Well...that wasn't pretty

[scoop85]

[quote Al DeFlorio]In contrast, Siena crushed Vandy and San Diego slipped past UConn.[/quote]

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.

[HeafDog]

That picture also made it into Sports Illustrated's "Caught In The Act" series from this week.

link

[David Harding]

The story in the Ithaca Journal that accompanied the AP photo:

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

Sounds as though the crowd support was there.