Undefeated Cornell Breaks League Streak

For the first time in 20 years, a team not named Penn or Princeton has claimed the Ivy League’s spot in the NCAA Tournament by winning the league crown. Cornell, the preseason favorite, has sprinted through league play without much difficulty, as its 12-0 record indicates.

The Big Red did not have a flawless non-conference campaign (their record was 8-5), but this was due in large part to a schedule containing games against several potential NCCA Tournament teams including a competitive 81-67 loss against ACC power Duke.
Once Ivy play began, Cornell started by building a cushion against league dark horse Columbia with a 70-64 win at home followed by a 72-54 demolition at Levien Gym.

The Big Red then methodically moved its way through the schedule, winning by an average of 14.1 points per game. They averaged 75.6 points per game in league play while no other team averaged more than 70. Cornell also leads the league in field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and rebounding.

The team is led by the backcourt trio of Ryan Wittman, Louis Dale, and Adam Gore. Wittman leads the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game while Dale averages 13.1 and five assists.

The two questions that remain for Cornell are whether they can finish undefeated and whether they can pull the league’s first upset since 1996. The first is less a question and more a formality.

The Big Red travels to Penn and Princeton this weekend for a passing of the torch. When the Tigers and Quakers visited Ithaca, both teams kept it close but still lost by double digits.

As for the tournament, the Big Red is currently projected to grab a 13 seed by ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, but the official brackets will not come out until a week from Sunday.

The programs Cornell has replaced have both had long seasons. Penn has salvaged a 5-12 non- conference start, which featured games against Virginia, Villanova, North Carolina, Miami (Fla.), and Saint Joseph’s by going 6-5 in league play. However. the team still in danger of finishing outside of the top three as was predicted. The Quakers have shown promise with a strong group of freshmen, but they have struggled on the road, posting a 3-10 mark.

Princeton, in the midst of a rebuilding campaign under head coach Sydney Johnson, sits in last place at 2-9. The Tigers have yet to win a game on the road with a 0-13 record and are just 5-21 overall.

Only one player on the team averages a double-figure score, and the team averages just 57.2 points per game. The Tigers are also the worst rebounding and second worst shooting team in the Ivy League.

With one weekend of games left, the only battle between teams with winning records is for third place. Penn sits half a game behind Columbia, and its second game against Princeton concludes the Ivy season a week from today. This weekend will determine which team takes the spot as the Lions travel to Philadelphia and Princeton.