Below, some news and notes...- In case you missed it, this week Cornell is ranked No. 5 in the CollegeInsider.com Poll and received 3 points in the A.P. Top 25 Poll.
- ESPN's Andy Katz's Weekly Watch includes the following in his list of "What I Want to See" this season:
Harvard and Cornell split their two regular-season games, beat everyone else and have a one-game playoff to decide the NCAA tournament bid. Drama in the Ivy in that situation would be good to shake up the stodgy league that is against a conference tournament.
- The Lexington Herald Leader notes, "Cat from the past: Mark Coury. Ex-Kentucky big man is averaging 4 points and 2.6 rebounds for Cornell (7-2)."
- Army basketball and former Cornell assistant coach, Zach Spiker are featured on The Dagger.
- Cornell head Coach Steve Donahue declined to comment the news of Glen Miller's firing on Monday in a story published by the Ithaca Journal.
- CoachingRumors.com tweets, "no chance Cornell HC Donohue goes to Penn. find out who could be in the mix."
- In terms of recruiting, the termination of Miller has to really hurt Penn. Prospective recruits have no idea who the head coach will be next season or if any of the assistant coaches are retained. Thus, recruits might want to consider other Ivy League options with comparable academic offerings and more certainty and stability surrounding their basketball programs. This is just common sense. In fact, two current Penn recruits have varying opinions on the matter. This is from North Star Basketball:
With the news that came out today that Glen Miller was fired as the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania early in his fourth year at the Ivy League school, five recruits' futures shifted. Though Miles Cartwright '10 of Loyola (CA) might be the most well-known nationally of the bunch, there are two local seniors that are committed to the Quakers in Cameron Gunter '10 of Ridley (PA) and Steve Rennard '10 of St. Joseph's Metuchen (NJ). I had a chance to catch up with both Gunter and Rennard this evening for an update on where they stand.
Gunter, a 6'8 power forward who drew mid-major interest and was a great get for Penn, told me that has yet to talk to anyone from the school. "No, I have not." Does the in-state standout still play on going to the Big Five program? "Right now I'm just trying to get all the facts together and talk it through with my family. I don't know the full extent of the situation, so I can't comment on that right now." Asked if he has been accepted to the Ivy League school yet, Gunter replied, "I received the 'likely letter' [which] . . . says that I will most likely be admitted to the school, which is more or less their form of admission."
As for Rennard, he still plans on going to Penn. "Yes, I'm still going. I got officially accepted into Wharton [the school of business] last week," commented the 6'1 combo guard. I inquired if that would be regardless of who the coach is, and Rennard answered, "Yes, most likely. I can't pass up Wharton." Has the sharpshooter spoken with anyone on the Penn staff yet? "No, I was told that [Assistant] Coach [Michael] Martin was either going to call me tonight or tomorrow." He added, "My mom spoke to him earlier."
Right now, it looks like Penn will be able to hang on to Steve Rennard, but the status of Cameron Gunter as a future Quaker remains unclear.
- We do not believe Miller's termination will be the end of the coaching carousel this season in the Ivy League. In fact, we believe that if Harvard makes the postseason-- in any postseason tournament-- whether it its the NCAAs, the NIT, the College Basketball Invitation (CBI), or the CollegeInsider.com Invitational, we suspect that Harvard coach, Tommy Amaker collects lucrative offers and could be bound for a return to a BCS or similar level conference. Amaker spent the majority of his playing and coaching career in the BCS and has no intention of remaining long term in the Ivy League. But with respect to Cornell's Steve Donahue, we suspect similar BCS comparable offers might require Cornell winning a postseason game. Our thinking is that Amaker's "Duke pedigree" and experience coaching in two BCS conferences might give him the leg up in the summer job market.
