Harvard 4
03/26/05: UNH 3, Harvard 2
03/25/06: Maine 6, Harvard 1
03/23/02: Maine 4, Harvard 3
03/28/03: BU 6, Harvard 4
03/26/04: Maine 5, Harvard 4
03/26/05: UNH 3, Harvard 2
03/25/06: Maine 6, Harvard 1
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: Ben Rocky '04 (---.hsd1.dc.comcast.net)
Date: March 20, 2008 09:46PM
Well said French, well said BillHoward. I plan to go into work tomorrow with Wisconsin, GATech, LSU, GMason and Georgetown alumni, hold my head high, and stand in solidarity with them as we all hope for Duke to not make it to the 16.
Good season Men, and lets hope we can do as well next year.
Good season Men, and lets hope we can do as well next year.
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: Josh '99 (---.nyc.res.rr.com)
Date: March 21, 2008 12:32AM
The problem, of course, was that the shooting wasn't there. I don't think Cornell went into the game with a mindset to force the ball inside, but Dale and Wittman were both cold early on (well, so was everyone) and it seemed like they abandoned that too quickly in favor of trying to work inside.ebilmes
Listening to a little of Mike and the Mad Dog during halftime....apparently Donahue had called into their show an hour before the game. They had both been expecting a close game, with Cornell's famed 3-point shooting leading the way.
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: Jordan 04 (---.nyc.res.rr.com)
Date: March 21, 2008 12:42AM
Josh '99The problem, of course, was that the shooting wasn't there. I don't think Cornell went into the game with a mindset to force the ball inside, but Dale and Wittman were both cold early on (well, so was everyone) and it seemed like they abandoned that too quickly in favor of trying to work inside.ebilmes
Listening to a little of Mike and the Mad Dog during halftime....apparently Donahue had called into their show an hour before the game. They had both been expecting a close game, with Cornell's famed 3-point shooting leading the way.
It was also simply a product of Stanford's defensive strategy. From the start, they made it clear that if you were on the 3 point arc, you were going to have a defender in your face, playing you tight.
There's 2 ways to try and relax that pressure -- either start beating them off the dribble (which Dale tried to do on a handful of occasions) or get it into someone Foote or Tyler down low and hope they can put up some points in the paint that cause Stanford to think about double-teaming.
Unfortunately, we failed at both of these, mainly because of the presence of one or more Lopez.
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: Jordan 04 (155.72.24.---)
Date: March 21, 2008 09:28AM
What a great picture:
[www.theithacajournal.com]
[www.theithacajournal.com]
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/2008 09:29AM by Jordan 04.
use it as motivation
Posted by: jksnake06 (---.socal.res.rr.com)
Date: March 21, 2008 04:37PM
My hope is that they use this debacle as motivation to get back to the tournament and play much better next year.
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: Al DeFlorio (---.hsd1.ma.comcast.net)
Date: March 22, 2008 09:22AM
In contrast, Siena crushed Vandy and San Diego slipped past UConn.
___________________________
Al DeFlorio '65
Al DeFlorio '65
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: scoop85 (---.hvc.res.rr.com)
Date: March 22, 2008 10:16AM
Al DeFlorio
In contrast, Siena crushed Vandy and San Diego slipped past UConn.
Had we drawn Vandy, our chances of staying in the game -- if not necessarily winning -- would have been far greater. Just a much better matchup than the inside power and defensive ferocity Stanford brought to the table.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2008 10:16AM by scoop85.
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: HeafDog (---.c3-0.80w-ubr4.nyr-80w.ny.cable.rcn.com)
Date: March 22, 2008 12:31PM
Re: Well...that wasn't pretty
Posted by: David Harding (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: March 23, 2008 11:02PM
The story in the Ithaca Journal that accompanied the AP photo:
Sounds as though the crowd support was there.Ithaca Journal
A tough loss to bear
Stanford overcomes vocal Cornell contingent with 77-53 win
By Brian Delaney
Journal Staff
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Cornell men's basketball team's storied season ended in frustrating fashion Thursday with a 77-53 loss to Stanford at the sun-soaked Honda Center, nearly 2,700 miles from frigid Ithaca.
The Big Red, making its first NCAA tournament appearance in 20 years, suffered its worst loss of the season against the 11th-ranked Cardinal, the third seed in the South Region and a contender for the national championship.
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But Cornell's players and coaches didn't endure its season finale in solitude.
On hand at the beautiful home of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks were the Cornell pep band and cheerleaders, as well as two packed sections of red-clad fans that included friends, family, administrators and former players — collectively it comprised arguably the loudest contingent of supporters in the 17,600-seat arena.
All wanted to take in the program's greatest accomplishment since 1988, when Cornell last won an Ivy League men's basketball title and reached the tournament.
“It's been an amazing run,” Cornell coach Steve Donahue said. “And a lot of it has to do with the people that have supported us. And I've been at these events a lot as a fan and as a coach at the University of Pennsylvania. Never did I see that kind of support.”
Cornell ended the season with a program-best 22-6 record, which included the first 14-0 run through the Ivy League by a team not named Penn or Princeton.
With all but one player, senior Jason Hartford, expected to return, Cornell will be a strong favorite to get back to the tournament.
“We are very young,” Donahue said. “As we get older and tougher and bigger, we'll play better next time when we're here. I'm positive of that.”
bdelaney@ithacajournal.com
Originally published March 21, 2008
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