Cornell and Harvard RPI Watch

Since Cornell and Harvard are far out performing the rest of the Ivy League, below we examine their respective RPI rankings and tournament profiles. Specifically, we list the opponent RPI rankings and results for both Cornell and Harvard. Results in Red are Cornell's opponents, while results in Crimson are Harvard's opponents. Common Ivy League opponents are listed in Green. But first some notes.

• Through Friday, December 11, Cornell is ranked No. 24 in the RPI, while Harvard is No. 42.
• Cornell and Harvard are both 7-2.
• Cornell played 2 home games, Harvard played 4 home games (with an additional 2 "road" games within the city of Boston).
• Harvard is 1-0 against teams in the Top 50 (William & Mary). Cornell is 0-2 against the Top 50 (Syracuse and Seton Hall).
  
• Cornell and Harvard each have 2 Top 100 wins.
• Keep an Eye on Improving Resumes: It will be very hard for Harvard to improve its tournament resume much more. The Crimson has one game remaining against Top 100 opponents (Georgetown). After that game, Harvard's resume will not get much better outside the league. Harvard absolutely must get the win at home against George Washington (No. 153). Cornell has 3 more games against Top 100 opponents (St. John's or Hofstra, as well Kansas, and La Salle). But more importantly, Cornell's Top 100 opponents are all very winnable games with the exception of Kansas.
  
• Keep an Eye On Bad Losses: Harvard lost to a team outside the Top 100 (Army). Even if the Cadets win the Patriot League, a struggling conference, Army's RPI should continue to slide, making the loss worse and worse for Harvard each month.
  
• Not So Bad Losses: Cornell's losses were to Syracuse and Seton Hall. Both teams should finish the season in the RPI Top 100. Both are presently Top 50.
  
• Keep an Eye on Not so Great Wins: Although Harvard beat William & Mary, the Tribe is expected to slide out of the Top 50 within a few weeks. In fact, W&M could slide out of the Top 100 if W&M finishes in the middle of the pack or worse in the CAA.
• Key an Eye on Improving Wins: Cornell's win over Vermont is a bit under the radar. The 'Cats are No. 105 and could push to win the America East. Cornell's wins over Alabama (No. 74), St. Joseph's (No. 94) and UMass (No. 148) and Harvard's win over Boston College (No. 90) are tough to value. These four teams could could go in either direction in the RPI and a lot will depend on how they play within their strong leagues.
  

5. at St. John's (--)
9. at Syracuse (L)
14. at UConn (L)
18. William & Mary (W)
24. Cornell
34. at Georgetown (--)
36. at Kansas (--)
42. Harvard
48. Seton Hall (L)
57. (n) Hofstra (--)
74. at Alabama (W)
77. at La Salle (--)
90. at Boston College (W)
94. St. Joseph's (W)
105. (n) Vermont (W)
114. at Army (L)
117. at South Dakota (--)
126. Princeton
146. Rice (W)
148. at UMass (W)
150. at Boston U. (W)
153. George Washington (--)
154. at Santa Clara (--)
161. (n) Davidson (--)
167. at Drexel (W)
171. at Seattle (--)
189. Columbia
196. Brown
226. New Hampshire (W)
230. at Holy Cross (W)
266. Yale
285. (n) Toledo (W)
299. at Bucknell (W)
311. Dartmouth
333. Penn
338. Bryant (--) (W)
NR-MIT (D-III) (--)
NR-Clarkson (D-III) (--)
NR-PSU-Erie (D-III) (--)