- WVBR.com's Eugene Karlik adds his thoughts on yesterday's news of Glen Miller's firing:
This morning, University of Pennsylvania Athletic Director Steve Bilsky announced the firing of Men's Basketball Head Coach Glen Miller. Under Miller's direction, the Quakers were 0-7 this year, and were ranked 3rd from the bottom in all of Division I according to the RPI. Glen Miller took over for long time coach Fran Dunphy after Dunphy left to coach the Temple Owls in 2006.
With Ibby Jaaber, Mark Zoller, and other seniors recruited by Dunphy, Miller guided the Quakers to an Ivy League Title in 2006-2007. However, since then, while Cornell has dominated the Ivy League, the Quakers' stock has dropped. Along with underachievement on the court, UPenn hoops have been plagued by off-court issues. Numerous players, including super-talented Guard Harrison Gaines, and Forwards Remy Cofield and Garvin Hunt, left the team, citing a dissatisfaction with both Glen Miller and the program in general.
For long time followers of Ivy League Hoops, the Quakers' recent performance has to be especially shocking. Except for a few oddball years, the Quakers have been a constant presence atop the Ivy League for decades. Their recent fall from grace presents Cornell fans with a dilemma. On one hand, Penn's struggles make it easier for teams like Cornell and Harvard to flourish atop the league. But at the same time, Penn's strength has been a source of pride for the Ivy League for a long time. While Cornell fans might sometimes prefer an easier path to the Ivy Title, I believe the league as a whole benefits from more competition and more national attention.
The benefits from playing in a tougher league include being more prepared for top competition in the NCAA Tournament, and being rated higher in the RPI, thus receiving a higher tournament seed. A hard-earned championship is far sweeter and more rewarding than a cakewalk title for the team and the fans alike.
The Quakers have announced that Assistant Coach and NBA Veteran Jerome Allen, one of Penn's all-time great players, will take over for Miller on an interim basis. The Princeton Tigers made a similar move a few years ago, when Tiger legend Sydney Johnson took over the reins from disgraced Head Coach Joe Scott. Over the past two years, Johnson's Tigers have improved dramatically, even blowing out the Cornell Big Red at Jadwin Gym last season. Although that loss stung, I sincerely hope that Jerome Allen can have a similar sort of success with the Penn Program. It'll be better that way for both the Ivy League and Cornell.
- The New York Daily News' Dick Weiss writes on the same topic, "Former Penn star Jerome Allen, who just joined the staff this year, will take over the rest of the season on an interim basis. We would expect Penn to approach Steve Donahue, a former Penn assistant who has won two straight Ivy titles at Cornell, about the position, but you never know. AD Steve Bilsky tried to hire Miller, who was at Brown at the time, on two different occasions, once when Dunphy was being romanced by La Salle and again after he left for Temple."
- Continue reading this post by taking the link below.
- The RPI (Rating Percentage Index) is a measure of strength of schedule and how a team does against that schedule. It does not consider the margin of victory, but only whether or not a team won and where the game was played (home/away/neutral court). The formula is 25% team winning percentage (WP), 50% opponents' average winning percentage (OWP), and 25% opponents' opponents' average winning percentage (OOWP). (See: CollegeRPI.com for a further explanation of the formula.) The RPI may be the most influential factor in NCAA Tournament seeding. Below is a look at Cornell's RPI rank (as of today, Tuesday, December 15) following a 7-2 start for the Big Red. All of Cornell's opponents are also listed (out of 347 total Division I teams). Cornell's results against these opponents are in parentheses.
4. St. John's10. Syracuse (L)
20. Kansas
27. Cornell
42. Harvard
49. Seton Hall (L)
59. Hofstra
74. La Salle
89. Alabama (W)
98. Princeton
102. Vermont (W)
107. St. Joseph's (W)
162. Davidson
164. Drexel (W)
166. Columbia
171. UMass (W)
176. South Dakota
192. Brown
273. Yale
300. Bucknell (W)
304. Toledo (W)
312. Dartmouth
341. Bryant
345. Penn
NR- Clarkson (D-III)
NR- PSU-Erie (D-III)
- Neither the Ken Pomeroy or Jeff Sagarin rankings are used by the NCAA. Accordingly, the rankings have very little value. Nevertheless, KenPom.com ranks Cornell No. 70 in the nation, while the Sagarin rankings have Cornell at No. 47.
