Men’s Basketball 23-24

[ugarte]

NIT vs Ohio State. That's kinda cool.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-03-17/2024-nit-field-and-pairings-announced

For the third-straight season, the NIT seeded only the top half of the 32-team field. The bottom 16 unseeded teams were placed into the bracket by the NIT Committee as close to their area of natural interest as possible.

Columbus, Ohio, is close our area of natural interest?  I think I see four top half schools closer to Ithaca.

yeah but look at their opponents. it's not like they had a lot of option for us. it's killing me that, once again, we lost to Syracuse in a season where we could have won. They didn't even get invited.

I'm really happy about this bid. A road win to extend the season would be sweet.

[Trotsky]

it's killing me that, once again, we lost to Syracuse in a season where we could have won.

It's like a Power Ball jackpot.  When it finally happens, wooboy.

[mountainred]

For folks who don't follow college hoops, Ohio State was floundering in conference play.  In Mid-February they fired their coach after a 2-9 stretch and have gone 6-2 since then.  So, the bucknuts probably aren't pouting about not making the NCAA Tournament -- since they played their way out of that conversation by Valentine's Day.  And they look more like a team that is starting to enjoy playing as a team, rather that a squad that is just going through the motions waiting for the season to end.

This will be very challenging game, but I'm looking forward to these guys getting one more chance to take down a big name.

[upprdeck]

NIT vs Ohio State. That's kinda cool.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-03-17/2024-nit-field-and-pairings-announced

For the third-straight season, the NIT seeded only the top half of the 32-team field. The bottom 16 unseeded teams were placed into the bracket by the NIT Committee as close to their area of natural interest as possible.

Columbus, Ohio, is close our area of natural interest?  I think I see four top half schools closer to Ithaca.

yeah but look at their opponents. it's not like they had a lot of option for us. it's killing me that, once again, we lost to Syracuse in a season where we could have won. They didn't even get invited.

I'm really happy about this bid. A road win to extend the season would be sweet.

Syracuse was going to get invited but decided early on to decline.  I suspect the portal today plays a part in that

[ugarte]

NIT vs Ohio State. That's kinda cool.

https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2024-03-17/2024-nit-field-and-pairings-announced

For the third-straight season, the NIT seeded only the top half of the 32-team field. The bottom 16 unseeded teams were placed into the bracket by the NIT Committee as close to their area of natural interest as possible.

Columbus, Ohio, is close our area of natural interest?  I think I see four top half schools closer to Ithaca.

yeah but look at their opponents. it's not like they had a lot of option for us. it's killing me that, once again, we lost to Syracuse in a season where we could have won. They didn't even get invited.

I'm really happy about this bid. A road win to extend the season would be sweet.

Syracuse was going to get invited but decided early on to decline.  I suspect the portal today plays a part in that

fair enough. i watched the game, though, and this was a game we could have won. so was george mason, for that matter. we have a good, fun team. i'm going to miss this squad and i'm glad i get one more game with them, even if i hate the implications of mountainred's capsule scouting report.

in other ivy hoops news, princeton is in the NIT with us, pulling a 2 seed.

in other, other ivy hoops news, princeton won the women's ILT but columbia still made the field as an at-large. ivy women's hoops as a two-bid conference. i never thought i'd see the day.

[mountainred]

ugarte, believe it or not, you already saw the day.  Penn and Princeton both made the women's tourney in 2016.  Penn won the league while Princeton was an at-large.  Princeton was matched up with WVU that year too.  I seriously doubt we ever see it on the men's side.

[upprdeck]

Princeton need to run the IVY table to have that shot.

Cornell needed to beat Baylor and SU

[ugarte]

ugarte, believe it or not, you already saw the day.  Penn and Princeton both made the women's tourney in 2016.  Penn won the league while Princeton was an at-large.  Princeton was matched up with WVU that year too.  I seriously doubt we ever see it on the men's side.

the year Princeton went in as an 8, they still get in if there had been an ILT. I don't know if we never see it. Need a standout team with one signature OOC win blow the ILT final. Maybe could have been Princeton if they sweep the Ivies before losing to Yale in the ILT final

[mountainred]

ugarte, believe it or not, you already saw the day.  Penn and Princeton both made the women's tourney in 2016.  Penn won the league while Princeton was an at-large.  Princeton was matched up with WVU that year too.  I seriously doubt we ever see it on the men's side.

the year Princeton went in as an 8, they still get in if there had been an ILT. I don't know if we never see it. Need a standout team with one signature OOC win blow the ILT final. Maybe could have been Princeton if they sweep the Ivies before losing to Yale in the ILT final

That's the scenario -- a generational team that wins the league 14-0 who then gags in the ILT.  But that team better be a stone cold NCAA lock, or the SEC commissioner will pout and filibuster the tournament so a 17-14 Florida team can go instead.

If you are watching tonight, a heads up that the NIT is using the wider lane that they use in the NBA/FIBA.  Maybe that helps open space for our guys?

[scoop85]

With an entertaining 23-24 in the rear view mirror (sadly), Cornell has 3 confirmed recruits for next year's class:

• Gio Panzini, a 6'5" swingman from Saint Rose High School in New Jersey. From his video, he plays very much like Chris Manon, as he loves to attack the basket. His high school just won its first New Jersey state title since 1977
  
• Anthony Nimani, a 6'4" point guard from Connecticut who just completed a PG year at the Berkshire School after becoming the all-time leading scorer at Platt High School. Nimani seems to be a combo guard along the lines of Nazir Williams
• Mateen Rafiq, a 6'0" guard from Weston Ranch HS in California. Rafiq, although on the small side, is a deadly 3-point shooter.

None of the 3 commits has high major offers, but as we just saw last night, Earl's recruits can go toe-to-toe with 4 and 5 star recruits. In Earl we trust.

We often pickup additional recruits late in the cycle, and as always we could use some more size up front. Ragland will be the main big guy next year, but Ryan Kiachian, who got some court time last night, and Chris Cain, who was injured the 2nd half of the season, could emerge to fill the void left by Hansen's graduation. And 6'9" rising sophomore Ian Imegwu showed some ability in his very limited minutes.

[chimpfood]

Yeah I wouldn't be surprised to see imegwu jump over kiachian and Cain to get 2nd string minutes.

[ugarte]

I liked that Beccles and Feigen started getting real minutes at the end. Feigen can flat shoot and Beccles can put the ball on the floor and finish (but can't shoot well from what I saw). I'm looking forward to seeing what Beccles can do when he's got more freedom to attack.

[rss77]

Also don't forget that Josh Baldwin who was the top freshman last year should be back from recovering from a blown ACL. Hopefully Earl can get a power forward too. As we have seen from the few years-the best way to beat Cornell is to attack inside. Brown University's big guys will be back next year to raise havoc too.

[Ken711]

Also don't forget that Josh Baldwin who was the top freshman last year should be back from recovering from a blown ACL. Hopefully Earl can get a power forward too. As we have seen from the few years-the best way to beat Cornell is to attack inside. Brown University's big guys will be back next year to raise havoc too.

Brown returns their whole starting 5 I believe.

[Mr. Niss]

Brian Earl has resigned to take the head coaching job at William & Mary.