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GAME INFORMATION
Game #31: Cornell vs. Missouri
Tip off: Friday, March 20, at approx. 3:00 p.m. ET
Site: Taco Bell Arena (12,380), Boise, Idaho
2008-09 Records: No. 14 Cornell (21-9, 11-3 Ivy); No. 3 Missouri (28-6, 12-4 Big XII)
Series Record: Missouri leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Missouri won 82-45, Dec. 7, 1973 in Columbia, Mo.
Radio: 1160 ESPN Radio, WPIE (Barry Leonard)
TV: CBS (Craig Bolerjack, Bob Wenzel)
Live Stats: Available at www.NCAASports.com
Live Video: Available at www.NCAASports.com
Tickets: Sould-out through Cornell Athletics

HEAD COACH STEVE DONAHUE
Cornell head coach Steve Donahue is in his ninth season at Cornell (117-132, .470) ... 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 Ivy League champion Cornell men's basketball team will begin play in the 2008-09 NCAA tournament when it meets No. 3 seed Missouri on Friday, March 20 at approximately 3 p.m. ET at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho. Cornell will open its fourth NCAA tournament in program history in a nationally televised game on CBS, while Barry Leonard will provide the call on 1160 ESPN Radio. Per NCAA regulations, live streaming audio will not be available as part of the RedCast subscription service, but live streaming video for all out of area games is available on March Madness on Demand at no charge on the NCAASports.com web site.

Cornell, which clinched its second consecutive Ivy League title and became the first team in the country to earn an NCAA bid for the second straight year, brings in a veteran team with NCAA experience from a season ago.

Continuing to lead Cornell on both ends of the court are a trio of All-Ivy players, juniors Ryan Wittman (18.5 ppg., 3.6 rpg.) and Louis Dale (13.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 3.6 apg.) and senior Jeff Foote (11.8 ppg., 7.1 rpg., 2.3 apg., 2.1 bpg.). Combined with key contributors like juniors Geoff Reeves (9.1 .) and Alex Tyler (6.7 ppg., 4.6 rpg.), Cornell will attempt to become the first Ivy League team to win an NCAA tournament game since Princeton in 1998. Freshman Chris Wroblewski, sophomore Adam Wire and seniors Brian Kreefer and Jason Battle have also played key roles off the bench. The return of senior Adam Gore from a knee injury also adds depth in the backcourt.

A potential upset of Missouri would match the Big Red up with either No. 6 seed Marquette or No. 11 seed Utah State.

ABOUT THE MISSOURI TIGERS:
Record: 28-6 (12-4)
Conference: Big 12
Head Coach: Mike Anderson (Tulsa '82), third season
NCAA Bid: Big 12 Automatic Bid (Tournament Champion)
No. 14 Missouri finished the season by winning the Big 12 tournament championship after defeating Baylor, 73-60, in the title game, for the Tigers' first Big 12 title in any men's sport. Missouri owns a 28-6 record overall and posted a 12-4 mark in the conference, including quality wins over USC, Cal and Kansas. The Tigers are led by first-team All-Big 12 selection DeMarre Carroll. The senior forward ranks first on the team with 16.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. In addition to Carroll, fellow senior Leo Lyons was a third-team selection, while junior guard J.T. Tiller was named an honorable mention pick. Tiller was also named the Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the league and was the only unanimous pick to the Big 12's All-Defensive Team. The Tigers force nearly 19 turnovers per game and limit opponents to 42 percent shooting overall and 31 percent from 3-point range. Missouri went 8-4 against NCAA tournament teams, including wins over Kansas, Oklahoma and Purdue.

CORNELL VS. THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE: When the Big Red battles the Tigers in the first round of the 2009 NCAA tournament, Cornell will be looking for its first-ever win over a Big 12 opponent after nine consecutive losses, including an 0-1 mark against Missouri. Cornell has also faced Iowa State (0-1), Kansas (0-2), Nebraska (0-2), Oklahoma (0-1), Oklahoma State (0-1) and Texas (0-1), while never having met Baylor, Colorado, Kansas State, Texas A&M or Texas Tech. It is first game against a Big 12 foe this season and is the first time a Steve Donahue coached team will face a team from that league. 

