We can probably stop making the “Why Eli Manning isn’t an elite quarterback argument?” now after he secured his second defeat of the New England Patriots in as many Super Bowls.

That’s one more Super Bowl ring than his brother Peyton has, two more than his father Archie, and two rings to throw up a peace sign to Tom Brady and yell, “That’s twice buddy!”

Push come to shove, teams have to get hot at the right time. The Giants chose the most opportune time, the Green Bay Packers, the most inopportune time. It’s time to favor the Wild Card team, or the team who gets into the playoffs on the final game of the season.

The Las Vegas bookies have it all wrong: never trust the teams sitting their starters in weeks 16 and 17 and “prepping” for the playoffs. Complacency is the number one killer in sports, and living on the edge is what fuels the fire. Just ask the Macabees when lighting up a menorah.

2010 San Francisco Giants anyone? 2011 St. Louis Cardinals anyone? 2011 Green Bay Packers anyone? Need I say more?

So maybe this Super Bowl did not entail a football, David Tyree’s helmet, and a strip of Velcro, but it did feature an over-the-shoulder-tip-toeing-maintaining-possession-of-the-ball-while-falling-out-of-bounds catch that changed the complexion of the game (not to name any names but Eli Manning’s runner-up as Super Bowl MVP-if they had such an award-Mario Manningham.)

Brady even tried to reenact his own version of Manning to David Tyree, only to see linebacker Chase Blackburn jump in front of Brady’s intended target Rob Gronkowski. A linebacker who just sixth months ago was in the classroom with a piece of chalk and a ruler.

Wasn’t it just less than two months ago the Giants were up “that” creek without a paddle after a blowout loss to Washington, and sitting at 7-7 on the outside looking in?

Tally up Manning’s game-winning drives in the fourth quarter and overtime to seven. Seven come-from-behind wins in one season. Second to only Aaron Rodgers in fourth quarter QB rating, why is everyone so obsessed with Tim Tebow? Can’t you see Manning is out-Tebowing Tebow?

And for all you Patriots fans, don’t get all your “Bradys” in a bunch. An elite quarterback and leading a dynasty of the ages. Five Super Bowls in a little over 10 years, and three rings in four years during the 2000s.

But it takes an “Eli” to make an ELI-te quarterback.

Instead, Los Angeles native Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers was awarded the MVP award, and became the first Brewer since Robin Yount won his second AL MVP in 1989.

“The reason I won is because they put a better team around me,” Braun told the USA Today in a conference call. “It’s a result of 25 guys around you and putting you in that situation.”

In that case, the baseball writers of America need a dictionary refresher of what defines a most valuable player. Because Kemp did not have a better team around him like Braun did. To tell me that Braun won because he had a higher batting average and played for a team who made the playoffs for only the second time in almost 30 years (1982). To tell me Braun won the most valuable player award because he had the likes of Prince Fielder, a player who finished third behind Braun and Kemp in the MVP voting, backing him up in the lineup, is astounding.

Does Clayton Kershaw count? Because he won the NL Cy Young. Kemp was one home run away from becoming only the sixth player in major league history to hit for 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season. A player who would have won the triple crown if not for Braun. First in home runs, first in RBI’s and first in runs scored (115). Did I mention Kemp won a Gold Glove?

My question is that if Braun were to go down with injury during the season, would the Brewers be that much worse without him?

Home runs? You have Corey Hart, Ricky Weeks and Prince Fielder for that. RBI’s and manufacturing runs? The aforementioned. The Dodgers lose Kemp, and their offense is even more atrocious than it already was. Unless we started seeing Jamey Carroll, Aaron Miles or (ahem) Juan Uribe start hitting home runs. But the Dodgers might have had a better chance seeing a game snowed out in Chavez Ravine than another 30+ homer player on the Dodgers.

In my eyes, the Dodgers are far worse without Kemp than the Brewers are without Braun. To hit for 39 home runs in a hitter-friendly Dodger Stadium for a disgruntled franchise in front of empty seats in which half of the season the team had nothing to play for is beyond impressive. It’s remarkable. And to be dubbed solely because the Dodgers were not a contender is wrong. Alex Rodriguez played for last-place Texas and won the award in 2002.

The Dodgers finished in third place in the NL West, a respectable 82-79, and probably would have been a 90-loss team and fighting for position in the NL West cellar if not for Kemp’s contributions not only offensively, but defensively.

