Mid Major Madness Ranks Cornell No. 86 in Nation

MidMajorMadness.com (MMM) is counting down and ranking the nation's Division I teams for the 2009-2010 season.

Below is an excerpt of MMM's rankings released to date. Cornell's 2009-2010 opponents are in bold. The site has ranked teams from 344-51.

344. NJIT

330. Toledo: The loss of guard/forward, Tyrone Kent along with two other starters from the 2008-09 season is going to make a big impact on Toldeo’s overall performance. Tyrone averaged 15.1 points along with 5.2 rebounds per game. On the upside, the Rockets have 6’ 9", Justin Anyijong to help make up for Kent’s absence. Anyijong’s defensive presence might be able to help make up for the loss of athleticism that the 2008-09 senior class brought to the team.

329. Dartmouth: The Big Green lose their weapon, Alex Barnett who averaged a team high of 19.4 points along with 5.6 rebounds per game. If that is not hard enough to deal with, they will also lose Kurt Graeber who was a big threat on the defensive end of the court. Head coach Terry Dunn is going to have to rely heavily on his underclassmen to make up for the loss of the two starters.

308. Bryant: The only way Tim O’Shea can improve upon his Bears’ 8-21 record from the 2008-09 season is if they can figure out a way to create some offensive production. The team is set to lose Peter Lambert who finished third on the team in scoring last year. This will set the team back a bit but should not be too harmful. The Bears must continue to play great defense as well as create more scoring opportunities.

307. Brown: The Bears will look forward to see the standout forward, Matt Mullery return for his final year under head coach Jesse Agel. Mullery put up all-star quality stat lines, averaging 16.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 bloacks per game. The downside to the Bears is that they are losing two role players in Chris Skrelja and Scott Friske. The two will leave a major hole in the Bears defense that Mullery might not be able to fill by himself.

291. Columbia: The loss of Jason Miller is going to be difficult to overcome. Miller was a talented inside-man that pulled in 6.6 rebounds to go along with 9.8 points per game. The sophmore guard Noruwa Agho should do a sufficient job making up for Miller on offense but Agho is more of a perimeter player so the post play will still be down. The only solution to the post game is if head coach Joe Jones can get Asenso Ampim to perform well on a consistent basis. Ampim has the size and strength to be an inside presence however he seems to lack the aggressiveness.

290. Fordham

283. Bucknell: The Bison had a very frustrating 2008-09 season that was plagued with long scoring slumps and weak defense. However, Dave Paulsen’s team looks as if it has the potential to be a dark horse for the 2009-10 season. The team will feature the combination of G.W. Boon and Patrick Behan. Boon is an electrifying scorer that has the ability to put up 20 points per game. Behan is an excellent inside scorer that can also be a rebounding threat. If Paulsen can teach his team to take advantage of scoring attempts they should be able to make a drastic improvement.

271. Air Force

262. Penn: The Quakers had high hopes heading into the 2008-09 season. Glen Miller’s crew was almost a unanimous pick to be a contender for the Ivy League championship. The Quakers seemed to not be able to handle the pressure and ended the year with a 10-18 record mainly due to their poor performance at home in conference play. Last years team was fairly young and seemed promising for the upcoming season. This all changed when their top young player Harrison Gaines announced his intentions of transferring. Gaines scored 9.9 points per game in 2008-09 and was one of the few players that continuously played to his full ability.

259. SMU

245. Harvard: Harvard needs to defend and rebound better in order to be a legitimate league contender. Coach Tommy Amaker is entering his third season as coach and got some upset wins last season in and out of the Ivy League. High scoring guard Jeremy Lin (17.8 ppg) returns with rising forward Keith Wright (8.1 ppg). Look for Harvard to improve slightly, but post a record on the lower end of .500.