A WIN OVER MISSOURI WOULD ...
• make Cornell 22-9 overall, matching the school's single-season wins record.
• advance the Big Red into the NCAA tournament second round where it would meet the winner of No. 6 Marquette and No. 11 Utah State.
• be the school's first-ever NCAA tournament win in men's basketball (0-4).
• even the all-time series record at 1-1.
• be the first NCAA tournament win by an Ivy League school since No. 5 seed Princeton topped No. 12 seed UNLV in the 1998 first round.
• be the 1,146th in school history.

FOURTH TIME'S A CHARM?: Cornell is making its fourth NCAA tournament appearance and is 0-4 all-time. The Big Red participated in the 1953-54 tournament as the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League champion and lost a close contest to Navy (69-67) before falling to No. 10 North Carolina State (65-54) in a consolation game in Philadelphia. The 1987-88 team also won an automatic bid from the Ivy League and was soundly beaten as a No. 16 seed by top-seeded Arizona (90-50) in Los Angeles, Calif. Last season, it faced another highly-ranked team out of the Pacific 10, dropping a 77-53 decision to No. 11 Stanford.

THE LAST TIME THEY MET: Missouri's Gary Link had 25 points as Missouri buried Cornell 82-45 in the first round of the Show-Me Tournament hosted by the Tigers. The Big Red trailed 45-31 at the half and made just 19-of-71 shots from the floor, while the home team connected on 51 percent. Leading the way for Cornell was Tod McClaskey with 12 points and Lynn Loncki with 11.

WHAT SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT CORNELL?:
• The 2008-09 Ivy League champion (automatic bid).
• First team in Ivy League history other than Penn or Princeton to win consecutive outright conference crowns.
• The first team, men's or women's, to clinch an NCAA tournament bid for the second straight year when it earned its bid on March 6.
• Perfect 13-0 record at home, matching a school record for home victories in a season.
• The team's 21-game home win streak at Newman Arena is the third-longest in the country.
• Fourth NCAA tournament appearance in school history.
• Junior Louis Dale and classmate Ryan Wittman were repeat selections on the All-Ivy first team, with Wittman earning the honor unanimously.
• Senior Jeff Foote was a second-team All-Ivy pick as well as the first-ever league Defensive Player of the Year.
• Freshman guard Chris Wroblewski was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year, becoming the third Big Red player selected in the last four years (Adam Gore - 2006, Ryan Wittman - 2007, Wroblewski - 2009).
• Cornell has set team records for points (2,222), 3-pointers (235) and blocked shots (121).
• Cornell leads the Ivy League in 12 of 22 team statistical categories.
• It will be attempting to earn its first postseason win in program history (0-4 in three previous NCAA trips, no NIT appearances).

RANKED OPPONENTS: When Cornell faces No. 14 Missouri, the Big Red will have a chance to do something it has rarely done — defeat a ranked team. The Big Red brings a 3-60 record (does not include one forfeit win) all-time against AP Top 25 teams and carries a 15-game losing streak in such games into the matchup. The Big Red's last win was a 74-54 triumph over another Pac-10 opponent, then-No. 19 California, at the 1992 Seton Hall/Meadowlands Tournament. That team featured Jason Kidd (who sat out the game) and former NBA player Lamond Murray. The Big Red's other wins came against then-No. 17 Syracuse in 1957 (60-54), then-No. 3 Princeton in 1967 (62-56) and a win by forfeit against No. 15 Minnesota in a game vacated by the Gophers after using an ineligible player in 1976. 

BOISE A WELCOME SITE: Cornell has one tie to Boise, Idaho through athletics — 2008 Big Red football captain, Tommy Bleymaier, is the son of Boise State Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier. Tommy was a three-year letter winner at wide receiver and closed his career with 54 receptions for 484 yards and had a rushing touchdown in 39 career appearances. He helped lead Boise's Bishop Kelly HS to an undefeated state title in 2004, earning all-state honors and hauling in a touchdown catch in the state championship game. Tommy worked in the department's strength and conditioning department in his off time and also worked head basketball coach Steve Donahue's summer basketball camps. 

HELLO, AGAIN: For the second year in a row, Cornell will get a chance to see sixth-seeded Marquette play up close and personal in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Both teams were part of the pod in the West regional in Anaheim, Calif. and would have faced each other in the second round with wins. Marquette did its part, knocking off Kentucky 74-66 in the opener, but the Big Red was defeated by Stanford, 77-53. This season, the two teams would meet again in the second round were they both to win, as sixth-seeded Marquette faces off with Utah State in the opener before Cornell hits the floor to battle Missouri. 