And like Braun, Kemp is with the Dodgers for the long-haul, recently signing an eight-year, $160 million dollar extension. Last time I checked, that also puts Kemp with the Dodgers through 2020 just like Braun.

The most valuable player is the value of a player to his team. With a teammate who finished in third place in the MVP voting, it should be pretty clear Braun’s value on the Brewers is not nearly the value Kemp boasts in a Dodgers uniform.

Kemp joked with reporters he would be going for the 50-50 club next season. He very well might have to, or be the first player since 1967 to win the triple crown.

Because the baseball writers of America have a flawed definition of “MVP” in whatever dictionary they are looking at.

In the end, a team not in playoff contention, one home run short of the 40-40 club, and only two for three in the triple crown race isn’t good enough to win the MVP.

Cornell started off the game strong with seven shots on goal in the first period.  The game was incredibly fast paced, but ran smoothly. There were very few penalties and stops in the game. It was really enjoyable to watch and the fans were glued to the ice.

Head coach Mike Schafer commented on the great defensive playing in the 1st period. “The freshman are doing a good job of playing, but our upperclassman are doing a great job of coming out and doing better. Eric Axell, I think, was one of our best players tonight.”

At the end of the 1st period, Cornell was up 1-0 thanks to a goal by Ferlin assisted by Miller. Greg Miller has obtained a point during every game so far this season. And goalie, Any Iles, also had his own feat accomplishing his first career shutout game.

“It’s one of those things as a goalie you kind of want to get out of the way”, remarked Iles.  But, he was grateful to his team commenting that it was not an individual achievement, but a team effort.

“There’s no better feeling as a team, when you come out there with a goose egg on the board” and in regards to the Big Red defense, “there’s no better feeling than someone laying their body on the line for the team”.

Missed opportunities seemed to be the theme of the 2nd period though. The score remained 1-0 entering into the final period of the game.

The third period was like a different team, offensively on the ice for Cornell. Sean Collins said that they “turned it on in the 3rd period” with 3 fast paced goals that left the Princeton Tigers in the dust.

Collins explained the final goal that put the Big Red over the top to beat Princeton 4-0.  After Nick D’Agostino got a turnover he was able to “pass it up to Lowry, got between the defensemen’s stick, I got it, backhand, forehand, quick release, and beat him upstairs.” It looked as beautiful as it sounded.

Princeton’s goalie, Sean Bonar, may have let in 4 goals, but he was able to fend off 18 of the other attempts made by Cornell. Their offense took plenty of shots in the 1st two periods, but their momentum was halted in the third when the Big Red became hot.

Their next game is tonight against Quinnipiac in the 2nd game of their 3 game homestand.

However, things did not start well for Cornell. In the 17^th minute of the game, Columbia’s David Najem chipped the ball over the head of Cornell goalie, Zach Zagorski, who was standing in for an injured Rick Pflasterer. The goal put Columbia up 1-0.

In the closing minutes of the first half, Cornell evened the score with a goal from Daniel Haber. After a long pass down field from Defender Patrick Slogic, Tyler Regan sprinted down the right sideline, beat a defender, and crossed to Haber for the assist. The Big Red went into the second half tied with Columbia, and they would exit the final minutes of regulation time the same way.

The teams headed into the first over time ready to score, Cornell eager to edge out the Lions for the title. However, after two overtimes, the game ended in a tie and landed in fourth overall in the Ivy League.

“Coming into this season we felt like last year we left a lot on the table, and the group we had going forward was so committed, that we felt like we had this in us, we had to go out and prove it” said Haber. Cornell fought until the very last minute, until the final whistle blew when almost everyone on the field fell to the ground showing both the physical and emotional anguish the game caused.

“Obviously it’s a pretty emotional night.” Said Lannon, a senior midfielder and captain on the team. “This season, we’ve kind of been fighting back from what we used to be. As tough a result as it was to take, we fought the entire time. And that’s kind of what this team has been all about for the last three years. I couldn’t be more proud of this group,” he continued, “even during the thought time of the game, we got down one nothing, and it took all we got to fight back and get a goal.”

After finishing 1-14 his freshman year, Lannon credited the dedication of the team and coaches for the turn around. “It’s really tough because we put in the hours, we put in all the work that I don’t think a lot of other teams did. And that’s kind of why we really believed we were doing something right. They couldn’t work nearly as hard as us without getting the results and I think this year proved it,” said Lannon, “It’s so tough because we all put our hearts and souls into this whole thing.”