244. Hawaii
243. William & Mary

242. Columbia: Contingent on a developing frontcourt this season, the Lions could contend for a top four finish in the league. Injuries were a major factor last season and limited a promising conference season to a 7-7 finish. Coach Joe Jones needs to find a way to get something from his rebuilding frontcourt, and former Lasalle forward Brian Grimes may be the answer. However guard Patrick Foley (10.9 ppg) missed 9 games and must find a way to stay healthy in order for the Lions to have an impact.

230. Yale: Having lost their number one and number three scorers, the Bulldogs are going to struggle offensively, which could result in a second-division finish in the Ivy League. With Ross Morin and Travis Pinick gone, number two on the list, guard Alex Zampier (13.2 ppg) will be the subject of a lot of defensive discussions this season. However the ability of point guard Porter Braswell to take control as a floor general this season will determine whether Yale will finish in the upper half of the league.

228. Colorado
217. Rice
216. Indiana
214. Colorado St.
208. Charlotte
205. George Washington
200. Drake
199. St. Bonaventure
191. Army
190. Louisiana Tech
189. South Florida
188. Navy
178. San Diego
177. Davidson
171. Holy Cross
164. Southern Miss.

162. South Dakota: The Coyotes, who are looking for their second consecutive 20-win season, like to get up and down the floor. The up-tempo Coyotes had five players average in double figures last season. Three return, including leading scorer forward Tyler Cain (15.4 ppg, 11.0 rpg). He's a good shot blocker, and if he gets some offensive help up front, the Coyotes could win 20 games again.

160. UAB
159. Saint Louis
157. Tulane

156. Princeton: Guard Doug Davis is back to improve on his freshman debut. Coach Sydney Johnson slowly is getting the Tigers back to the top of the Ivy League. The Tigers leaped from last place in the Ivy in 2007-08 to second a year ago, and they nearly made a run at Cornell - thanks in part to a blowout of the Big Red and a win over Penn at the Palestra. Can Johnson's team make it a race in the Ivy League this season? If Davis (12.3 ppg) can build on his terrific freshman season and center Pawel Buczak keeps developing, there's a chance.

155. DePaul

154. Massachusetts: Guard Ricky Harris will garner some attention this year in the A-10. Harris can fill it up, but the Minutemen don't have enough complementary talent. UMass is going to need a season or two to get back into A-10 title contention. Harris' offense could lead to some upsets this season, but the frontcourt doesn't look as if it will scare anybody.

151. Vermont: The key to Vermont's season? Forward Marqus Blakely. Blakely is looking to sweep America East player of the year and defensive player of year honors for the third year in a row. Blakely (16.1 ppg, 9.0 rpg) is a star, although he certainly will miss the help of departing PG Mike Trimboli. F Colin McIntosh is gone as well, so the Catamounts will need much more from Michigan State transfer guard Maurice Joseph (8.1 ppg).

150. Arkansas
147. Rutgers

145. Hofstra: Guard Charles Jenkins is the main reason the Pride could win 20 games for the fifth time in the past six seasons. If the Pride are going to win 20 again, Jenkins (19.7 ppg, All-CAA first-team pick) must have another huge season. Jenkins needs help from guard/forward Nathaniel Lester and center Greg Washington.

140. Stanford

136. Drexel: Five of the Dragons' eight CAA losses last season were by one point or in overtime. Bruiser Flint was named CAA coach of the year after guiding the Dragons, picked in the preseason to finish last, to a 10-8 league finish. Guard Gerald Colds (9.0 ppg), a junior, is the top returning scorer for the defense-minded Dragons.

134. Iowa

131. St. John's: It seems like all too long ago when St. John's was contending for Big East titles. St. John's went 16-18 in 2008-09 and has had just one winning season in five years under Norm Roberts, who might be in trouble if things don't turn around soon. A quick glance at the Red Storm's roster, with G/F Anthony Mason Jr., suggests that good things may be in store. St. John's returns all five starters from last year's squad - and that doesn't include Mason, who learned in August that the NCAA had granted him an extra year of eligibility following an anterior cruciate ligament tear three games into last season.