NO LUCK: The Big Red played three games against teams in the NCAA tournament (Minnesota, Siena and Syracuse), dropping all three contests, but not before putting a scare into each. Playing both Siena and Syracuse without 2007-08 Ivy League Player of the Year Louis Dale and second-team All-Ivy guard Adam Gore, Cornell trailed by just four against the Saints at the break after a first 20 minutes that featured 11 lead changes and four ties. Cornell was even more impressive against the Orange, leading by as many as 16 points in the first half (25-9) and by five at the half (40-35) before SU took control after the break. In Dale's first game back (10 minutes), Cornell led by 12 points at the half and by as many as 13 in the second before falling to Minnesota.

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: The Big Red won its third Ivy League title in school history and its sixth conference title of any kind with an 83-59 win over Penn on March 6. 

FIRST TO THE DANCE: For the second straight year, the Cornell men's basketball team is the first Division I team, men's or women's, to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament. Cornell's 83-59 victory over Penn on March 6, coupled with Princeton's 58-44 loss at Columbia, secured Cornell's automatic bid to the "Big Dance."

AND YET ANOTHER FIRST: The Cornell basketball team is the first team besides Penn or Princeton to win outright Ivy League championships in consecutive years.

THREE-TIME WINNERS: In fact, only eight teams outside of perennial champions Penn and Princeton have won outright championships in the 54 years of Ivy basketball, with Cornell capturing the crown three times (1987-88, 2007-08 and 2008-09). Other non-P champions include the 1955-56 Dartmouth, 1956-57 Yale, 1957-58 Dartmouth, 1961-62 Yale and 1985-86 Brown squads.

20-20 VISION: The Big Red enters the NCAA tournament with a 21-9 record, joining the 1950-51 (20-5) and 2007-08 (22-6) teams as the lone Cornell squads to post 20-win seasons.

FIRST TO 20-20: Cornell's 83-59 win over Penn gave the Big Red its third 20-win season in program history, and consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in 110 years of Big Red basketball. The other 20-win seasons were in 1950-51 (20-5) and last season at 22-6.

PERFECT 10: Cornell's home victory over Penn helped the Big Red claim its second consecutive 10-win season in Ivy League play, something it hadn't done since posting at least 10 conference victories three straight years, from 1964-65 to the 1966-67 seasons. 

A WIN IS A WIN: Cornell has guaranteed itself a third consecutive winning season overall, posting a 21-9 mark. The Big Red went 22-6 a season ago and 16-12 in 2006-07, giving the team three consecutive winning campaigns for the first time since 1985-86 (14-12), 1986-87 (15-11) and 1987-88 (17-10).

LAST IVY TITLE: Cornell was the last team other than Penn or Princeton to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament prior to last season. The Big Red went 11-3 in Ivy League play and 17-10 overall during the 1987-88 season, running off 11 straight conference wins at one point during the year. Cornell faced Arizona in the first round of the national tourney, dropping a 90-50 decision. 

LEAGUE THREE SPREE: The Big Red won the Ivy League by three games two seasons in a row, becoming the first team to do that in 10 years. At 11-3 this season, Cornell cleared second-place Yale and Princeton by three games after each team went 8-6. Last season, Cornell went 14-0, while second-place Brown was 11-3. The last time a team won the Ancient Eight by three games in consecutive seasons was when Princeton went unbeaten in 1996-97 (Harvard and Dartmouth finished second at 10-4) and 1997-98 (Penn, 10-4).

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.

MOVING ON UP: Head coach Steve Donahue won his 65th Ivy League contest with a 60-51 victory over Princeton on March 7, good for 13th place on the all-time Ivy League coaching wins list. He ranks second among Cornell coaches with only Sam MacNeil's 77 wins from 1959-68 ranking ahead.

