Men's Basketball Visits Syracuse On Wednesday

STREAKS, STORYLINES & SIDEBARS 
• Cornell will attempt to hand Syracuse its first loss in the series in 39 meetings spanning more than 50 years when the two teams meet on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. 
• The contest will be broadcast on ACCNX. 
• The Big Red is 1-3 after a 75-54 loss at DePaul, previously dropping consecutive one-point games for the first time since December 1942. 
• The Carrier Dome is named in honor of famed Cornellian Willis Haviland Carrier ‘01, creator of the first modern air conditioning system in 1902. He started what became the largest heating, ventilation and air conditioning distributor in the world. The company he created purchased the naming rights to the arena in perpetuity in 1980. 
• Cornell is 1-26 all-time at the Carrier Dome, picking up its lone victory with a 75-54 triumph over Saint Francis (Pa.) to open the 2005-06 season as part of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The Big Red is 0-25 all-time against the Orange in the Dome and has also played Kentucky, dropping the 2010 NCAA regional semifinal game to the top-seeded Wildcats. 
• The Big Red will also be attempting to snap a 34-game losing skid over 68 years against teams from the ACC, with its last victory coming at Wake Forest during the 1951-52 campaign (58-51). 

ABOUT SYRACUSE
• After dropping a 75-54 decision in its season opener to reigning national champion Virginia, the Orange have won consecutive games against Colgate (70-54) and Seattle (89-67). 
• Four players are averaging double figures with Elijah Hughes at a team-best 14.3 ppg., just ahead of Buddy Boeheim (11.3 ppg., 3.3 rpg.), Joe Girard III (10.7 ppg.) and Marek Dolezaj (10.0 ppg., 5.7 rpg.). 
• Bourama Sidibe (7.0 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 1.7 bpg.) and Quincy Guerrier (6.3 ppg.) are also seeing significant time. 
• SU is allowing opponents to shoot just 36 percent from the floor and 28 percent from 3-point range using its patented zone. 
• The Orange took a preseason trip to Italy in August, going 4-0 against local competition. 
• Head coach Jim Boeheim is synonymous with Syracuse basketball and has been on the sidelines for 44 years, 948 wins and the 2003 national title.  

THE SERIES 
Overall: Syracuse leads 93-31, first meeting in 1900-01 
In Syracuse: 12-63 
In The Carrier Dome vs. Syracuse: 0-25 
Current Streak: Syracuse, 39 
Last Meeting: Syracuse, 63-55 (12/1/2018 in Syracuse, N.Y.) 
Earl vs. Syracuse: 0-3 (0-3 on the road) 
Series Notes: The Big Red’s last win in the series came on Dec. 4, 1968, a 93-81 victory in Ithaca • Cornell is 1-26 all-time in the Carrier Dome and 0-25 against the Orange • program’s only win in the Dome was a 75-54 victory over Saint Francis (Pa.) to open the 2005-06 season at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic • the Big Red is 38-140 against current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference • Cornell’s last win over a team in the conference at the time of the game came vs. Wake Forest during the 1951-52 season, a 58-51 victory on the road • since then, the Big Red has lost 34 consecutive games to current members of the ACC 

A WIN OVER SYRACUSE WOULD ... 
• make the Big Red’s record stand at 2-3 on the season. 
• snap a 39-game losing streak to the Orange. 
• be the first win over an ACC school since 1951-52, snapping a 34-game skid. 
• be the 1,271st in program history (1,270-1,443 in 119 seasons, .468).

THE LAST TIME CORNELL DEFEATED SYRACUSE 
• Things have changed mightily since the last time Cornell defeated Syracuse, a 93-81 Big Red win during the 1968-69 season in Ithaca.  
• Some of the things that have happened since Dec. 4, 1968 — man has landed on the moon (July 20, 1969); Cornell head coach Brian Earl was born (1977); 13 U.S. Presidential elections have been held; the earth’s population has increased by 4.1 billion; a human being born on that day has had their heart beat approximately 1.9 billion times while taking more than 400 million breaths; Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim joined the SU staff as an assistant coach (1969), was promoted to head coach (1976), won a national title (2003) and more than 900 games on the Orange sidelines and had a son (1998), Jimmy, who would later suit up for the Big Red (2017). 
• Below are some highlights from 1968, when the Big Red last earned a victory over the Orange. 

Category                    1968                                                          2019 
Loaf of bread            $0.22                                                         $2.19 
Milk (Gallon)             $1.21                                                         $3.42 
New Car                    $2,450                                                       $37,185 
Gas (Regular)           $0.34                                                         $2.26 
New House               $26,500                                                     $296,828 
Postage Stamp        $0.06                                                          $0.55 
Household Income $9,670                                                         $61,937 
No. 1 Song                “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”       “Someone You Loved” 
                                     Marvin Gaye                                              Lewis Capaldi 
 

MORGAN JOINS THE RAPTORS 
• Senior Matt Morgan ‘19 signed a contract with defending NBA Champion Toronto Raptors on Oct. 17. 
• He has been assigned to the Raptors 905 of the NBA G League. 
• Cornell’s all-time leading scorer who ranks No. 2 in Ivy League history, Morgan graduated with career records for points scored (2,333), scoring average (20.5 ppg.), field goals made (743), field goals attempted (1,580) and free throws made (513), season records for points scored (687 in 2018-19) and 3-pointers made per game (3.32 in 2018-19), and game records for 3-pointers in a game (9, twice).  
• In addition, he ranks in the top 10 in career 3-pointers made (second, 334), games started (second, 112), minutes played (third, 3,705), games played (third, 113), free-throw percentage (fourth, .834) and assists (eighth, 296) and just outside the top 10 in steals (12th, 126). 
• Morgan is attempting to become the first Cornellian to play in the NBA since Jeff Foote ‘10 for the New Orleans Hornets in March 2012.  
• In his first game with the 905 on Nov. 10, Morgan had 11 points (4-of-10 shooting, 2-of-7 from 3-point range) to go along with six assists, three rebounds, a block and a steal in 29 minutes during a 109-94 loss to the Grand Rapids Drive. 
• He is averaging 14.0 points, 5.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in two contests. 

