Game notes vs. St. John's

GAME INFORMATION
Game #2: St. John's vs. Cornell
Tip off: Monday, Nov. 17, at 9:30 p.m.
Site: Conte Forum (8,606), Chestnut Hill, Mass.
2008-09 Records: St. John's (1-0, 0-0 Big East); Cornell (1-0, 0-0 Ivy)
Series Record: First Meeting

Game #3: Cornell vs. Boston College/Loyola (MD)
Tip off: Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 4:30/7:30 p.m.
Site: Conte Forum (8,606), Chestnut Hill, Mass.
2008-09 Records* (as of 11/17): Cornell (1-0, 0-0 Ivy); Boston College (1-0, 0-0 ACC)/Loyola (0-1, 0-0 MAAC)
Series Records: Boston College leads 3-0, First Meeting with Loyola (MD)
Radio: 1160 ESPN Radio, WPIE (Barry Leonard)
TV: ESPN2 (championship game only)
Live Stats: Check BCEagles.com for availability
Live Video: Not available for these games
Tickets: Available by calling (607) 254-BEAR

HEAD COACH STEVE DONAHUE
Cornell head coach Steve Donahue is in his ninth season at Cornell (97-123, .441) ... Donahue became the fourth Robert E. Gallagher '44 Coach of Men's Basketball at Cornell on Sept. 6, 2000.

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ITHACA, N.Y. — The Cornell men's basketball team will make its first-ever appearance in the NIT Preseason Tip-Off when it meets St. John's on Monday, Nov. 17 at 9:30 p.m. at Boston College's Conte Forum. Barry Leonard will provide the call on 1160 ESPN Radio, while live audio of the game will be available on the RedCast subscription service. 

Despite missing the All-Ivy starting backcourt of Louis Dale and Adam Gore due to injuries, Cornell put up a solid showing in its season opener, defeating Division I newcomer South Dakota 79-69 on Nov. 14. The Big Red got a 25-point, seven-rebound, five-assist performance from returning first-team All-Ivy selection Ryan Wittman and 21 points from junior Geoff Reeves in his first career start. Wittman and Reeves' classmate Alex Tyler also had eight points and 10 rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double. Cornell shot 48 percent from the floor, outrebounded the Coyotes (35-31), and had a 2:1 assist-turnover ratio (18 assists, 9 turnovers) in the victory.

Coming off its first Ivy League title and NCAA tournament appearance in 20 years, the Big Red has plenty of optimism heading into the new campaign. The unanimous preseason favorite in the media poll returns four starters and seven of its top eight scorers from the 22-6 squad that went a perfect 14-0 in Ancient Eight play. 

Cornell will be in search of its first win over a Big East school since topping Villanova 63-58 on Dec. 30, 1969, a span of 43 consecutive losses over 39 seasons. A win would put the Big Red on national television against the winner of the Boston College-Loyola (MD) game tomorrow at 7:30 with a trip to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden on the line. 

ABOUT ST. JOHN'S: Big East member St. John's will be the first round opponent for the Big Red. Under the direction of head coach Norm Roberts, the Red Storm is coming off a season-opening 73-63 victory over Long Island in its opener. Sean Evans had 13 points and 11 rebounds, while D.J. Kennedy had a game-high 23 points. The Red Storm used its defense to force 18 turnovers and limit the Blackbirds to 39 percent shooting, but struggled from behind the arc with a 4-of-23 night. Anthony Mason Jr., who averaged 14.0 ppg. last season, is among the four returning starters from last year's 11-19 team (5-13 Big East). St. John's has a long and storied history in the postseason NIT and will be attempting to advance to Madison Square Garden to play on its regular season homecourt. It will be the first meeting between the two schools.

CORNELL VS. THE BIG EAST: The Big Red holds a 46-113 all-time record against current members of the Big East Conference, though it will be the first-ever meeting with St. John's. The Big Red has also faced Cincinnati (1-0), Connecticut (1-1), Georgetown (1-0), Marquette (0-1), Notre Dame (1-7), Pittsburgh (5-11), Providence (0-1), Rutgers (1-1), Seton Hall (0-2), Syracuse (31-84), Villanova (2-2) and West Virginia (3-3), while never meeting DePaul, Louisville and South Florida. Cornell is also scheduled to face Syracuse on Dec. 3 at the Carrier Dome.