CENTURY MARK: Head coach Steve Donahue picked up his 100th career coaching victory with a 67-54 triumph over Eastern Michigan in the final contest of the 2008 NIT Preseason Tip-Off on Nov. 25. The 2007-08 USBWA and NABC District Coach of the Year has a 117-132 overall record in nine seasons at Cornell and is 59-27 (.679) in his last three seasons, including consecutive Ivy League titles. His teams have matched or surpassed its win totals overall and in league play each of the last six seasons (only school in the country) and has finished in the top three of the Ancient Eight standings for five straight years.

RARE COMPANY: Cornell closed the season with a 21-game win streak at Newman Arena, ranking as the third-longest in Division I. Utah State's streak is second at 34 games, while Kansas has the longest active home win streak at 41 games. 

HOME WRECKERS: Cornell was extremely impressive in its undefeated 13-0 run at Newman Arena in 2008-09. As a team, Cornell outscored its foes by 18.9 points (80.7-61.8) while hitting at a .523 clip from the field and .471 from 3-point range. The team had a 1.5:1 assist:turnover ratio and defended at an outstanding pace, limiting opponents to .386 shooting from the floor and .297 from 3-point range.

THREE NAMED ALL-DISTRICT BY USBWA: Junior Ryan Wittman was named to the NABC All-District 13 first-team and was joined by second-team picks Louis Dale and Jeff Foote. The trio increases the total to 12 players in school history to that have been honored by the NABC, with Wittman becoming the first two-time selection. He was a second-team pick in 2007-08.

250 AND COUNTING: Cornell head coach Steve Donahue will be on the sidelines for his 250th career game during the NCAA first round, moving into third on the school's all-time list. Donahue coached in his 200th career game when the Big Red defeated Stony Brook 66-50 on Dec. 29, 2007 and registered his 100th coaching win in a 67-54 triumph over Eastern Michigan on Nov. 25, 2008. 

TALL IVY: Over the last three seasons, Cornell's 34-8 record is the best among Ivy League teams in conference action. Penn, who claimed the 2006-07 title, is second at 28-14, followed by Yale (25-17), Columbia (21-21) and Brown (20-22). Other Ivy teams include Dartmouth (14-28), Harvard (14-28) and Princeton (13-29).

NON-LEAGUE SUCCESS: The Big Red posted its third consecutive non-conference season with at least a .500 record with a 10-6 mark. The last time the Big Red at least broke even in non-league play in more consecutive years was the 1959-60 to the 1967-68 campaign, a span of nine straight years.

NON-CONFERENCE DOUBLE: The Big Red won 10 non-conference contests in one season for the fourth time in program history and for the first time since the 1950-51 season when Cornell also won 10 games. The Big Red won a program-best 11 games out of the league in 1949-50 and also took home 10 decisions in the 1919-20 campaign.

GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS: Five Cornell players will build on their school record for games played in a season. The previous mark of 29 during the 1989-90 season was surpassed by Jeff Foote, Brian Kreefer, Alex Tyler, Ryan Wittman and Chris Wroblewski, all of whom have played 30 games heading into the NCAA tournament.

TREY BIEN: The Big Red has hit at least one 3-pointer in 563 straight games entering the NCAA tournament. 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 614 of 618 games, connecting on 3,615 treys, an average of 5.85 per game. The Big Red has hit a 3-pointer in all 249 games coached by Steve Donahue. 

TOP SHOOTERS: College basketball expert Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News ranked Cornell as one of the top five shooting teams in the country, along with Notre Dame, American, New Mexico and Duke. He said "One of the team's three elite shooters, Adam Gore, is injured. But there's still plenty more from a team that shot 48.5 percent from the field." 

WITTMAN GETS CORNELL 3-POINT RECORD: Junior Ryan Wittman put his stamp on Cornell's career 3-point list with four treys in the 96-75 victory over Harvard on Feb. 13, giving him a school record 240 in his three seasons. He passed Cody Toppert '05, who had 237 in his four-year career with his field goal with 14:10 left in the first half as part of a 20-point night. He has since upped his career total to 264.

WITTMAN CLIMBS UP IVY TREY CHART: Less than a month after junior Ryan Wittman set the school's career record for 3-pointers, he jumped to second on the Ivy League's list in the win at Dartmouth. Wittman hit four 3-pointers as part of a 20-point effort, ending his night with 254 career treys. That total surpassed Penn's Tim Begley (253, 2001-05), and now sits behind only conference record holder Brian Earl of Princeton (281, 1995-99). He has since improved on his total of 264, just 17 shy of Earl's mark.

