Watch Out Ivy League. Watch Out Nation. Cornell Is Coming...
In Ithaca, New York, the Cornell men’s basketball team has put a spell on the Ivy League, and the nation has noticed. This past Monday when the rankings were released, the program earned a spot in the top 25 for the first time in the school’s latent basketball history. Nowadays, the University isn't just known for its top-notch academics. There's a lot of pride buzzing on the Cornell campus, and rightfully so. After whipping on the Harvard Crimson, the Big Red established themselves as the class of their conference
Undoubtedly, Cornell could be at the bottom of the conference barrel if it were not for the sensational senior duo of Ryan Wittman and Jeff Foote. Wittman, a forward out of Minnesota, is leading his team in scoring for the third straight season and producing at a very high level. He moves well without the ball and has an effective post and perimeter game.
Foote is a seven-foot-tall rebounding machine that goes hard on every single play. And it’s not just the division games where these two guys step up, rather, they shine in the prime time match-ups against some of the top Division 1 schools in the nation. Just ask Alabama, Syracuse, Seton Hall and Kansas. In all of these games, Wittman and Foote gave their team a chance to win in the big spot. Neither of them will be playing in the NBA come 2011 (although you never know with a 7-foot-tall big man), but each could be playing pro ball somewhere when their days for the Big Red are all said and done.
Just like its star players, what has made Cornell stand out is its performance against some of the best teams in the land. The symbol of their season is not a big win, but a nationally televised loss that put this team on the map. Specifically, they gave the Kansas Jayhawks a good run in Lawrence where the game went down to the wire and KU was lucky to escape with a win. Of all the games this season, this just might be the one of which the program is most proud. One would think that the only court Cornell could favorably match up with KU in would be a squash court, but heck, Big Red proved that they could play with anybody. Sure, they took a tough loss to an elite team, but they held their own against them in one of the toughest playing environments in the nation.
There is no question that Kansas will be in the NCAA tournament. The way the Big Red are playing, they will also be marching to the big dance. If that is the situation, watch out for the schedule makers to set up KU and the Big Red to tango for a March Madness rematch.
The regular season is drawing to a close, and for the Big Red the best is yet to come. Break out the Jack Kerouac novel because this team will be on the road for six of its last eight games of the season. If they can pass these tough road tests, Cornell will get a license to the big show. From under the radar and into the spotlight, where they are now undefeated in the Ivy, teams will be gunning to knock this team off ts rocker. Thus far, Cornell has handled every tough task and it would be foolish to think that they will not be ready for the tough road ahead. When March rolls around, there is no question that the famous campus in Ithaca will be dancing.