After the game, coach Jaro Zawislan talked about the development of the team over the season. “The foundation with 8 wins 2 losses 6 ties, of course we would like to win more games, of course we would like to win the title tonight for this program, for the fans, for the community here, and just came short, but I am so proud of the players, they left everything on the field,” said Zawislan, who has now been with the program for three years. Along with the efforts of the team, Zawislan was able to push the team into the top 25 in the NCAA rankings this season.

Despite the disappointing finale to the season, after a discouraging 2010 season, the team was still proud of their accomplishments this season. “The whole attitude of the program is completely different now. We are much more positive we really believe that going forward we will be competing every year for the Ivy League Championship and for a spot in the [NCAA] tournament” Haber said.

“The foundation with 8 wins 2 losses 6 ties, of course we would like to win more games, of course we would like to win the title tonight for this program, for the fans, for the community here, and just came short, but I am so proud of the players, they left everything on the field.” Added Zawislan. “Sky is the limit! And we always try for perfection so this process will never end and just looking at the progress that this group of players made from the preseason, form the first game, and getting better almost every half of the game, almost every 45 minutes we’ve been getting better, and better and better.”

In addition to a season the clearly displayed great potential for future seasons, defender Patrick Slogic and junior goalkeeper Rick Pflasterer made first team All-Ivy. Slogic played every minute of every game (except one which he didn’t play in at all), and Pflasterer started 15 or 16 games and allowed only nine goals in 15 games, allowed an average of 0.78 goals against (third all time for Cornell). Pflasterer also had six shutouts, and 81 minutes of a seventh. The last Cornell player to make first team All-Ivy was Matt Bouaree in 2009, and this pair is the first duo since 1996 to make first team All-Ivy, when three Cornell players made the team. Senior midfielder Jimmy Lannon and sophomore forward Daniel Haber make second team All-Ivy, and sophomore midfielder Benjamin Williams was named to the Honorable Mention All-Ivy team. Freshman forward Conor Goepel walked away from the season with two freshman of the week awards, and Goalkeeper Zack Zagorski with one.

Borrowed Time–UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel on the sidelines in the Nov. 12 game against Utah. The Bruins losr 31-6 to fall to 5-5 on the season. Neuheisel has been on the proverbial “hot seat” since the beginning of the season with a career 19-26 record through the first four seasons at UCLA. (Jim Urquhart/Associated Press)

Being consistently inconsistent is turning into a rerun UCLA does not want to keep replaying.

Highlighted by a season of peaks and valleys, the Rick Neuheisel tenure hit another valley in yet another embarrassing loss, this time at Utah 31-6 Nov. 12. Forget the snow or the fact that Utah became bowl eligible with the win (6-4) and UCLA (5-5, 4-3 Pac-12)…to be determined.

Just when it seems Neuheisel has awoken from the dead, climbed the mountain via crab-walk (Have you tried to crab-walk up a mountain? It’s pretty difficult), or turned fool’s gold into 24-carat stone, the Bruins get caught in a trap, pushed down the mountain they just climbed, or taken 24-carat stone and managing to smash it into a thousand pieces.

A thrilling win only to be followed with a terrible loss. Get embarrassed on national television and lose by 36 points to a 1-6 team who recently fired their coach, then beat Cal and first-place Arizona State in as many weeks, the peaks and valleys of this season are too much to handle for the Bruin faithful.

Might as well go 0-12, because at least then we know what to expect. One week, we are beating a Pac-12 contender, the next trying to find a way to beat San Jose State.

There’s only so many mountains you can turn into molehills, and for Neuheisel’s case, the Bruins got pushed off their last mountain Saturday against Utah, which actually fits quite well since Salt Lake City is 5,000 feet above sea level.

5-5 and still not bowl eligible with two games remaining, Neuheisel faces two scenarios: beat Colorado and lose to USC, or even better, vise versa, or lose both to close out the season 5-7 and without a bowl bid.

If Neuheisel beats Colorado and loses to USC, expect athletic director Dan Guerrero to dropkick Neuheisel straight out of his office because another 6-6 season with another loss to cross-town rival USC does not cut it.

