They have more talent than any other team in the Ivy League, with a 25-3 Ivy record over the last two seasons — not to mention two trophies — to prove it.
They’ve downed two Big 5 teams (plus Drexel) and have shown they can play with major conference competition.
No, these aren’t Fran Dunphy’s Penn Quakers.
It’s a new era in the Ivy League, and Cornell, led by Dunphy’s former assistant Steve Donahue, is the reigning king of the hill.
With two thrashings of Columbia on consecutive Saturdays, Cornell (16-3, 2-0 Ivy) opened its quest for a third straight Ivy title with a statement that’s loud and clear: the road to the Ivy basketball championship still goes through Ithaca, N.Y.
Even before the Big Red beat the Lions by 21 points to open their Ivy slate, it was easy to see why they remain heavy favorites.
Cornell rolled through its challenging non-conference schedule, tying the record of the 1970-71 Quakers with 15 non-conference wins, including victories over Alabama, Massachusetts, St. Joseph’s and La Salle. Its three losses came against Seton Hall, No. 4 Syracuse and No. 2 Kansas — each by 15 points or less.
The Big Red also saw the return of its big three in the Class of 2010 with guard (and former Ivy League Player of the Year) Louis Dale, forward Ryan Wittman and 7-foot center Jeff Foote. That trio consists of the Ancient Eight’s top assist man, second-leading scorer and top rebounder, respectively.
Outside of that core, sophomore Chris Wroblewski has emerged as Dale’s backcourt mate. The Highland Park, Ill., native poured in 20 points against both Seton Hall and Syracuse, and currently averages 9.0 points and 3.9 assists per game.
What stands out most about this Cornell team is its ball movement and shot selection — not surprising considering it is a veteran group with seven seniors who play significant minutes.
The Big Red leads the Ivy League in assists (17.1 per game), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) and three-point percentage (.418).
With a heap of talent and a resume worthy of at-large NCAA tournament consideration, Cornell should cruise through the majority of its Ivy games.
That includes a pair of matchups with Penn, the last team to win three straight Ivy basketball titles (from 2004 to 2007). The Quakers lost to the Big Red by 15 and 24 in their two meetings last season.
Harvard likely poses the biggest threat to a potential Cornell three-peat.
If the Crimson and Big Red split their season series, a tie at the top could send both teams to the NCAA tournament in March, a first for two Ivy teams.
Oh, how things have changed.
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