 

A WIN OVER ST. JOHN'S WOULD ...
• improve Cornell's record to 2-0 to start a season for the second time in the last three seasons.
• give Cornell its first win over a current member of the Big East since defeating Villanova 63-58 on Dec. 30, 1969 in the Palestra in Philadelphia — a stretch of 43 consecutive losses.
• give the Big Red 20 wins in its last 22 games.
• be the 1,126th in school history.

THE BIG RED AND IN-SEASON TOURNEYS: Cornell last won an in-season basketball tournament when it dropped Virginia Military Institute and Vermont to win the 1990-91 USAir-Cornell Classic. The Big Red has also earned tournament championships at the 1978-79 Pepsi Classic and the 1967-68 Kodak Classic (both in Rochester, N.Y.). Overall, Cornell is 35-93 in tournament play during the regular campaign. The last tourney the Big Red participated in was the 2006-07 William & Mary Tip-Off Classic, falling to the host school 73-68 in overtime in the championship game. 

ALL ABOUT THE 2007-08 BIG RED:
• The 2007-08 Ivy League champion (automatic NCAA bid).
• Posted 13th undefeated season in conference history (14-0).
• First title in 20 years, and first non-Penn or Princeton Ivy representative at the NCAA tournament since Cornell in 1987-88.
• School record 22 wins (22-6).
• Posted a school-record 16-game win streak.
• Made third NCAA tournament appearance in school history.
• Head coach Steve Donahue was the USBWA and NABC district Coach of the Year and a finalist for collegeinsider.com's Hugh Durham Coaching Award as Mid-Major National Coach of the Year.
• Guard Louis Dale was named Ivy League Player of the Year and joined forward Ryan Wittman (forward) as unanimous first-team All-Ivy selections.
• Jeff Foote (center) and Adam Gore (guard) were second-team All-Ivy picks.
• Cornell was the only school in the country that matched or improved its win total overall and in conference in six straight seasons.
• The Big Red is the only school in the country to rank in the top 10 nationally in field goal, 3-point and free-throw percentages.
• Cornell led the Ivy League in 14 of 22 team statistical categories.
• The Big Red joined Davidson (Southern Conference, 20-0) and Memphis (Conference USA, 16-0) as the only schools to finish league play with an unbeaten record.
• Cornell was ranked as high as No. 18 in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major poll and received Associated Press top 25 votes during the last four weeks of the season. 

FOR OPENERS: The Big Red has posted a 71-41 all-time record in season openers after beginning this year with a 79-69 win over South Dakota at Newman Arena. Cornell has won four consecutive season openers.

CAREER RECORDS FALL IN OPENER: Several Cornell players tallied career highs in Friday's win over South Dakota. Junior Geoff Reeves set new standards with his 21 points and five 3-point field goals. Junior Ryan Wittman's 25 points and five assists both tied career-bests, as did senior Jeff Foote's four assists and four blocked shots. Alex Tyler's 10 rebounds also matched his previous career best.

BIG NIGHT FOR WITTMAN: In the 2008-09 seaosn-opening win over South Dakota, Ryan Wittman poured in a career-best 25 points, the most by a Cornell in a season opener since Eric Taylor notched 30 points on 14-of-16 shooting in a 78-72 victory at Buffalo to open the 2002-03 campaign.

REEVES HITS BLACKJACK: Junior Geoff Reeves proved a capable replacement for the injured Adam Gore in the starting lineup in the opener against South Dakota, putting up a career-best 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting and 5-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc. His previous best was 16 points against Harvard during his rookie campaign. The start was the first for Reeves after 44 career games as a reserve.

NEW LINE NOT BOTHERING CORNELL: After finishing fourth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage a season ago, Cornell proved it could bury shots behind the arc at 19-9. This year the line moved back a foot to 20-9 and the Big Red have barely noticed. Cornell hit on 8-of-18 from 3-point range for 44 percent in the season-opening win over South Dakota, including a 5-of-8 performance by junior Geoff Reeves.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: The Big Red won its second Ivy League title in school history and its fifth conference title of any kind with an 86-53 win over Harvard on March 1, 2o08. Cornell was the first team other than Penn or Princeton to win the outright title since the Big Red captured the 1987-88 title. 