- Below are links to our game recaps from each of Cornell's games this season. Associated press recaps courtesy of Rivals.com/YahooSports.com are always available by clicking on Cornell's schedule/results on the right column of this blog.
- at Alabama (W 71-67)
- at UMass (W 74-61)
- vs. Seton Hall (L 79-89)
- at Syracuse (L 73-88)
- Toledo (Phil.) (W 78-60)
- Vermont (Phil.) (W 67-59)
- at Drexel (W 61-54)
- at Bucknell (W 104-98)
- vs. St. Joseph's (W 78-66)
- Below, check out results and upcoming action around the Ivy League. (click here for a composite Ivy League schedule) (Click here for a TV schedule of Ivy League games).
Yale 86 Sacred Heart 92 (Connecticut Six) Box Score - Recap
Brown 68 St. Francis (N.Y.) 64 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 58 Boston College 89 Box Score - Recap
Harvard 87 Holy Cross 77 Box Score - Recap
Penn 55 Penn State 70 Box Score - Recap
Saturday, November 14
Princeton 71 Central Michigan 68 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 71 Alabama 67 Box Score - Recap
Sunday, November 15
Brown 55 Virginia Tech 69 Box Score - Recap
William & Mary 85 Harvard 87 (3OT) Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 44 George Mason 60 Box Score - Recap
Monday, November 16
Yale 63 Hofstra 68 (NIT at Storrs CT) Box Score - Recap
Penn 65 Villanova 103 Box Score - Recap
Tuesday, November 17
Yale 65 Colgate 55 (NIT Storrs CT) Box Score - Recap
Columbia53 DePaul 59 [SNY] Box Score - Recap
Wednesday, November 18
Rhode Island 78 Brown 57 Box Score - Recap
Manhattan 54 Princeton 61 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 74 UMass 61 Box Score - Recap
Friday, November 20
Brown 76 St. John's 79 Box Score - Recap
Longwood 61 Columbia 72 Box Score - Recap
Seton Hall 89 Cornell 79 Box Score - Recap
Bryant 51 Harvard 77 Box Score - Recap
Saturday, November 21
Army 56 Princeton 52 Box Score - Recap
Dartmouth 60 Furman 83 Box Score - Recap
Delaware 97 Penn 94 2OT Box Score - Recap
Quinnipiac 71 Yale 64 Box Score - Recap
Sunday, November 22
Maine 62 Brown 75 Box Score - Recap
Monday, November 23
Harvard 53 Army 56 Box Score - Recap
Charlotte 88. Yale 74 NIT Box Score - Recap
Tuesday, November 24
Princeton 50 George Washington 65 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 73 Syracuse 88 Box Score - Recap
Loyola (Md.) 58 Dartmouth 41 Box Score - Recap
Bucknell 59 Columbia 73 Box Score - Recap
Drexel 58 Penn 49 Box Score - Recap
Elon 65 Yale 69 NIT Box Score - Recap
Wednesday, November 25
Brown 70 Bryant 68 Box Score - Recap
New Hampshire 60 Harvard 78 Box Score - Recap
Friday, November 27
Cornell 78. Toledo 60 (Legends Classic at Philadelphia, Pa.) Box Score - Recap
Brown 79 Siena 99 (Philadelphia Hoops Classic) Box Score - Recap
Yale 48 Army 64 Box Score - Recap
Hartford 56 Dartmouth 68 Box Score - Recap
Saturday, November 28
Cornell 67 Vermont 59 (Legends Classic at Philadelphia, Pa.) Box Score - Recap
Brown 79 Siena 99 (Philadelphia Hoops Classic) Box Score - Recap
