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GAME INFORMATION
Game #33: Cornell vs. Wisconsin
Tip off: Sunday, March 21, at 2:50 p.m. ET
Site: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena (14,091), Jacksonville, Fla.
2009-10 Records: Cornell (28-4, 13-1 Ivy League); Wisconsin (24-8, 13-5 Big Ten)
Series Record: First Meeting
Last Meeting: Teams have never met

HEAD COACH STEVE DONAHUE
Cornell head coach Steve Donahue is in his 10th season at Cornell (145-137, .514) ... Donahue became the fourth Robert E. Gallagher '44 Coach of Men's Basketball at Cornell on Sept. 6, 2000.

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Ivy League champion Cornell men's basketball team will attempt to earn an invitation to the Sweet 16 after picking up the first NCAA tournament win by an Ancient Eight team in 12 years when it meets the mighty Badgers of Wisconsin on Sunday at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena. The game will be nationally televised on CBS, while Barry Leonard will provide the call on 93.5 WVBR-FM. 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.

After winning its first NCAA tournament game in school history on Friday evening with a 78-65 victory over No. 5 seed Temple, Cornell will face one of the nation's top defensive squads for the second straight contest. This time, a trip to Syracuse for the NCAA East regional semifinals will be on the line.

The senior trio of Louis Dale, Jeff Foote and Ryan Wittman combined for 57 of the team's 78 points against Temple as the Big Red shot 56 percent from the floor in the game. Cornell made nine 3-pointers on 39 percent shooting against one of the nation's top teams defending against the three.

Already with 28 wins, Cornell would become the Ivy League's all-time winningest team with a victory over Wisconsin, surpassing the 28-1 Penn squad from 1970-71. Additionally, Wittman needs six points to become the fifth Ivy League player to reach 2,000 career points.

ABOUT THE WISCONSIN BADGERS:
Record: 24-8 (15-3)
Conference: Big 10
Head Coach: Bo Ryan (Wilkes '69), ninth season
NCAA Bid: At-Large Bid
An at-large selection for the 2009-10 tournament out of the Big Ten, Wisconsin is the No. 4 seed in the East Region. This marks the ninth straight NCAA tournament appearance for the Badgers under head coach Bo Ryan and have made 12 consecutive tourneys overall, tied for the fourth-longest stretch among all schools. Wisconsin is 12-8 in NCAA tournament play under Ryan and has four players averaging double figures, including Trevon Hughes (15.5 ppg.) and Jon Leuer (15.0 ppg.). An efficient offensive team, the Badgers turn the ball over just 8.7 times per game. Defensively, Wisconsin is limiting foes to 42 percent shooting overall and 34 percent from beyond the arc while ranking among the national leaders by allowing just 56.0 points per game. The Badgers have won five of their last six games, including a win at Illinois.

CORNELL VS. THE BIG TEN: The Big Red holds a 12-31 all-time record against current members of the Big Ten Conference and will be facing Wisconsin for the first time, meaning the Big Red will have played every team in the conference at least once. The Big Red has also faced Illinois (1-3), Indiana (0-1), Iowa (0-3), Michigan (0-3), Michigan State (1-5), Minnesota (1-4), Northwestern (1-2), Ohio State (3-5), Penn State (5-4) and Purdue (0-1). Cornell snapped a 39-year stretch without a Big Ten victory when it defeated Northwestern 64-61 on Nov. 10, 2006.

THE STORY LINE:
• Cornell will attempt to make its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance and set an Ivy league record for wins in a season against one of the stingiest defensive teams in the country, Wisconsin.
• A win would allow Cornell to play close to home in Syracuse, N.Y. at the Carrier Dome beginning next Friday in the East Regional semifinals.
• Senior Ryan Wittman enters the game needing six points to become the fifth Ivy Leaguer to score 2,000 career points (currently 1,994).
• It will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
• While Cornell's nickname is the Big Red, Wisconsin unofficially is often called the Big Red as well.