Losing to a 1-6 Arizona team on national television does not cut it. Struggling against a team the school paid $465,000 to come to the Rose Bowl (not to name any names but San Jose State) in front of an empty Rose Bowl does not cut it. Even beating Cal and Arizona State in consecutive weeks doesn’t cut it, because in a season that is constantly changing elevations, we can almost guarantee the Bruins will find a way to take another two steps back.

It might be too early to say, but if Neuheisel does not win out and finish 7-5 before another mediocre bowl bid, he will be out of Westwood one year early.

The fun and games are over. Like Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt once said: ‘How do you spell fun? W-I-N.’ Did I mention he is also resigning after this season because he can’t seem to be having much “fun” in Oxford.

A loss next week to Colorado, and Neuheisel will have the Bruins treading sand in Death Valley. “Death” might sound a little harsh, but it just happens to be the name of a Valley that happens to be in California that happens to be the lowest point on Earth.

When you climb a mountain in sports, people expect you to stay there longer than a Kim Kardashian marriage. There is no 15 seconds of fame. Only weeks and weeks of it in college football.

Consistently inconsistent. That is the best phrase to describe Neuheisel’s past four years in Westwood. Not a compliment.

Big Red Shootout–Cornell receiver Grant Gellatly dives into the endzone for a touchdown in the first quarter in a game against Columbia Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field. The Big Red’s 62-41 victory over Columbia was its highest point total since 1936. (Photo by Patrick Shanahan)

It might have been Senior Day for the Cornell football team Saturday, but it was the performance of an underclassman that paved the way for the Big Red’s fourth win on the year.

Sophomore quarterback Jeff Mathews set a Cornell single-game record with 521 passing yards and five touchdowns on 40 of 46 pass attempts, single-handedly carrying the offense on his shoulders in a 62-41 shootout over Columbia Saturday afternoon at Schoellkopf Field.

Mathews’ 521 yards was just five yards short of the Ivy League single-game record set by Brown’s Michael Daugherty in 2008.

According to Big Red head coach Kent Austin, Mathews’ performance may have stood out, but it was a collective team effort that was indicative of the win.

“Jeff’s a really good player,” Austin said laughing. “ But he’s got good players around him. It always takes 11 for anyone to perform. But Jeff is just as accurate and had as good a decision-making day as any quarterback that I have been around in a long time.”

The 62 points the Big Red (4-5, 2-4 Ivy League) put up on the Lions (0-9, 0-6) was also a modern-day record for the program, breaking the previous mark of 57 points in a win over Georgetown in 2005. The last time the Big Red scored at least 60 points in a game was when they scored 74 in 1936.

But the way things started for the Big Red, it was appearing to be a long afternoon.

The Big Red appeared to have the Lions headed to a three-and-out on their first drive, but a roughing the punter penalty kept the Lions offense on the field. 10 players later, the Lions got on the board off a four-yard run from Griffin Lowry to give the Lions an early 7-0 lead.

However, the Big Red bounced back less than three minutes later, tying the game at seven just before the end of the first quarter on a two-yard reverse from Luke Tasker.

The teams fought neck and neck through the first half, with the Lions scoring just before the half to take a 34-28 lead at the break.

The second half was a different story, as the Big Red defense forced three consecutive three-and-outs and scored 17 unanswered to take 45-34 lead after three quarters, outscoring the Lions 34-7 in the second half to break the game open.

“You don’t know how a game is going to play out,” said Austin. “The best laid plans most of the time get thrown out in the first quarter because everybody has a different game plan and you start making adjustments and they start making their adjustments. It just starts turning out the way it turns out and there’s no way to predict it.”

The always-modest Mathews attributed his passing success to the game plan and his receivers’ ability to find holes in the defense.

“Honestly we have receivers in our offense that get a lot of freedom to get open and when those guys are getting open it’s pretty easy to put the ball in,” said Mathews. “We have some pretty good outside receivers so it’s a lot of fun.”

Recently coined the Empire State Bowl in 2010, the Big Red earned there first win in what had been the unofficial nickname of the series for many years.

For Mathews, it was more about getting seniors like receiver Shane Savage and tight end Ryan Houska a win in their final home game, and first against Columbia.

“It means a lot because you want to remember Cornell the right way and you always tend to remember how you finish,” he said. “So for those (seniors), they finish like this and get a big win (against Columbia).”

