ITHACA, N.Y. -- After a month away from Newman Nation and through final exams, the Cornell men's basketball team returns home when it welcomes Illinois State to Ithaca on Sunday, Dec. 22 at 12 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.

• The Big Red went 4-1 on its road swing, winning its games by an average of 17.5 points with triumphs over five-time defending Patriot League champion Colgate and most recently vs. ACC opponent California.
• The 88-80 win over Cal on Dec. 10 snapped a 42-game, 73-year skid against ACC opponents.
• Cornell will be playing its first contest in Ithaca since having its own 20-game non-conference home win streak snapped by Robert Morris on Nov. 21 (86-76).
• The Big Red has picked up right where it left off a season ago when it went 22-8, finished tied for second in the Ivy League and made its first-ever NIT appearance.
• All five starters are in double figures and nine players are seeing double-digit minutes.
• The Big Red returns two starters and eight letter winners from last season, with former Big Red captain and longtime assistant and associate head coach Jon Jaques '10 taking over the program.
• Picked fourth in the Ivy League Preseason media poll, Cornell will be in search of its fourth consecutive appearance in the four-team conference tournament. 

GAME INFORMATION
Illinois State at Cornell
DATE & TIME: Sunday, December 22 at 12 p.m.
SITE: Newman Arena – Ithaca, N.Y.
RECORDS: Illinois State (7-4, 0-1 Missouri Valley Conference), Cornell (7-3, 0-0 Ivy League)
SERIES RECORD: First Meeting
BROADCAST: ESPN+
STATS: CornellBigRed.com
DIGITAL PROGRAM: CornellBigRed.com
GAME NOTES: CornellBigRed.com

THE SERIES
1 Year • 779 Miles • 0 Meetings
Overall: First Meeting
In Ithaca, N.Y.: First Meeting
Current Streak: N/A
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Jaques vs. Illinois State: 0-0

SERIES NOTES
This will be the first-ever contest between the Big Red and the Redbirds • it will be the first game against a current member of the Missouri Valley Conference since dropping a 72-69 decision to Bradley in the consolation game of the 2000 Michigan State Tournament on Nov. 25, 2000 • Cornell is 0-5 all-time against current members of the MVC, going 0-4 against Bradley and 0-1 vs. Drake. 

A WIN OVER ILLINOIS STATE WOULD
• push Cornell's record to 8-3 on the season.
• extend the Big Red's win streak to four games.
• be its first-ever against the Redbirds.
• make the Big Red 4-1 at home this season and up its home record to 35-6 (.854) over the past four years.
• make Cornell 62-33 overall (.653) since the beginning of the 2021-22 season.
• up the Big Red's non-conference record to 39-14 (.736) over its past 53 contests.
• be the 1,339th in program history (1,338-1,493-2 in 125th season, .473).

LAST TIME VS. A MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE OPPONENT
• Trailing by 19 midway through the second half, the Cornell men's basketball team went on a furious 21-2 run and later tied the game with Bradley, but the Braves held on for a 72-69 victory over the Big Red in the consolation game of the Coca-Cola Spartan Classic at Michigan State on Nov. 25, 2000.
• Jake Rohe pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds with 10 points, while Ray Mercedes and Ka'Ron Barnes each had 15 points. 
• Greg Barratt scored 13 points and Wallace Prather had six assists for the Big Red.
• Phillip Gilbert scored 25 points and Jerome Robinson had 15 with seven rebounds and 8-for-10 free throw shooting to lead Bradley. 
• The Braves outrebounded the Big Red 36-33, and shot 44 percent on the night (after shooting 54 percent in the first half).
• Down 46-27, Cornell went on a 12-0 run in the next 1:27 and then after a pair of Braves free throws at 11:24, went on another 9-0 run to tie it up.
• The second half effort turned the tide for Cornell after a tough first half as the Big Red to 26 percent shooting from the floor as Braves led 35-25 at the break.

LAST TIME OUT
• For the third time in six days, the Cornell men's basketball team pulled out a road victory. For the first time in 73 years, that road win came against an ACC team.
• The Big Red grabbed an 18-point halftime lead, surrendered a 23-point second half advantage and shook off both, as well as 2,800 miles of travel, to claim a hard-fought 88-80 victory over California at Haas Pavilion. 
• Junior AK Okereke led four Big Red double figure scorers with a career-best 24 points points, while classmate Cooper Noard also established a personal best with his 21 points. 
• Senior Nazir Williams chipped in with 18 points, while Jake Fiegen scored 11.
• Ryan Kiachian, one of five Big Red Californians, had six points, seven rebounds, two assists, a blocked shot and a steal off the bench, while Guy Ragland Jr. notched eight points, four boards, three assists, two steals and a block. 
• Joshua Ola-Joseph scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Cal's five double figure scorers.
• The Golden Bears got back in the game on the strength of its second half shooting.
 

NOTES FROM THE CALIFORNIA GAME
• AK Okereke (24) and Cooper Noard (21) both had career scoring highs, while Ryan Kiachian's seven rebounds were also a personal best.
• Okereke became the first Big Red player to score 20+ points with 5+ rebounds and at least three assists, steals and blocks in a single game.
• It was the first time Big Red teammates scored at least 20 points in a game since Jimmy Boeheim (31) and Matt Morgan (24) each surpassed that mark against Robert Morris on March 19, 2019 in the first round of the CBI.
• Cornell shot 69 percent from inside the 3-point arc (24-of-35) in the win.
• The Big Red has a positive assist:turnover ratio in each of its past seven contests.
• Cornell's 10 steals and six blocked shots were both season highs.

