ITHACA, N.Y. -- For four straight seasons, Cornell men's basketball has ranked among the nation's fastest and most efficient teams - proof that pace with purpose can win big. The Big Red's up-tempo style creates open looks on one end and chaos for opponents on the other.

The proof of concept comes in Cornell's success over that span — four straight Ivy League Tournament appearances, including a runner-up finish this past spring. Twice Cornell has placed second in the regular season. The 2023-24 team made its first appearance in the NIT in school history. Overall, Cornell has amassed an impressive 72-41 overall record (34-22 Ivy).

Now in his second season, Jon Jaques '10, the Robert E. Gallagher '44 Head Coach of Cornell Men's Basketball, has ensured the Big Red's core identity - relentless pace, spacing and unselfish play - remains firmly intact even as the lineup evolves. It's seen in the national rankings - Jaques' 2024-25 Big Red led the nation in both effective field goal percentage (.592) and two-point field goal percentage (.608), while ranking second in assists (19.1 apg.) and fourth in scoring (85.1 ppg). Cornell also finished in the national top 20 in 3-pointers made and attempted for the fourth straight season - the kind of consistency that defines system and culture.

The offseason saw a new-look Big Red team take a 10-day tour of Italy in July, going 3-0 on the trip and enjoying an unforgettable cultural experience. Just as important, the trip began to introduce the roster to their new and expanded roles in a pressure-free environment. Cornell responded, averaging 94.0 points per game with plenty of playing time for everyone.

It's a given that Cornell will play fast. Unlike the past two seasons, it's less certain who will be on the floor as the Big Red keeps pushing the pace.

Graduation cost the Big Red three-time All-Ivy League selection Nazir Williams and versatile big man Guy Ragland Jr. The duo combined for 2,218 points, 870 rebounds and 491 assists while making 299 3-pointers in their four varsity seasons. Add in the early graduation of All-Ivy forward AK Okereke, who will grad transfer at Vanderbilt in 2025-26, and important role players Chris Cain and Ryan Kiachian in the post, and Cornell might look to be in thin on paper - but in practice, its depth remains unmistakable.

Luckily for Jaques and his staff, Cornell has been among the deepest teams in the country and has plenty of firepower returning, especially when bringing back arguably the conference's top backcourt.

Seniors Cooper Noard and Jake Fiegen, the latter who reclassified and will graduate a year early this coming spring, started every game but Senior Day a year ago and ranked first and third on the squad in minutes played. Each provides a similar blend of poise and precision - the kind of guards who turn defensive rebounds into open 3-pointers before most teams have been able to recover defensively. Both are also capable defenders - Fiegen in particular will be challenged to match up with the team's top scorers.

Josh Baldwin and DJ Nix, co-captains alongside Noard and Fiegen, embody the versatility that fuels Cornell's tempo. Baldwin defends like a linebacker and ignites transition with his passing, while Nix — a 65-game veteran — adds athleticism and perimeter touch. Both can slide between guard and forward roles, allowing Jaques to press the accelerator without sacrificing size.

Beyond the starting core, Cornell's depth again looks like a weapon.

Senior Adam Hinton has always been instant offense off the bench, and after upping his play during Ivy season, he's ready for a breakout year. He averaged 5.4 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 49 percent overall and an impressive 55 percent from 3-point range against conference opponents in what might have been a sneak preview of what to expect this year.

Junior guard Jacob Beccles is a one-man fast break widely considered to be among the fastest players in the Ivy League. An excellent passer who is always ready to zoom the ball up the floor, he is a capable shooter and scorer and, when locked in defensively, can be a real pest. He had his breakout game last year at Columbia, hitting 8-of-9 from the field — including all five 3-point attempts — for 23 points and Ivy League Player of the Week honors.

Several returners are poised for bigger roles, including senior Corbin Zentner, juniors Ian Imegwu and AJ LaBeau, and sophomores Gio Panzini, Anthony Nimani, Mateen Rafiq, Ty Iwanonkiw, and AJ Rodriguez. Zentner, a former walk-on, supplies shooting and energy, while Panzini and Nimani flashed rotation potential as freshmen. Imegwu and LaBeau were on the verge of making the rotation, while Rafiq had earned early minutes before suffering a season-ending injury and aims to get back into the flow. Iwanonkiw and Rodriguez are outstanding shooters with high potential.

With minutes to be won, a number of newcomers will challenge for time as well. Junior transfers Kaspar Sepp (Valparaiso) and DaMaryon Fishburn (Macomb CC) headline the newcomers, bringing both size and experience. Sepp is a strong passer and big, physical presence who proved to be a rugged rebounder. Fishburn is a multidimensional player who put up a 13-8-3 line on 56 percent shooting overall and 45 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore. Both will compete immediately for frontcourt minutes in a system that values mobility and passing.

The freshmen class has time to develop behind the depth above and will hit the floor as they earn it. Guards Elijah Griffin and Ryan Burbach and forwards Jax Abalos and Blake Lecklitner have already shown promise during the team's summer foreign trip and fall practices, giving them an advanced chance to make their case for early court time. They'll benefit from learning behind an experienced core while adding future depth to a system built on trust, tempo, and teamwork.

What the 2025-26 schedule lacks in marquee names, it more than makes up for with mid-major powers that will test a Big Red team already earning votes in the preseason CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll. Cornell will play two of the top five teams (No. 4 Illinois State, No. 5 Yale), as well as the No. 16 (Towson) and No. 23 (Kent State) teams. Harvard and Samford are also receiving votes.

And that doesn't include perennial national power Michigan State, ranked No. 22 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25. Or 2025 postseason squads George Mason, a 27-game winner out of the Atlantic 10 a season ago, or Army West Point. Or 18-game winner Bucknell. Or retooling perennial Patriot League champ Colgate.

It's a schedule built for the Big Red's style - fast, fearless and unforgiving — exactly the kind that reveals who's ready to run when the Ivy lights come on.

From Italy to East Hill, from the practice floor to the Palestra, the message stays the same. The Big Red will look to dictate tempo, share the ball, and play fearless basketball. The next version of Cornell men's basketball is already in motion — fast, fluid and built to last.