Yale 48 Army 64 Box Score - Recap
Hartford 56 Dartmouth 68 Box Score - Recap
Sunday, November 29
Cornell 61 Drexel 54 (Legends Classic at Philadelphia, Pa.) Box Score - Recap
Harvard 78 Boston U. 70 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 60 California 81 [CSN California] Box Score - Recap
Monday, November 30
Columbia 55 Sacred Heart 60 Box Score - Recap
Tuesday, December 1
Vermont 63 Dartmouth 58 Box Score - Recap
Wednesday, December 2
Holy Cross 85 Brown 79 (OT) Box Score - Recap
Cornell 104 Bucknell 98 (OT) Box Score - Recap
Yale 48 Hartford 46 Box Score - Recap
Rice 64 Harvard 85 Box Score - Recap
Thursday, December 3
Lehigh 75 Columbia 70 Box Score - Recap
Princeton 44 Rutgers 58 Box Score - Recap
Friday, December 4
Penn 67 Navy 73 [CBS College Sports] Box Score - Recap
Saturday, December 5
Columbia 60 Stony Brook 63 Box Score - Recap
Brown 55 Minnesota 91 Box Score - Recap
Sunday, December 6
Harvard 73 UConn 79 [SNY/ESPN Fullcourt] Box Score - Recap
Lafayette 48 Princeton 62 Box Score - Recap
Cornell 78 St. Joseph's (PA) 66 Box Score - Recap
Monday, December 7
Brown 62 Providence 78 Box Score - Recap
Vermont 72 Yale 60 Box Score - Recap
Tuesday, December 8
Columbia 102 Wagner 91 Box Score - Recap
Albany 78 Penn 60 Box Score - Recap
Wednesday, December 9
Harvard 74 Boston College 67 Box Score - Recap
Bryant 54 Yale 69 Box Score - Recap
Saturday, December 12
Columbia 69 Bryant 57 Box Score - Recap
Army 59 Dartmouth 46 Box Score - Recap
Penn 75 Monmouth 80 Box Score - Recap
Sunday, December 13
Princeton 65 UNC Greensboro 50 Box Score - Recap
Lyndon State 54 Dartmouth 83 Box Score
Wednesday, December 16
Monmouth at Princeton, 7 pm
Thursday, December 17
Dartmouth at Lehigh, 7 pm
Sunday, December 20
Cornell vs. Davidson, Noon [MSG Holiday Festival, Fox Sports Atlantic/MSG]
Dartmouth at New Hampshire, 1 pm
Princeton at Maine, 3 pm
Monday, December 21
Yale at Providence, 7 pm
Cornell vs. St. John's/Hofstra, 7/9 pm [MSG Holiday Festival, Fox Sports Atlantic/MSG]
Tuesday, December 22
Colgate at Dartmouth, 7 pm
Wednesday, December 23
Harvard at Georgetown, noon [ESPN Full Court/ MyTV9/ SNY]
Columbia at Quinnipiac, 7 pm
Monday, December 28
MIT at Harvard, 4 pm
Kean at Brown, 7 pm
Penn at Davidson, 7 pm
Tuesday, December 29
Yale at Colorado, 9 pm [FSN Rocky Mountain]
Cornell at La Salle, 4 pm
Wednesday, December 30
Dartmouth at Quinnipiac, 2 pm [NESN]
Brown at Sacred Heart, 7 pm
George Washington at Harvard, 6 pm
Maine at Columbia, 7 pm
Wagner at Princeton, 7 pm
Thursday, December 31
Yale at Colorado State, 4 pm
Penn St. Erie-The Behrend College at Cornell, 2 pm
Penn at Duke, 6 pm [ESPN2]
Saturday, January 2
American at Brown, 1 pm
Bryant at Cornell, 2 pm
Harvard at Seattle, 5:10 pm
Princeton at St. Joseph's, 2 pm [The Comcast Network]
Sunday, January 3
Penn at Lafayette, 1 pm
Yale at Albany, 4 pm [Time Warner Cable (TW3)]
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