The 2008 NCAA Tournament has its first team. The Ivy League continued its tradition of awarding an automatic NCAA Tournament bid without a conference tournament. But this year, for the first time in 20 years, Pennsylvania or Princeton will not represent the conference. Instead, it’s the Cornell Big Red chewing gum with the chance to become a Cinderella.
Cornell beat Harvard last night to clinch the Ivy League crown with two games left to play. The Big Red are 11-0 in conference play this season and with traditional powers Princeton and Penn having down seasons, they were able to clinch the title before their road games against the two. It’s the first trip to March Madness in 20 years for the school and, with just one senior, it may not be their last.
The Ivy League is the only conference in Division 1 basketball that doesn’t have a postseason tournament, meaning Cornell can now rest up for the Big Dance, which tips off on March 20. Awaiting Cornell will likely be one of college basketball’s powerhouses. But don’t count out Cornell just yet. They’ve already visited both Syracuse and Duke this season, suffering only 16 and 14 point losses respectively.
In the last three seasons, Pennyslvania, the Ivy League champion, has received seedings anywhere from 13 to 15. Cornell is all but assured of receiving a similar position in the bracket, meaning they’ll have to bring their “A” game to have a chance. But given their transcripts, an “A” performance appears to be their norm. *
* Yes, that’s the single cheesiest line ever published on this website.
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