News and Notes: Wednesday Edition

Below, news and notes for Wednesday...

• One Bid Wonders lists its power rankings and writes:

8. Cornell (0-10)
Results: L 72-62 at St. Francis
This week: N/A
Another week and still no wins for Cornell. It looked like the Big Red had a decent shot against a 1-7 St. Francis team, but Cornell shot 4 of 21 from three and 6 of 15 from the free-throw line. St. Francis went into the break up, 30-22, and hung on for the 10-point win. Robert Hatter had 21 in the losing effort.

***

OBW Ivy League Frosh Five
Robert Hatter, G, Cornell
Tony Bagtas, G, Penn
Tavon Blackmon, G, Brown
Luke Petrasek, F, Columbia
Eli Harrison, F, Dartmouth

• The Boston Globe lists Cornell among "five falling" college basketball programs and writes, "Cornell: Steve Donahue probably thinks he has it bad at BC but his former team is 0-10 this season after losing at home to St. Francis of Pennsylvania Saturday."

• BC Interruption writes, "Through seven games, Boston College hoops adjusted defensive efficiency (AdjD), Ken Pomeroy's estimate of the defensive efficiency a team would have against the average D-I offense, ranks 257th in the nation (of 351). The [Boston College] Eagles' D currently ranks over 100 spots lower than the second lowest team in the conference (N.C. State at 153). Perhaps coincidentally, Donahue's former program, Cornell, ranks dead last nationally in AdjD through the games of December 3." 

• Eagle in Atlanta says, "Donahue is done" at Boston College "barring a miracle."

• Fox Sports turns the spotlight on "the best stories outside the major conferences" and writes, "Cornell: Success has yet to follow Steve Donahue to Boston College -- 28-45 record as an ACC coach -- but it certainly packed its suitcases when he left Cornell. Following three straight 20-win seasons and conference titles at the Ivy League school, Donahue followed protocol and took a bigger job. His successor, Bill Courtney, has been unable to keep the ball rolling, finishing with a 35-52 record in his first three seasons. The Big Red are 0-10 this season and feature the worst defense in the country (120.4 points per 100 possessions). Ivy League bragging rights have shifted and one has to wonder if Courtney is the one to reclaim the title."

• The NBA D-League Blog writes, "Here’s what the 17 teams across the league should be thankful for...Springfield Armor: The Twin Towers duo of Willie Reed and Jeff Foote, who will make life miserable for opponents inside."

• The Beloit (MI) Daily News writes of Western Michigan, "This year, the Broncos  were predicted to finish in second place in the West Division. WMU recorded impressive early-season victories over New Mexico State and Cornell before dropping a 51-35 decision at Northwestern Saturday."

• The Juice notes of Syracuse, "when the Orange plays teams like Cornell and Colgate, the game is generally played at a much slower place, and so many defensive possessions end in a turnover. "

• Cornell RPI Watch: 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. Cornell's RPI rank as of December 11, 2013 is No. 335 out of 344 total Division I teams. While neither the Ken Pomeroy or the Sagarin Rankings (USA Today) are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, the KenPom.com site ranks Cornell No. 340 in the nation, while the Sagarin Rankings (USA Today) have Cornell at No. 344. Both sites are predominantly used by fans and the media.

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