TRENDING UP
• Cornell has fluctuated between first and second in the nation in fastest tempo all season according the KenPom.
• The Big Red is second in the nation in assists (20.3 per game) and ranks in the top 10 in both 3-pointers made (ninth, 11.1) and attempted (eighth, 31.4).
• The Big Red has hit at least 12 3-pointers in four of the past five contests, averaging 13.2 over that span on .398 shooting (66-of-166) from beyond the arc.
• It has seven consecutive contests with at least nine 3-pointers made.
• While known for its offense, the Big Red ranks second in the Ivy League in 3-point defense (allowing just .316 shooting).
• All five starters are averaging double figures in scoring, and no player in averaging more than Cooper Noard's 26.7 minutes per game.
• Over his past five games, Cooper Noard is averaging 18.6 points and 3.4 rebounds while connecting on 20-of-42 shots from 3-point range (.476). He is 11-for-13 from inside the arc over that span (.846) and is 18-for-25 (.720) from two-point range for the year.
• Nazir Williams is averaging 19.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 0.8 steals over his last four games, shooting 59 percent from the floor overall (29-of-49) and 52 percent from 3-point range (11-of-21).
• Ryan Kiachian has a blocked shot in all 10 games this season.

TEAM NOTES TO KNOW
• Since its return from COVID, Cornell men's basketball has posted a 61-33 record (.649), a mark that is 60-22 when removing regular season guarantee games (.732).
• Over the past four seasons, the Big Red is averaging 18.0 assists per game and hitting 10.3 3-pointers per game while averaging 81.4 points per game. Over that stretch, Cornell is shooting .594 from two-point range.
• Cornell is 34-6 at home over the past three seasons, including 18-1 against non-conference opponents over that span.
• Cornell earned two votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll on Jan. 29, 2023 after its victory over Princeton, the first time the Big Red earned recognition in the poll since ranking No. 17 in the final poll in 2010 (April 6, 2010).
• The team's 22 wins last season were tied for second-most by a Big Red, matching the 2007-08 Ivy League champion squad and trailing the 29 wins from the 2009-10 squad.
• Seven of Cornell's eight losses came away from home against top 100 NET teams — nationally-ranked Baylor (No. 15 in NET, 24-11), Ohio State (No. 49 in NET, 22-14), Princeton (No. 55 in NET, 24-5), Yale twice (No. 83 in NET, 23-10),  Syracuse (No. 84 in NET, 20-12) and George Mason (No. 93 in NET, 20-12), six teams that each reached 20 wins and combined to go 133-64 (.675). 
• A year ago, the Big Red led Division I in bench scoring (36.0 ppg.) and ranked in the top 20 in effective field goal percentage (sixth, .572), assists per game (sixth, 18.1 apg.), 3-pointers (10th, 10.3), field goal percentage (14th, .487) and scoring offense (16th, 82.1).
• In 14 Ivy games last season, Cornell assisted on 241 baskets with 153 turnovers (1.58 assist-turnover ratio).  
• The Big Red was 18-2 last season when leading at halftime, with the two losses on the road at Ivy leaders Yale (46-38) and Princeton (35-33).
• Cornell has hit a 3-pointer in 982 consecutive games 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 1,031 of 1,035 games (7,100 3-pointers over that span).

MISCELLANEOUS TEAM NOTES
• Head 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.
• The Big Red continues to be ranked among the best according to the annual NCAA Division I Academic Progress Report (APR). 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 since the APR began in 2005, including seven consecutive (2009-16).

THE BIG RED IN OVERTIME
• Dating back to the first overtime game against Penn way back in 1922, Cornell is 42-51 in games that go an extra period. 
• Cornell is 7-10 in multiple overtime games, with the longest game for the Big Red being a five overtime contest against Princeton, won by the Tigers 66-61 on Feb. 24, 1979 at Barton Hall. 
• Cornell is 31-19 in home overtime games, 2-2 in neutral contests and 10-29 in road games.

ARE CORNELL STUDENT-ATHLETES ON SCHOLARSHIP?
• The easy answer is no. Cornell student-athletes are awarded need-based financial aid, just as any other student who applies to the school - that package can come in the form of student loans and grants. 
• The basic intent of the original Ivy League agreement of 1954 was to improve and foster intercollegiate athletics while keeping the emphasis on such competition in harmony with the educational purpose of the institutions. 
• The Ivy League is nationally recognized for its level of success — absent of athletic scholarships — while rigorously maintaining its self-imposed high academic standards. 
• The Ivy League has demonstrated a rare willingness and ability, given the current national pressures on intercollegiate success, to abide by these rules and still compete successfully in Division I athletics.

UP NEXT
• The Big Red closes out the 2024 calendar year when it hosts Siena on Monday, Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. at Newman Arena.
• The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• The all-time series is tied 4-4 after last season's 95-74 victory against the Saints in Albany.
• Cornell is 2-1 in three previous contests against Siena in Ithaca.
• The Big Red is 70-59 all-time against current members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.