Mama, If You Could Only SEC Us Now

Cornell basketball opened up the 2009-10 campaign with a win in Tuscaloosa, Ala., against Alabama, 71-67, on Saturday. The Red (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) showed its dominance in the heart of the SEC, and picked up its third-straight season-opening victory. Senior Ryan Wittman led the Red, picking up 23 points, three rebounds and five from beyond the arc. The pentagonal efforts of Wittman, senior Jeff Foote, senior Louis Dale, sophomore Chris Wroblewski and senior Alex Tyler combined for 59 of the Red’s 71 points on Saturday afternoon.

The Red’s season-opener was a matchup of Ivy League vs. SEC, brains vs. brawn and scholarship dollars vs. Ancient Eight recruiting. Alabama, led by JaMychal Green, the No. 21 prospect in 2005, came into this weekend’s game with a new coach, and a lot of talent.

“It definitely felt good to go down to a solid SEC school and pick up a win,” Wittman said. “I think we have a lot of places to grow, but it’s always great to start the season with a win.” [9]...and I can’t wait to ‘SEC’ you again: Senior Ryan Wittman led the Red with 23 points in Saturday’s season opener against Alabama.

The Red’s visit to Alabama was its first since bell-bottoms, pet rocks and Led Zeppelin. The choice to open up this season on the road, against a tough squad from Alabama, fell on head coach Steve Donahue, who has designed one of the most difficult out-of-conference schedules in the NCAA. The Red outperformed expectations, showering shots from the field, to lead the Crimson Tide for almost the entire game. The Red proved that its shooting would be something to look out for this season.

“The three-point line is the great equalizer in college basketball; it’s a game changer,” said Alabama head coach Anthony Grant. “They came out tonight and they made some timely threes. They made some where we didn’t do a very good job of getting matched up with their shooters and identifying where we needed to be.”

In the first half, the Red was able to play its game without much intervention from Alabama. ’Bama struggled to contain the Red’s offensive weapons, which have truly started to pay dividends. Whether it be Wittman, draining shot after shot from the field, many for three, or Foote picking up points in the paint, the Red was able to create opportunity in Coleman Coliseum.

“We really focused on our offense in this game,” said senior Mark Coury. “You never know how the stats are going to fall, and how your first game is going to be. But, we won this game because of the preparation we put in.”

The Red was able to contain Alabama’s offense, showing off its new defensive unit led by Coury, a Kentucky import who has brought a new angle to the squad. Coury picked up five rebounds in the half, while the Red forced nine turnovers out of the Tide that converted to seven easy points. Though Coury only played 18 minutes against Alabama, he produced the second-highest number of rebounds for the Red. Foote picked up seven rebounds in 35 minutes of play.

“Having another big body on the court is really great for us,” Wittman said. “Coury has been working a lot on rebounds in practice, and that really showed in this game.”

In his head coaching debut, Grant went into the locker room at half time six points down, 26-20. Grant’s defensive change at the half began to cut away at the Red’s lead as the second half wore on.

In the opening minutes, Wittman would pick up six points from three-point territory, and the Red’s lead would balloon to 15 point without answer from the Crimson Tide. ’Bama then turned up the physicality of the game, putting on an aggressive full court press that began to change the tides.

The Red had difficulty handling Bama’s press, having some trouble finding the open man in what seemed like a constant double team. The Red made nine turnovers in the second half, which converted to 15 points for the Crimson Tide. Alabama was quick to convert on opportunities, picking up 10 fast break points in the second period, allowing ’Bama to outscore the Red 47-45 in the half.

Despite mounting pressure from Alabama’s defense, the Red was able to shoot 62.5 percent from the field, and 70 percent from beyond the arc.

“Alabama had some pretty good runs in the second half, getting the lead down to one or two and I think we showed a lot of resolve stopping the bleeding,” Donahue said. “It’s a characteristic we really lacked last year.”

The Crimson Tide was able to come within three twice in the final minutes of the battle, but the Red was able to expand its lead quickly at key moments to keep the victory in sight. In the last 2:24 of regulation, the Red was able to sink six-of-seven high-pressure shots from the free throw line to hold the lead. Wroblewski made one of two free throws with only seconds left to seal the win, 71-67.

“I think [Alabama] will be pretty good come January,” Donahue said. “We have a bunch of veteran leadership on this team and it means a lot to them to beat a big school like Alabama on the road to start the year.”

With one game in the win column, the Red will continue its road stand on Wednesday in Amherst to take on UMass in the opener for the Legends Classic. The Red will make its Newman Arena debut on Friday against a capable squad from Seton Hall at 7 p.m.