At 4-5, the Big Red have already doubled their season win total from all of last year, and look to finish out the season at .500 for the first time since 2007 when they play at Penn next Saturday, Nov. 19.

Despite the Big Red saying goodbye to 23 seniors following next Saturday, Austin believes the seniors will have a lasting impact on the program.

“I’m really privileged to coach a great group of guys and we have had really good senior leadership this year,” he said. “And some of the culture that they’ve helped to establish and the things that they have adopted from our vision as a coaching staff, (what) they’ve been able to implement in the locker room or away from football with our team, they’ve just made an outstanding effort in that regard…they’re all great young men and they all have great futures.”

Space Jam is the greatest sports movie of all time. Yes, I understand the crazy statement I just made, but just hear me out. Space Jam was created in 1996 and throws Michael Jordan, the Looney Toons, and monstrous aliens together to create an epic basketball movie for the ages. This movie was made for children, but what makes it so special is its lasting appeal. I can’t even count the amount of times I have heard my college-aged friends clamoring to watch the movie once again. It has the ability to bring out the child in all of us, which cannot be said about most sports movies. That’s all folks!

Benjamin Rosenthal

The recently released Moneyball, adapted from the Michael Lewis book which provides a behind the scenes look at the 2002 Oakland Athletics and their general manager Billy Beane, does not just appeal to diehard baseball enthusiasts.  Brad Pitt brings the eccentric Billy Beane to life in a stunning performance that captures the inner workings of a Major League Baseball organizat

ion like never before. Beane and his sidekick Peter Brand (Jonah Hill, loosely based on Paul DePodesta) set out to prove that they could put together a successful team finding undervalued players using computer analysis.  With Beane’s job on the line, his Athletics fight through the ups and downs of the 162 game season to prove that playing Moneyball can win games and could ultimately change the game forever.

Alex Post

Remember the Titans has got to be one of the best sports movies of all time and one of my personal favorites. Denzel Washington can make any movie a block buster, but his character in this movie took the role of high school football coach to a whole new level. You watch it and you feel personally invested in the team. The integration of the coaches and the athletes is moving and the soundtrack is so good it’s hard to sit still in your seat. All these things are wonderful, plus a young Ryan Gosling isn’t hard on the eyes.

Coming off a successful season, Koll plans to approach the season by building on the success of prior years. “What [they] really do is work two, three, four years prior to this year in order to have a successful year now. You don’t just wait until everyone graduates and say ‘let’s get to work’.” Last year’s success was years in the making. Koll added “we are going to be good this year, don’t expect us to drop off, we better not have a big drop off…the reason we brought [the new members of the team] here is because they’ve done extremely well in high school, and they all worked all summer long for the past couple summers. Yeah, we have some new faces in the line-up, but they are kids that are going to be immediately competitive.”

Freshman wrestlers do not generally start; with rare exceptions such as Kyle Dake ’13 who won an individual national title his freshman season. The team has five returning members, three of whom are All Americans. “Kyle Dake is an anomaly,” said Koll. “You don’t see many Kyle Dakes who step into the lineup and win a national championship. I think there’ve only been three or four in the history of the sport, it’s been 100 plus years.”  Despite having five members of the team graduate last year, Koll is optimistic that the returning members will create a solid foundation for the team, which will only be strengthened by new additions. “Don’t expect us to drop off precipitously” said Koll. Coming into the season off two, second place finishes, and with a number four overall ranking, their goal is still to win a national title. As for individuals on the team, Coach Koll says that Kyle Dake, a standout on the team, will be great as a team member in bolstering their success, and also individually.  “He is on track to be the first wrestler to win four national championships, and never actually red shirt” said Koll, who believes that Dake—who is now a junior—will continue to be a great resource for the team on the mat and off.

Coach Koll was also very enthusiastic about the addition of Mike Grey ’11 to the coaching staff. “I like to bring in our own if we can” said Koll, “it takes a little bit of time for someone outside of the Ivy League to understand the time commitment these kids have…it is a different world, so Mike has a different appreciation for the academic rigors of Cornell.” Koll expects success from his wrestlers both on the mat and in the classroom.

Koll says that their goals are to win the Ivy title, the Eastern Championship, and of course the national title. This year, the semifinals of the National Dual Meet Championships will be held in Ithaca, so getting to the National Championships (the Final Four) is a huge goal. “If everyone develops like we hope,” says Koll, “we want to be in contention for a national championship.” According to Koll, they are going to need more than a strong team. “[Success] is not always in our hands. We are going to need a little help, some people getting knocked off from the other teams…Penn State had help with us last year, so hopefully we can get some help with our trek to the national title.”