A WIN OVER WISCONSIN WOULD ...
• make Cornell 29-4 overall, breaking an Ivy League record for wins in a season (the 1970-71 Penn Quakers were 28-1).
• advance the Big Red to its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance where it would meet the winner of No. 1 Kentucky and No. 9 Wake Forest at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse.
• give the Big Red consecutive wins over top 25 teams in a span of three days after going 17 years without one at all (4-63 all-time vs. top 25 teams).
• be the school's second straight NCAA tournament win in men's basketball after losing its first five tourney games.
• be the first Sweet 16 appearance by an Ivy League school since Penn went to the Final Four in 1979.
• be the team's 17th win in its last 18 contests.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS — THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE BIG RED:
• The 2009-10 Ivy League champion (automatic bid).
• School-record 28 wins (tied for most by any team in Ivy history).
• Won its first-ever postseason tournament game with a 78-65 victory over No. 5 seed Temple in the NCAA tournament first round.
• Its 15 non-conference wins is an Ivy record for a season.
• Its 17 wins away from home (13-3 road, 4-0 neutral) is the most in the country.
• Cornell's 11 non-league victories away from home (7-2 road, 4-0 neutral) are the most of any Division I school.
• First team in Ivy League history other than Penn or Princeton to win three consecutive outright conference crowns.
• The first team, men's or women's, to clinch an NCAA tournament bid for the third straight year when it earned its bid on March 5.
• Fifth NCAA tournament appearance in school history.
• Cornell has set team records for points (2,413), field goals made (864), 3-pointers (313), blocked shots (123) and games played (32).
• The Big Red won the 2009-10 Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival tournament title and finished 4-0 at the Legends Classic, joining Florida (4-0) as the only teams to go unbeaten in the 16-team event.
• Cornell learned its first win over a Big East team since 1969 (St. John's) and its first victory over an SEC team since 1972 (Alabama).
• Cornell finished first or second in the Ivy League in 16 of 22 team statistical categories and led the conference in 10.
• Senior Ryan Wittman was named Ivy League Player of the Year, joining Louis Dale (2007-08) as the only active teammates who have won their league Player of the Year awards.
• Wittman was joined on the All-Ivy first team by classmates Louis Dale and Jeff Foote, becoming the seventh trio of teammates to earn first-team All-Ivy accolades in the same season.
• Foote captured his second straight Defensive Player of the Year nod, making him the only player to ever earn the award (started in 2008-09).
• Sophomore guard Chris Wroblewski was an honorable mention All-Ivy pick.

THE STREAKS
• The Big Red has won 16 of its last 17 contests overall and is 26-2 since Thanksgiving.
• Cornell is 38-4 in Ivy play over the last three seasons and 47-9 over the last four.
• The Big Red is 8-1 in its last nine contests away from Newman Arena.
• Cornell is 87-32 over the last four years, making the Big Red seniors the winningest class in school history.
• The Big Red has won 22 straight conference contests at home and is 26-2 in league play at home over the last four seasons.
• Cornell has won 11 straight games at Newman Arena overall.
• Cornell is 37-2 in its last 39 games at Newman Arena.

SEARCH FOR TWO GRAND: Senior Ryan Wittman enters Sunday's NCAA tournament game vs. Wisconsin needing six points to become the fifth Ivy League player to reach 2,000 career points. Princeton's Bill Bradley '65 with 2,503 points easily leads the chase, with Dartmouth's Jim Barton '89 second with 2,158. Yale's Butch Graves '84 (2,090) and Brown's Earl Hunt '03 (2,041) have also hit for more than 2,000 points. In all, 464 Division I players have surpassed that milestone, including Luke Harangody (Notre Dame), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova), Greivis Vasquez (Maryland), Devan Downey (South Carolina) and James Florence (Mercer) this year.

UP THE NCAA CHARTS: Senior Ryan Wittman already holds the Ivy League career record with 372 3-pointers, good for 16th all-time in NCAA history.

WHAT A WEEKEND FOR CORNELL ATHLETICS: While Cornell's first-ever NCAA tournament win on Friday got almost all of the headlines, it wasn't the only highlight.
• By the time Cornell tips off at 2:50 p.m. on Sunday against Wisconsin, the Big Red women's ice hockey team will likely have two periods in the book in the national championship game against Minnesota-Duluth at Ritter Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. at the Frozen Four. No. 5 seed Cornell defeated the No. 1 seed, Mercyhurst, 3-2 in overtime on Friday to advance to the championship game. The Big Red, under head coach Doug Derraugh, brings a 21-8-6 record into the title game after winning its first-ever ECAC Hockey regular season and tournament titles.
• The men's ice hockey team topped Brown 3-0 on Friday afternoon at the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. to advance to the ECAC Hockey championship game against Union College with a bid to the NCAA tournament on the line on Saturday evening. The Big Red would almost assuredly earn an at-large invite to the championship tournament win or lose with its 20-8-4 mark.
• Cornell wrestling entered Saturday's final day of NCAA championship competition ranked second in the team standing behind only Iowa and put two individuals into national championship matches. In all, four earned All-America honors.

