News and Notes: Friday Afternoon Edition

Below, news and notes...

• BC Interruption mentions Steve Donahue in a preview of a Boston College-Clemson game.

• The Ivy League's weekly release notes in part:

Brown (9-10, 0-2 Ivy) at Cornell (9-9, 1-1 Ivy)
Date: Friday, January 30 – 7 p.m.
Location: Newman Arena • Ithaca, N.Y.
Live Broadcast: The Ivy League Digital Network
Brown-Cornell Series: Cornell leads, 73-48
Last Meeting: Brown 81, Cornell 75 (ot) • 2/22/14 • Ithaca, N.Y.
Live Stats | Brown Game Notes | Cornell Game Notes

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Yale at Cornell
Date: Saturday, January 31 – 6 p.m.
Location: Newman Arena • Ithaca, N.Y.
Live Broadcast: The Ivy League Digital Network
Yale-Cornell Series: Cornell leads, 110-106
Last Meeting: Yale 82, Cornell 65 • 2/21/14 • Ithaca, N.Y.
Live Stats | Yale Game Notes | Cornell Game Notes

• NY Buckets published its weekly Ivy power poll and writes in part:

 Power Rankings:

1. Yale — The Bulldogs are atop the league, but they have to make possibly this year’s most difficult road trip, a Columbia-Cornell series separated by a late-night, four-hour drive. The latter matchup might be more worrying: Yale can’t be sloppy against Cornell’s pressure, and Sears needs to stay out of foul trouble against a relentless series of Big Red drives.
2. Harvard — Before last year’s victory, the Crimson had lost 23 straight games at Princeton; if the Jadwin magic returns on Friday, Harvard could fall into a precarious 1-2 hole. To avoid that, the Crimson needs to shut down the perimeter: Only six teams nationally get a higher share of points from three-pointers than the Tigers, who are especially lethal at home.
3. Columbia — The Lions can pull back into a first-place tie (at least in the wins column) when they host Yale Friday night, but they’ll need more from Maodo Lo on offense. Columbia must score points to beat the well-rounded Bulldogs, and it’s hard to see that happening without a solid game from its top scorer.
4. Cornell— When Yale visits Newman Arena on Saturday evening, it will be playing its second game in 22 hours, having spent much of the intervening time on a bus. With a deep rotation and home-court advantage, the Big Red’s pressure will be critical against the somewhat turnover-prone Bulldogs.
5. Dartmouth— Both Penn and Princeton have a high percentage of their shots blocked, and Gabas Maldunas has the second-best block rate among qualified Ivy Leaguers. If Maldunas controls the paint and the defensive glass, Dartmouth’s offense won’t need outstanding road performances to win at the Palestra or Jadwin.
6. Princeton — To upend Harvard and stay squarely in the Ivy title race, Princeton needs to play small as much as possible. Tommy Amaker has shown that he will counter small lineups with his own four-guard sets, which have not been very effective, and the Tigers are deeper on the wing but thinner in the frontcourt. When Hans Brase is the lone big man, he’ll have a matchup advantage on the perimeter — and he’ll draw Harvard’s shot-blockers away from the rim, opening up space for backdoor layups.
7. Brown — A visit to Cornell won’t be fun for the turnover-prone Bears, but they’ll have a good matchup Saturday at Columbia. The Lions don’t get many steals, and they draw very few fouls, which will be a welcome respite for Brown after two whistle-filled contests against Yale. (Update: Brown will be without Leland King, who left the team this week.)
8. Penn — The Quakers have played best in big games this year, such as a competitive loss to Villanova and this week’s win over Saint Joseph’s in a packed Palestra. That means they should get up for Saturday’s game against Harvard, where an improved defense should give them a fighting chance if a few shots drop. But can Penn bring that same energy Friday, when its tempo might be more important against the plodding Big Green?