Big Red Fall Short, But Make Enough Noise for Folks to Take Note

So, they didn’t ride off into the sunset on the heels of an upset that would’ve ranked in the pantheon of regular season shockers in recent college hoops history. But they sure came damn close. For an alum whose only lament from four years in Ithaca was missing out on the big-time major sports college experience (no offense hockey and lax), the Red hanging tough at the Phog is about as good as it can get. Almost…

Of course, I’ve been yapping to anyone who would listen over the course of their 12-2 start. I’d mentioned the decidedly non-cream puff schedule they’d taken on for themselves. Occasionally, I’d point to the wins over St. Joe’s, St. John’s and at UMass and Alabama. I’d heard the snickers and seen the doubting looks in their eyes. This one would certainly have made headlines. Still, it was enough for me to see my sports cronies tweeting about Big Red basketball.

The Big Red have back-to-back Ivy League championships and a senior-laden team. Wittman is a bonafide shooter. Dale is a real college point guard. Plus, we’ve got a 7-footer inside. Two years ago Cornell faced Stanford and was blasted. Last year, the Red claimed a #13 seed and put up a fight against Missouri before the Tigers pulled away in the second. What might this year have in store? Could they be poised for their first NCAA tourney win in history?

Now 12-3, the Big Red has dropped games to only Seton Hall, Syracuse and Kansas — no slouches. After watching tonight’s performance in Lawrence, perhaps it’s not fantasy to imagine folks might be tweeting about the Big Red come March. It would’ve been nice a decade ago, but I’d surely take it in 2010.