THE BIG 5-0-0: Junior Ryan Wittman became the fifth player in school history to record 500 points in a season with his big 24-point effort in the loss at Harvard. Now with 554 points in 30 games, he sits behind only Mike Davis (557 in 1977-78). Wittman needs four points to break the school's single-season record.

MORE ON WITT: Junior Ryan Wittman is tied for first place on the single-season 3-pointers list with 93 heading into the NCAA tournament's first round. He is tied atop the charts with ... Ryan Wittman. As a freshman, Wittman made 93 3-pointers in 2006-07. He now holds three of the top five season efforts at Cornell.

ANOTHER THREE SPREE: Junior forward Ryan Wittman hit nine 3-pointers against Syracuse, matching the single-game school record by Alex Compton at Yale on Feb. 24, 1996. The 19 attempts from beyond the arc set a school record, surpassing the 16 attempts by Cody Toppert against Duquesne on Feb. 6, 2004. The nine makes were one shy of both the single-game Ivy League and Carrier Dome record.

RARE 30: Junior Ryan Wittman's 33 points against Syracuse was the most by a Big Red player since Ray Mercedes notched 37 in a 93-84 loss to Harvard on March 3, 2001. It was the first 30-point effort by any Cornell player since Lenny Collins had 30 in a 72-67 loss at Marist on Nov. 19, 2004.

WITTMAN'S SCORING GRAND: Junior forward Ryan Wittman became the 23rd player in school history to score 1,000 career points when he posted 28 against Indiana on Nov. 30. He entered the contest with 979 points in his first 62 games and delivered his 1,000th point on a jumper with 9:10 left in regulation. He has since moved to third on the all-time list with 1,414 points. Next up is Ray Mercedes '01 with 1,429 career points.

MORE THAN JUST THE SCORING: While his 18.5 points per game is spectacular, so are junior Ryan Wittman's other contributions through 30 games. The 6-6 forward is averaging 3.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 0.9 steals and has posted a 1.5:1 assist-turnover ratio while playing 34.0 minutes per game. All of those numbers are career highs except for his rebounding average, which was at 4.2 rpg. a season ago.

WELCOME BACK: Reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Louis Dale missed the first eight games of the 2008-09 season with a hamstring injury, but he has shown little sign of slowing. The junior is averaging 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 26.3 minutes per game. 

TRUE HOMER: Junior Louis Dale was even more impressive in his 12 games this past season at Newman Arena. Dale is averaging 14.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists while connecting on 58 percent of his shots from the floor (61-of-106) and 45 percent from 3-point range (17-of-38) in the home contests.

DALE NAMED ONE OF TOP 10 MIDSEASON ADDITIONS: College basketball expert Jeff Goodman of FoxSports named reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Louis Dale one of the top 10 midseason additions this year. At No. 10, he had this to say about Dale:

10. Louis Dale, Cornell: The Big Red's starting point guard, who has missed the first eight games of the season with a hamstring injury, returned and played 10 minutes in a loss to Minnesota earlier this week.

ADDING ANOTHER FOOTE: Senior center Jeff Foote has turned into a dominating force in the paint this season, ranking third on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg.) and pacing the squad and the Ivy League in rebounding (7.1 rpg.) and blocked shots (2.1 bpg.). Foote ranks among the team leaders in assists (2.2 apg.) while shooting 53 percent from the floor, also a team-best.

BLOCK TO BLOCK: Senior center Jeff Foote has blocked 64 shots in 30 games in 2008-09 after posting 30 blocks a season ago in 22 contests. After just 52 varsity contests, he already ranks fifth on the career list with 94 blocked shots.

AND THOUGH HE'S A SENIOR: Senior center Jeff Foote will be eligible to compete again in the 2009-10 season after sitting out a full season after transferring to Cornell from St. Bonaventure in the winter of 2006. A former walk-on for the Bonnies, he never played a varsity contest in his year-and-a-half with the program.

TYLER MORE: Junior Alex Tyler has been his strong, steady self in 2008-09, as the two-year starter at power forward is averaging 6.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots while playing 22.1 minutes per game. Tyler has reached double figures in scoring eight times and posted a season-high 10 rebounds in the season opener against South Dakota. He had 14 points and a career-high four blocked shots to go along with six rebounds in the win over Boston University. His 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocks also led the Big Red past Columbia on the road, while he matched a career-high with 19 points and added seven rebounds in the return contest against the Lions.

