Game of the year in Cornell athletics

[jksnake06]

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.

[ugarte]

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

[jksnake06]

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.

[jksnake06]

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.

[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?

[RichH]

[quote 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?[/quote]

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.

[jaybert]

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

[Al DeFlorio]

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

[Rita]

[quote RichH][quote 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?[/quote]

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.[/quote]

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)?

[jksnake06]

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.

[David Harding]

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02EFD61530F935A35750C0A9649C8B63

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.

[BillCharlton]

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.

[ugarte]

[quote BillCharlton]It is interesting that Cornell and Brown finish the season against the same four teams:[/quote]
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.

[Chris '03]

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...

[mnagowski]

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.