News and Notes

A follow-up from our this morning's news and notes:

• While we've posted quite a bit about Cornell's early, but still impressive No. 28 RPI ranking, anyone notice what is happening down at Penn? Not only are the Quakers 0-5, but their RPI is No. 331 out of 347 Division I teams. Making matters worse, the Quakers witnessed two recruits pull out of commitments in the last three months. Safe to say it is already a rough year for Penn.

• Not to disrespect to Cornell's first round opponent Davidson in the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival on December 20-21, but the Big Red's potential meeting in the championship game against St. John's could be huge for Cornell. Not only is the game in front of a major New York media market, but St. John's carries name recognition as a Big East opponent. More importantly, however, the Red Storm are currently carrying a No. 5 RPI ranking with a 6-1 record, including wins over Siena, Temple and St. Bonaventure. The Johnnies have Georgia and Fordham at home before the Holiday Festival and should remain a Top 100 RPI team irrespective of how they fare in the next three weeks.
  

• Basketball Times writes, "Tonight we're keeping an eye on ...Massachusetts at Seton Hall, 7 p.m. ... Sure the Hall is 6-0, but five of its wins have come against St. Peter's, Monmouth, Long Island, N.J.I.T. and Hartford. Only a win over Cornell stands as proof that the Pirates are for real."

• Dana O'Neil of ESPN writes in the College Basketball Nation blog, "Don't be surprised to see Harvard give frontrunner Cornell a run for its money in the hunt for the Ivy League's lone NCAA tourney bid."