TYLER SELECTED AS SEVEN DAY SAVIOR BY CHN: Junior Alex Tyler was named the Seven Day Savior by CollegeHoopsNet.com after averaging 15.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in a sweep of Ivy road partner Columbia. 

TYLER MAKING CAREER MOVES: Junior Alex Tyler ranks among the school's career leaders in field goal percentage (12th, .517) and blocked shots (ninth, 52).

ROBO-POINT GUARD: When Ivy League Player of the Year Louis Dale went down with an injury in the preseason, freshman Chris Wroblewski was forced to take over running the offense from the point guard position and so far has been outstanding. He averaged 6.6 points, 2.9 assists and 2.4 rebounds per game in the team's first nine games, including six starts.The freshman posted a 1.4:1 assist-turnover ratio (26a, 18t). He is currently third on the team lead in assists (77) and is averaging 6.7 points, 2.6 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game.

WROBO HOT: Since the beginning of Ivy League play, freshman Chris Wroblewski made his case for the Ivy League Rookie of the Year Award, averaging 7.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.7 steals per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor and a scorching 52 percent from 3-point range (22-of-42). 

WROBO RECORD: Freshman Chris Wroblewski hit on 5-of-6 shots from beyond the 3-point arc in the win over Harvard, setting a Cornell Newman Arena record for 3-point percentage in a game (.833). The previous record of .800 (4-of-5) had happened eight times previously.

MOST IMPROVED?: Few players in the Ivy League have seen a bigger scoring jump than junior Geoff Reeves this season. The 6-4 guard is averaging 9.1 points a year after posting an average of 3.5 points per game. A 44 percent shooter thus far, Reeves has connected on 50-of-120 shots from beyond the arc (42 percent) and is also among the team leaders in assists (40) while averaging 26.6 minutes per game. Reeves missed the final two games of the regular season with a back injury.

20-20: Junior Geoff Reeves has already posted a pair of 20-point games this season, including a career-best 26 points in a win over Loyola (IL). He made 10-of-14 shots overall, including 5-of-6 from beyond the arc in the contest. The 26 points were the most by an active Cornell player at the time and the most since Lenny Collins netted 27 points against Long Beach State on Dec. 30, 2005. Reeves also scored 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting and 5-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc.

COMING IN WIRED: Sophomore Adam Wire didn't play in the team's first two games of the year, but has made quite an impact off the bench ever since. Wire has averaged 3.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.5 steals while playing 15.4 minutes in 28 appearances. The 6-6 forward corralled seven rebounds, including five on the offensive end, and added two points and two steals in 15 minutes of action against Loyola (MD) for his breakout game. In all, 41 of his 103 rebounds on the season have been on the offensive end and he leads the team and ranks among the Ivy League leaders with 41 steals. 

BATTLE, KREEFER PLAYING KEY ROLES AS CAPTAINS: Old stalwarts Jason Battle and Brian Kreefer have played outstanding basketball this season while providing excellent leadership. Battle has started two contests and is averaging 1.2 points and 0.8 rebounds in 7.9 minutes per game. Battle had six points and three rebounds in a win over Loyola (MD). Kreefer has played 12.7 minutes per game off the bench and has picked up 3.8 points and 2.9 rebounds while making 57 percent of his shots from the field. Kreefer had a career-high six assists in the win over Loyola (IL). 

KREEF NEAR-PERFECT: Senior Brian Kreefer has made 25 of his last 36 shots from the floor over his last nine games (69 percent) to raise his field goal percentage to .570. He shot 67 percent (30-of-45) from the floor against Ivy League opponents in 2009.

WELCOME HOME: Senior Adam Gore made his triumphant return to college basketball in the 90-58 victory over Brown. Just four and a half months after suffering his second torn ACL in two years, Gore played 10 productive minutes, scoring three points, grabbing two rounds and dishing off an assist. He has averaged 2.6 points and 0.8 rebounds in his first 12 games, seeing 8.3 minutes per contest.