LAST TIME OUT: DePaul 75, Cornell 54
GAME STORY I BOX SCORE I BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
• Shooting woes plagued the Big Red as Cornell fell to DePaul 75-54 at Wintrust Arena.  
• Using its size advantage, DePaul packed it into the paint, scoring 40 points at the basket to just 26 for the Big Red.  
• A 23-7 run by the Blue Demons at the end of the first half erased a 21-20 lead for Cornell, who was unable to counter with a run of its own.  
• Terrance McBride led the Big Red in scoring, pouring in an efficient 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.  
• Also in double-figures for Cornell was Jimmy Boeheim with 12 and Dean Noll with 10.  
• Noll was Cornell’s leading rebounder, hauling in seven boards.  
• DePaul opened the game on a 17-7 run, but was countered by a barrage of scoring from the Big Red.  
• Boeheim’s lay-up with 11:23 remaining in the first half sparked a 14-3 run for Cornell. 
• On the back of 14 first half points from Paul Reed, the Blue Demons began to pull away, utilizing a 23-7 run over the final eight minutes of the half to take a 43-28 lead into the locker room. 

NOTES TO KNOW
• Over the last three seasons, Cornell is 17-9 at home (.654). 
• Cornell was 6-0 last season and 13-3 in four years under head coach Brian Earl when holding opponents under 40 percent shooting and were 10-2 in 2018-19 and 31-11 overall when outshooting its foe. 
• Cornell has hit a 3-pointer in 864 consecutive games (11th-longest streak in Division I) dating back to a contest 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, the Big Red has hit at least one shot behind the arc in 910 of 914 games (5,951 3-pointers over that span). 
• The November 5 date vs. Binghamton was the earliest start to a Cornell men’s basketball season in the school’s 121 seasons. 
• Cornell had 20 assists and just six turnovers in the win over Binghamton, just the 13th time since 1976 that Cornell had 20 or more assists and single-digit turnovers in a game. 
• Cornell dropped consecutive one-point games to Bryant (82-81) and NJIT (59-58), the first time Cornell had lost consecutive one-point games December 1942 when the Big Red dropped games on the road to Rochester (36-35) and Seton Hall (29-28) on December 19-21. 

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
• This year marks the 10th anniversary of Cornell’s 2009-10 NCAA Sweet 16 team with a reunion planned the weekend of February 7-8. 
• The 1987-88 squad that won an Ivy title will also return to campus that weekend to be honored for their achievements. 
• Brian Earl and his brother Dan (VMI) one of five active sets of brothers directing Division I programs, joining Scott (Baylor) and Bryce (Vanderbilt) Drew; Bobby (Arizona State) and Danny (Connecticut) Hurley; Joe (Yale) and James (Boston University) Jones; and Sean (Arizona) and Archie (Dayton) Miller. 
• Seventh-year assistant coach Jon Jaques was a starter and senior captain on the 2009-10 Cornell team that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. 
• Cornell has played in 47 different states, as well as in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Australia, France and Spain. The only states the Big Red has not played in are Alaska, North Dakota and Mississippi. 
• Junior Jimmy Boeheim is the oldest son of Syracuse head men’s basketball coach and Naismith Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim. 
• The Big Red ranks among the best according to the annual NCAA Division I Academic Progress Report (APR) for 2017-18 that was released this past May. The APR measures semester-by-semester records for every individual team in Division I with regard to each team members’ continuing eligibility, retention and progress toward graduation. The NCAA “commends” teams that have APR scores in the top 10 percent within their sport. Cornell has been recognized 10 times in the 14 years since the APR began, including seven consecutive. 
• The Big Red’s 17-man roster represents 11 states and the District of Columbia. 
• Freshman Jordan Jones’ father Max played in the NFL (Buffalo Bills) and the USFL (Birmingham Stallions), while his uncle Sean Jones played in the NFL with the Los Angeles Raiders, Houston Oilers and Green Bay Packers, winning a Super Bowl title in 1997 with the Packers and twice capturing All-Pro honors. 
• Sophomore Dean Noll helped guide Shawnee HS (N.J.), the alma mater of Cornell head coach Brian Earl, to a state title as a senior, earning MVP honors for the championship game. He broke the school’s single-season scoring record with 737 points - besting the previous mark of 675 set by Dan Earl, Brian’s older brother. 
• Junior Sarju Patel will sit out the 2019-20 season as a transfer after averaging 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.9 steals per game at VMI under head coach Dan Earl. 

CAPTAINS 
• A trio of first-year captains will lead the Big Red into the 2019-20 campaign. 
• Senior Josh Warren and juniors Jimmy Boeheim and Terrance McBride will take the leadership mantle. 

NEXT UP 
• Cornell will conclude its four-game road swing when it heads to Maryland for a pair of games beginning with a 7 p.m. contest at Coppin State on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.. 
• The two teams have met just once previously, with Coppin State earning an 86-79 victory over the Big Red on Dec. 23, 1989 in the Chaminade Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Photos by Dave Burbank, Madison Epperson, Eldon Lindsay, Patrick Shanahan and Darl Zehr