CELEBRATED SENIORS: Cornell's group of eight seniors, who have been the core of three Ivy League championship teams, are making their third consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and picked up the program's first-ever win in the postseason. The class includes Louis Dale, Jeff Foote, Jon Jaques, Geoff Reeves, Pete Reynolds, Alex Tyler, Andre Wilkins and Ryan Wittman. This Big Red group is the winningest class in school history and has accumulated an 87-32 record over four seasons and a 47-9 record in Ivy play. Cornell's seniors feature the school's all-time leading scorer and Ivy League leader in 3-point field goals (Ryan Wittman), the school's career assist leader (Louis Dale), the inaugural two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year (Jeff Foote),  a three-year starter (Alex Tyler), and a one-year starter and two-year sixth man (Geoff Reeves), as well as another one-year starter (Jon Jaques). Combined, the class has accounted for two Associated Press All-American, four NABC all-district, seven first-team All-Ivy, three second-team All-Ivy and an honorable mention All-Ivy selection, two Ivy League Player and Defensive Players of the Year, an Ivy Rookie of the Year, 18 Ivy League Player of the Week citations and an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honoree. The eight players have combined for 715 games played, 404 starts, 5,902 points, 2,198 rebounds, 1,075assists, 424 steals, 305 blocked shots and 697 3-point field goals.

RECORD WINS: Cornell has won a school-record 28 games this season, surpassing the 22-6 mark of 2007-08. The team's win total ties the most by an Ivy team all-time with the 28-1 Penn team from 1970-71, while its .875 winning percentage (28-4) is the best by an Ivy League team since Princeton went 27-2 (.931) in 1997-98. Cornell surpassed the 1967-68 Columbia team (23-5) for the most wins by a non-P team since the inception of the Ivy League and its 14 regular season non-conference wins set an Ivy record, surpassing the 13 non-league wins by the 2001-02 Penn squad.

PLAYER NUGGETS
• Late game fouling against the Big Red? Hope it doesn't end up in the hands of the top four players in the backcourt, seniors Louis Dale, Geoff Reeves, Ryan Wittman and sophomore Chris Wroblewski. The quartet have made 176-206 free throws this season (.835), including 53-of-59 in the final three minutes of games within 10 points (.898). As a team, Cornell has made 84 percent from the line in the final three minutes and overtime of games decided by 10 points or less.
• Senior Ryan Wittman has reached double figure in 30 straight games.
• Foote has 15 career double-doubles, good for third place all-time at Cornell (Bernard Jackson '91 - 18, Mike Davis '80 -18, Justin Treadwell '94 - 15).
• Foote has made 62-of-89 field goals in the last 12 games (.697) and is 36-of-49 from the floor in the last eight contests (.735).
• Foote has multiple blocked shots in 11 of his last 13 games.
• Senior Geoff Reeves has 26 assists and just 10 turnovers in the team's last 23 contests.
• Senior Jon Jaques has made 61 of his last 113 shots (.540), including 38-of-78 from beyond the arc (.487).
• In the five games junior guard Max Groebe has played at least 10 minutes, he averages 11.0 points and 3.4 3-pointers per game while shooting percent (17-of-28) from beyond the arc.
• Six different players have made at least 20 3-pointers this season with five hitting at least 39.
• All five starters (Dale, Foote, Jaques, Wittman, Wroblewski) have at least one game this season with 20+ points. Senior Geoff Reeves also has a 20-point contest in his career, while Alex Tyler, Mark Coury, Anthony Gatlin, Max Groebe, Errick Peck and Adam Wire each have a game with at least 13 points.

TEAM NOTES
• Cornell opponents are shooting .397 from the floor (.331 from 3-point range) and averaging 58.8 points in the last 22 games after shooting .456 (.387 from 3-point range) and allowing 73.0 points in the first 10 contests.
• Cornell has a negative assist:turnover ratio in just five games all season.
• Cornell has only trailed at the half twice in the last 27 games and five times this season.
• The Big Red's 313 3-pointers are a school and Ivy League record for a season.
• Cornell has made at least 10 3-pointers in 17 contests this season, a new school record. Additionally, the Big Red has hit nine in four other games.
• Opponents have made double figure 3-pointers five times in 2009-10, but Cornell is 4-1 in those games (only loss to Penn, 11).
• The Big Red has hit eight or more 3-pointers in 21 of its last 24 contests.
• Cornell was held below 40 percent shooting for the first time all season against Princeton (.351) at home, but has limited opponents to 40 percent shooting or below 15 times this year.

CORNELL BEYOND THE ARC: Entering the NCAA tournament game vs. Wisconsin, the Big Red has hit at least one 3-pointer in 596 straight games. 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 646 of 650 games, connecting on 3,938 treys, an average of 6.06 per game. The Big Red has hit a 3-pointer in all 282 games coached by Steve Donahue. Cornell has set records for treys in a season in each of the last three years, going from 228 in 2007-08 to 241 in 2008-09 and now a school-record 313 and counting this year. Cornell, which  has ranked fourth nationally in 3-point field goal percentage each of the last two years (2007-08 (.409) and 2008-09 (.411), leads the country this year at .432. Cornell has hit for double figures in 3-pointers 18 times already this season, including an Ivy League single-game record 20 vs. Brown.