CORNELL CAPTURES IVY LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS:
• JEFF FOOTE (Nov. 25): Foote averaged 17.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.7 blocks and 2.3 assists in three contests, helping the Big Red to a win over Loyola (MD) and competitive losses to St. John's of the Big East and preseason top 40 team Siena. He started the weekend with a career-best 20 points and five blocked shots, as well as seven rebounds and three assists in an 86-75 loss to the Red Storm on Monday at Boston College. He made 8-of-14 shots from the floor in 35 minutes. The 7-0 center responded the following day with 19 points, eight rebounds and a career-best seven blocked shots in a win over the Greyhounds. He closed the week with a solid 14-point, nine-rebound, three-assist, two-block effort against the Saints.
• RYAN WITTMAN (Dec. 8): Wittman averaged 27.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists while making 13 total 3-point field goals in games against two of the best squads in the country. Despite losing both contests, Cornell showed it can compete at the highest level, taking halftime leads in both games in two of the toughest environments in the nation before faltering in the second half. He opened the week with a career-high 33 points to go along with four assists and three rebounds in an 88-78 loss to No. 16 Syracuse. Wittman drilled nine 3-pointers, matching a school record and falling one shy of the Ivy League and Carrier Dome single-game records. He answered with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists in a return to his hometown, falling to unbeaten Minnesota on Saturday. Wittman had 16 first-half points to lead the Big Red.
• JEFF FOOTE (Dec. 22): Foote was a dominant force inside as the Big Red returned from a two-week final exam break to knock off La Salle, 79-70. Foote led a Cornell rally from a 14-point second half deficit by taking over the game in the final 20 minutes, scoring 16 of his career-high 25 points against the Atlantic 10 foe, hitting on four-of-seven field goals and eight-of-10 free throws as the Big Red pounded the ball inside. Foote scored 10 of his points in the final 10 minutes, including knotting the score three times before Cornell was able to pull away late. He added three rebounds, an assist and a blocked shots after halftime. For the contest, Foote made eight-of-14 field goals, nine-of-12 free throws and added four rebounds and two blocked shots.
• LOUIS DALE (Jan. 19): Dale got his 2009 conference season off to a fine start as part of a 2-0 week that saw him average 17.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds. He also added two steals, made 55 percent of his shots, 6-of-10 three-point attempts and all seven free-throw attempts. He tallied 19 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished off four assists in the Big Red's season-opening win at Columbia, spearheading a second half offensive charge that saw the visitors make 14 of their first 16 shots to overcome a halftime deficit against the Lions. Dale made all three second half field goals and all four free throws for 10 points and added four assists while doing a geat job defensively on the perimeter. He opened the week with 16 points and five assists in an easy win over Bryant, hitting 5-of-10 field goals and directing a Big Red offense that shot 50 percent.

WROBLEWSKI NAMED IVY LEAGUE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK TWICE:
• CHRIS WROBLEWSKI (Jan. 19): Wroblewski averaged 7.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in two games off the bench, with his performance at Columbia playing a key part in helping Cornell to an Ivy League-opening victory over the Lions. The freshman scored 11 points, grabbed a career-high five rebounds, had three assists and just one turnover in 26 minutes off the bench. He made 3-of-7 shots and had a span early in the second half with seven points and an assist during an 11-0 run that put Cornell in the lead for good. He also collected three points, two assists and two steals in a midweek victory over Bryant. 
• CHRIS WROBLEWSKI (March 9): The freshman guard took over for injured starter Geoff Reeves in the lineup and was outstanding in a weekend sweep of Penn and Princeton, averaging 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists, while shooting an incredible 82 percent from the floor (9-of-11) and making all four of his 3-point attempts. He also had just three turnovers in 55 minutes at the point gaurd position and hit on 5-of-6 shots, including both 3-pointers, adding five rebounds and four assists as Cornell clinched its second straight Ivy League title with an 83-59 victory over Penn. He responded with a strong 10-point, two-assist, zero-turnover performance against the stingiest defensive team in the conference, Princeton, hitting 4-of-5 shots and both 3-point attempts.

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).

DONAHUE NAMED COURT COACH FOR U-18 NATIONAL TEAM TRYOUTS: Last 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.

UP NEXT: The Big Red will continue in the single-elimination NCAA tournament until it loses, then returns in October when it will attempt to capture an unprecedented third-straight Ivy title.