SUPER BOWL 2012

Above, flashback to 2010, Louis Dale ('10) takes to the air in a first round NCAA Tournament game against Temple. Below, some news and notes for Thursday...

• Committed Cornell recruit, Braxston Bunce (Kelowna Secondary School) Kelowna, BC, Canada, 6-11,was 7/10 from the floor, finishing with 24 points and 23 rebounds last night in the opening round of the AAA British Columbia (Canada) Provincial Tournament. Bunce was named the Player of the Game.
  

• Jeff Foote (Cornell '10) was interviewed by NBA TV prior to last night's game vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. Prior to the game, the Hornets' Big Easy Blog wrote, "Rookie center Jeff Foote, who is on a 10-day contract, will receive perhaps the biggest challenge of his brief NBA career against the monstrous Lakers frontcourt, featuring 7-footers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. 'It’s a great opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to it,' Foote said. 'I’ve always enjoyed playing against the better big guys. When I was in (college) I played against the Lopez brothers (Brook and Robin of Stanford).'" Foote and the Hornets fell to the Lakers in overtime with Foote playing 7 minutes and 18 seconds, finishing 0/1 from the floor and recording a block shot. The Hornets play the Washington Wizards tonight. Previewing the game, the Hornets' website notes, "Flip Saunders began this season as the Wizards’ head coach, but Randy Wittman took over the role after Washington started 2-13. Wittman is in his third different stint as an NBA head coach, previously leading Cleveland and Minnesota. As a player, Wittman was a shooting guard who had a solid nine-year NBA career, appearing in a total of 543 games with Atlanta, Sacramento and Indiana. His son, Ryan Wittman, was a college hoops star at Cornell University, where Ryan was a teammate of recent Hornets 10-day signee Jeff Foote."
  

• Cornell may not be in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, but the nation's media is still mentioning Cornell quite a bit.
  

• USA Today writes of Harvard in the NCAA Tournament, "The 12th-seeded Crimson (26-4), making their first NCAA appearance since 1946, are hoping to have the same type ofsuccess Cornell had after winning the Ivy League two years ago. The Big Red made the Sweet 16 before being eliminated by Kentucky." USA Today also writes, "before selling the Ivy winners short, it might be wise to remember that Cornell made the Sweet 16 out of the league just two years ago."

• ESPN writes, "After 11 straight years without an NCAA tourney victory by an Ivy League team, Cornell came up with two double-digit W's before falling to No. 1-seeded Kentucky in the Sweet 16 in 2010. "
  

• Sports Illustrated profiled Harvard and the strength of athletics in the Ivy League and writes, "no one should be stunned during March Madness when Cornell reaches the Sweet 16, as it did in 2010"

• The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel refers to Cornell's 2nd round win over Wisconsin in 2010 and writes, "we also know what happens whenever the Badgers run into the smart, spirited underdog that doesn't care what kind of system [Bo] Ryan steadfastly runs [at Wisconsin]. Davidson, Cornell, Butler, on and on, there is no point in rehashing bad history."

• The Associated Press writes of Temple, "The last time the Owls earned a fifth seed, they were bounced by Cornell in the opening round."
  

• YahooSports writes of Wisconin in the NCAAs, "Montana joins UNLV, Davidson, Xavier, Cornell and Butler on the list of recent Badger killers."

• WEEI quotes Steve Donahue on Harvard's tournament chances and notes, "Donahue — who led Cornell to the Sweet 16 in 2010 — said the Crimson have used the same successful method [as Cornell]."

• Ballin' is a Habit writes, "For the first time since 1946, the Crimson are back in the NCAA Tournament. Tommy Amaker has himself a tough defensive club that is capable of controlling pace and getting spots, two valuable qualities for an NCAA Tournament team. Can the Crimson pull a Cornell and make the Sweet 16?"
  

• NESN writes, "Harvard's seed was similar to what recent Ivy champs have received. Princeton was a No. 13 seed last season after 12th-seeded Cornell advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2010. No Ivy League team had advanced that far since Penn made it to the 1979 Final Four, so the committee's reluctance to grant an Ivy League team a higher seed was understandable."

• ESPN's Grantland writes, "Cornell made the Sweet 16 two years ago, but I think the majority of America failed to realize that Cornell was an Ivy League school until it was too late."