129. Nebraska
125. Auburn
124. Charlotte
122. TCU
121. N.C. State
119. USC

117. St. Joe's: A lot of young guys have to come through if the Hawks are to contend in the Atlantic 10. Relying heavily on Ahmad Nivins, the league's player of the year, and Tasheed Carr didn't help Saint Joseph's land a postseason berth last season. Many members of this season's team will be learning on the fly which includes forward Idris Hilliard. That combination could lead to some growing pains as the Hawks return to a refurbished home arena.

115. Miami FL
114. Rhode Island
113. Wyoming
112. New Mexico State

111. Alabama: New coach Anthony Grant has to roll up his sleeves and bring more talent to Tuscaloosa. Alabama would love to follow the LSU model of making a surprise run at a league title in its first season with a new coach. The Tide certainly made a popular hire with Grant, who led VCU to two NCAA tournament bids in the past three years. Grant inherits a team that returns four starters and features plenty of potential. This includes forward JaMychal Green. The Tide weren't that bad last year; they won five of their last seven games to finish 18-14 after Mark Gottfried's midseason departure.

105. Saint Mary's
97. Temple
94. Iowa State
93. Utah
92. Louisiana Tech
91. Arizona St.
90. Texas Tech
89. Providence
88. Houston
87. Akron

86. Cornell: All five starters are back from a team that has made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. The Big Red ran away with the Ivy League title before falling 78-59 to Missouri in the first round of the NCAA tournament. A better NCAA showing is the focus this season. The Big Red should cruise to another bid behind Ryan Wittman (18.5 ppg), guard Louis Dale (13.0 ppg), center Jeff Foote (11.8 ppg) and the playmaking of Chris Wroblewski.

85. Texas El Paso
83. Marquette
81. Virginia

80. Seton Hall: Jeremy Hazell, a junior, is a big-time scorer. If three transfers come through, the Pirates could be NCAA-bound. Predicting an NCAA tournament berth might be wishful thinking, but after finishing 11th in the Big East last season, the Pirates will make a push to finish in the top half of the Big East. It all depends on how well Seton Hall's three transfers jell on the court with their new teammates.

79. Oregon
78. Penn State
76. New Mexico
75. Missouri
73. Duquesne
72. San Diego St.
68. Arizona
67. Northwestern
66. Utah State
65. LSU
64. Notre Dame
61. Richmond
60. Nevada
59. Boston College
58. UNLV
57. Florida

53. Lasalle: The Explorers have the firepower and experience to make noise in the A-10 - and nab an NCAA bid. The Explorers were just 1-6 against teams that made the NCAA field last season. If freshman big man Aaric Murray is as good as expected, La Salle could contend for the regular-season title. Expectations are high because all five starters return. Murray is the No. 35 prospect in the country and the top incoming freshman in the A-10.

42. Syracuse: His top three scorers entered the NBA draft, but Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said during the summer that the Orange should be a top-20 team by the end of the 2009-10 season. The comment might seem puzzling at first - especially considering Syracuse lost point guard and NBA lottery pick Jonny Flynn. Still, inspect the Orange's roster a little more closely, and it's easy to see the reasons for Boeheim's optimism. Throw in that Syracuse is led by a Hall of Fame coach, and it's not farfetched to think that Boeheim's squad could compete for a Big East title in what's being regarded as a down year for the conference.

1. Kansas: Under Bill Self, Kansas has won five consecutive Big 12 titles, and although Texas will provide a stiff challenge, a sixth seems likely. Beyond that, the Jayhawks appear as poised as any team for a national title run for the second time in three seasons. Sherron Collins is the only Jayhawk who played a significant role on Kansas' 2008 championship team, but last season's squad developed nicely and probably would've been in the Final Four if not for a late-game collapse against Michigan State in the Sweet 16. The bet here is that it doesn't happen again.

(originally published 10.22.09, edited 11.8.09)