HISTORIC RUN TO THE TITLE: Cornell was the 13th team in Ivy League history to post a perfect 14-0 Ancient Eight season, joining Penn (7) and Princeton (5) with undefeated squads. Here are the Ivy League's unbeaten teams:

Cornell (1 — 2007-08)
Penn (7 — 1969-70, 1970-71, 1992-1993, 1993-94, 1994-95, 1999-2000, 2002-03)
Princeton (5 — 1968-69, 1975-76, 1990-91, 1996-97, 1997-98)

GENDER EQUITY: On the same day the Cornell men's basketball team found out it would be matching up with Stanford in the NCAA tournament first round last season, the Big Red women's team clinched the program's first-ever bid to the NCAA tournament. It was the first time in Ivy League history the NCAA tournament representatives for both the men's and women's teams were from the same school.

A WIN IS A WIN: Cornell's 22-6 record in 2007-08 was its second straight winning campaign (16-12 in 2006-07), giving the program consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1986-87 (15-11) and 1987-88 (17-10).

BIGGER, FASTER, STRONGER: Head coach Steve Donahue has methodically built a program at Cornell, improving both the talent level and the results in each successive season beginning with his first recruiting class, which came in during his second season. Here is how each season has seen improvement. Cornell is the only school in the country to match or improve its win totals overall and in league play in each of the last six years.

HOME SWEET HOME: Cornell finished the 2007-08 season with a 12-1 record at home, including seven straight triumphs in front of the Newman Nation crowd. The Big Red fans came out in droves to support the team, averaging 3,992 fans for conference games and posting crowds of more than 4,000 in four of the final five home games, including sell-outs for wins over Penn (2/9) and Harvard (3/1). Cornell extended its home win streak to eight with the season-opening 79-69 win over South Dakota in front of 3,679 fans.

NON-LEAGUE SUCCESS: The Big Red guaranteed itself a second-consecutive non-conference season with at least a .500 record in its win over Alvernia and finished 8-6. The last time the Big Red at least broke even out of league play in consecutive seasons was in the 1983-84 (7-5) and 1984-85 (6-6) campaigns.

MORE NON-LEAGUE SUCCESS: Cornell won eight non-league contests last season, the most by a Big Red team in a single campaign since the 1996-97 squad also won eight games.

DALE NAMED HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICAN: Louis Dale capped off an outstanding sophomore season in 2007-08 by earning honorable mention All-America accolades by the Associated Press. Dale is the first Cornell player to earn All-America honors from the AP since Ken Bantum was also an honorable mention pick in 1985. Prior to Bantum, Cornell hadn't had an All-American since Robert Gale was named to the second team by Helms in 1948. Dale is the Big Red's seventh All-American, with Gil Halstead earning first team honors twice (1913 and 1914).

WITTMAN NAMED ALL-DISTRICT BY USBWA AND NABC IN 2007-08: Sophomore Ryan Wittman was named to the USBWA All-District 2 team and to the NABC All-District 2 second-team. Wittman is the 10th player in school history to be honored by the NABC and the first since Ka'Ron Barnes was also a second-team pick in 2004.

WITTMAN NAMED ONE OF NATION'S TOP 10 SHOOTERS BY ESPN.COM: Junior Ryan Wittman was named one of the nation's top 10 shooters in a special article about the NCAA 3-point line being moved back from 19-9 to 20-9 this coming season according to ESPN.com college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla. Fraschilla placed Wittman No. 10 on his list that also included Davidson's Stephen Curry, Notre Dame's Kyle McAlarney, Miami's Jack McClinton, Texas' A.J. Abrams, Drake's Josh Young, UAB's Robert Vaden, Cal State Fullerton's Josh Akogmon, American's Garrison Carr and Rhode Island's Jimmy Baron. In two seasons, Wittman has connected on 171 3-pointers at a 44 percent clip. His total of 93 as a freshman set a school record and the 6-6 sophomore has paced the Ancient Eight in 3-pointers made in each of his first two years. He already ranks fourth on the school's career 3-point list and is first in career percentage.