Although the team sells out Bartells, it is not filled with current Cornell students. ”If we can get a little help from the Cornell students, it would make my job a lot easier,” says Koll, “it will be hockey without the puck, and without the pads.”

Their first home match will be on November 18^th versus The University of Minnesota at Newman Arena. The rest of the schedule can be found at http://cornellbigred.com/schedule.aspx?path=wrest&

For more information, check out our interview with Cam Simaz and Kyle Dake: http://www.slopemedia.org/television/cornell-sports-broadcasting/wrestling-season-preview-talking-with-the-team-2/

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Photo by Al Rinow

Streaking–The Cornell Big Red are 8-0-5 their past 13 games, the longest stretch without a loss since the 1995.

They say history repeats itself, but for the Cornell men’s soccer team in recent years, it appeared that repeat button may have been broken.

However, the 2011 season marks the teams surprise 8-1-5 start and first place standing (3-0-2) in Ivy League play with two regular season games remaining.

What has been the most remarkable is that the Big Red are currently riding a 13-game lose-less streak (8-0-5), second only to New Mexico (15) for the longest streak in the nation.

Last season, the Big Red did not win a single Ivy League game (0-5-2), and before head coach Jaro Zawislan arrived in 2009, the Big Red finished the 2008 season 1-15.

The always modest Zawislan believed he could make a dissertation out of the question as to why the Big Red have improved so drastically over the past three seasons.

“Well, how much time do we have to talk about it?” Zawislan said. “Because I can go on for hours about the transition of (Cornell soccer) the past two-plus years.”

“I mean when I came to the program (in 2008), it was my first head coaching position and we started with a philosophy that there’s a fresh start to the program. My record at the time as head coach was zero wins, zero losses, zero ties, and that’s the (philosophy) I expected out of the players—to come with a kind of fresh attitude and forget about the past seasons and just look forward towards the future.”

However, sophomore forward Daniel Haber believed there was a more simpler answer: the team’s dedication to the matriculation of the program has guided the Big Red in the right direction.

“I think that (Jaro’s) done a very good job of really bringing in guys that are committed,” Haber said. “Everyone in the program right now…they’re number one priority is soccer. Everyone is willing to do whatever it takes year round to make the program better.

According to Zawislan, anticipating the high level of competition in Ivy League play compelled the players to respond even hungrier in 2011.

“This season, the returning players came back ready to tackle the challenges of the preseason and season,” he said. “Newcomers came in and they were ready to contribute right off the bat so it’s been a very highly competitive environment in our program and that’s just what makes us better week to week, and from game to game.”

What started as a little hot streak turned into a surprising 1-0 win in the Ivy League opener against Penn Oct. 1 in Philadelphia, as Haber’s goal with less than two minutes remaining in regulation gave the Big Red a win to open conference play for the first time since 2005.

“Penn’s a great team and they’ve been going to the tournament for the last few years and been nationally recognized consistently and we knew that being able to get a win against them would be a big turning point for the program as a whole,” said Haber. “I think it really gave us a big sense of confidence where we feel like after that (win) we can take down anyone if we play our game.”

And thus far, nobody has been able to take the Big Red down in nearly two months. That is unless their opponents consider ties moral victories.

The Big Red’s game versus Brown Oct. 22 drew 983 fans, a Berman Field record, a double overtime thriller that ended in a 1-1 tie.

The Big Red travel to Hanover, N.H. to take on Dartmouth this Saturday, a game that has serious Ivy League title implications considering the Big Green trail the Big Red by two points in the Ivy Standings in a two-way tie with Brown for second place.

Then, the Big Red close out their regular season when they host Columbia on Saturday, Nov. 12, a game that with a win has the possibility of being the Big Red’s first ticket to the NCAA Tournament since 1996.

And Haber stressed the importance of the last two regular games of the season, and what it would mean for a program whose last Ivy League crown was in 1995 to not only win the league championship, but also extend their season.

“We’re going to do our best to finish out the season strong,” he said. “We want to win the Ivy League. We want to get to the NCAA tournament. Those are our goals. But no matter what looking back on the season it will be a success. Big step forward for the program, for now and for the future…”