DONAHUE NAMED NABC, USBWA DISTRICT COACH OF THE YEAR: Cornell men's basketball coach Steve Donahue was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District II and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Coach of the Year in 2007-08. Donahue was chosen in a vote by his peers by the NABC and was one of 16 coaches who were finalists for the NABC National Coach of the Year. The USBWA also named him the top coach and was one of nine candidates for Coach of the Year. Additionally, Donahue was named the Ivy League Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com and was a finalist for the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year.

DONAHUE NAMED COURT COACH FOR U-18 NATIONAL TEAM TRYOUTS: This summer, Cornell head coach Steve Donahue spent a week in July as a court coach for the U.S. Under-18 national team tryouts in Washington, D.C. The team, under the direction of Davidson's head coach Bob McKillop, also featured VCU's Anthony Grant and Georgetown's John Thompson III as assistant coaches. The team won the silver medal at the 2008 FIBA U18 championship in Formosa, Argentina, falling to the host team 77-64 in the gold medal game.

GETTING UP THERE: Cornell head coach Steve Donahue entered the 2008-09 campaign with the second-longest tenure at the helm of their current team in the Ivy League. Only James Jones at Yale (10th year) has been at his current school longer than Donahue has directed the Big Red (nine years).

BOMBS AWAY: Cornell hit 228 shots from beyond the arc in 28 games last season to set a school record for most treys in a single campaign. The previous record of 200 was set in 2001-02. 

TALL IVY: Over the last four seasons, Cornell's 39-17 record is second-best among Ivy League teams in conference action. Penn claimed the previous three Ancient Eight titles and has posted a 43-13 mark in conference over the same span.

TREY BIEN: The Big Red has hit at least one 3-pointer in 534 straight games entering the St. John's contest. Cornell surpassed the 500-game plateau when the Big Red connected on six treys at Princeton on Feb. 16, 2007. The last time Cornell did not hit a 3-pointer was against Denison in the 1988-89 season opener (0-for-2). Since the 3-point shot came into effect in NCAA play during the 1986-87 season, Cornell has hit at least one shot behind the arc in 585 of 589 games, connecting on 3,387 treys, an average of 5.75 per game. The Big Red has hit a 3-pointer in all 220 games coached by Steve Donahue. 

2008-09 CAPTAINS: Cornell's four-year senior class of Jason Battle, Adam Gore, Brian Kreefer and Conor Mullen will represent the Big Red as team captains for the 2008-09 season. It will be the second year as captain for both Battle and Gore and the first for Kreefer and Mullen.

BIG RED PICKED TO REPEAT IN PRESEASON POLL: After capturing its first Ivy League title in 20 years, the Ivy League media picked the Cornell men's basketball team to repeat as Ivy League champions by a unanimous vote in the 2008-09 preseason poll. The Big Red is the first team in the League's storied history not named Penn or Princeton to garner a unanimous first-place selection. Cornell returns four starters and seven of its top eight scorers from last season's 22-6 squad that ran through an undefeated league campaign (14-0) en route to its third NCAA tournament appearance in program history. Directly behind Cornell is traditional Ivy League power Penn, who received 110 votes as a near-unanimous second-place choice for the 16 voters. Each of the eight schools had two media representatives who cover Ivy League basketball eligible to vote. Yale (80 points) was picked third, followed by a resurgent Harvard squad (77 points) led by coach Tommy Amaker. Brown, last year's runner-up, was close behind the Crimson with 75 points for fifth place. Rounding out the poll was Columbia (45), Dartmouth (33) and Princeton (28).

BIG RED ON THE RADIO: For the second straight year, the Cornell University men's basketball games will be broadcast live on WPIE-1160 AM out of Elmira, N.Y., with Barry Leonard on the call. A half-hour pregame show and postgame analysis will enable Big Red fans to follow Coach Steve Donahue's team throughout the season.

LIVE VIDEO: The Big Red's home contests will all be broadcast live with streaming video as part of the RedCast subscription service. Visit www.CornellBigRed.com for all the latest information on Cornell broadcasts.

LIVE STATS: Cornell will use SIDEARM Live Stats for each of the Big Red's home games in 2008-09. Visit www.CornellBigRed.com for all of the official statistics. 

NEXT UP: Cornell will face either Boston College or Loyola (MD) on Tuesday. If the Big Red defeats St. John's, it would play in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2, and with a lsos would move to the consolation game at 4:30 p.m.