2010 NCAA Tournament: Previewing the cinderellas: Pt. 3 Cornell

This year's NCAA Tournament is chock full of cinderella stories. Only eight of the Sweet 16 teams were the highest seeded team in their first weekend pod. 11 different conferences are represented. There are still three double digit seeds and one nine seed left.

And three certified cinderella stories - Northern Iowa, St. Mary's, and Cornell.

Who can make it to the weekend in their glass slipper?

Cornell: #12 seed, East Region

• Why the slipper will fit: Cornell's offense
  
  Cornell torched Temple. They dissected Wisconsin. No matter how you look at it, no matter what stats you throw out there, there is no argument. Temple and Wisconsin are two of the best defensive teams in the country. There's no question about it. And Cornell tore them to shreds on the offensive end of the floor. Its the easy answer, I know, but its also very, very true.
  
  Cornell is an efficient, smart, well-coached team. They run their sets. They know when they are going to get their shots, and they don't care who gets them. And it helps that they have a number of talented basketball players. Louis Dale is one of the better point guards in the country, and may be the best you have never seen. Ryan Wittman is a 6'6" shooter that is nearly automatic when he gets his feet set and his shoulders squared. Jeff Foote is a legit 7'-footer with a legit game. Chris Wroblewski, Jon Jacques, Geoff Reeves. This is a team that can put up points with anyone in the country. Just ask Temple and Wisconsin.


• Why the slipper won't fit: Kentucky can score too
  
  Defensively, Kentucky rates right up there with Wisconsin and Temple. The difference between the Wildcats and those two teams, however, is that the Wildcats are much, much better on the offensive end of the floor. Think about it like this: Patrick Patterson was an all-american the last few years, a double-double machine. And he is playing a role for these Wildcats. As good as Cornell is on the offensive end of the floor, they are not all that good defensively. Kentucky is going to put a lineup on the floor where they have five guys that are threats. Can Cornell slow them down?
  
  Kentucky is a different kind of team than Wisconsin and Temple. Where the Badgers and the Owls try to grind you down, forcing you to take tough shots and then going to get the rebound, Kentucky is longer and more athletic. Granted, a good offensive team like Cornell is going to be able to execute against any defense, but Kentucky's length and athleticism will allow them to close out on shooters, contest more shots, and get to help side quicker. They're better getting to the offensive glass and they're better running the floor.


• The BIAH Prediction: Cornell is going to need to do two things to win this game. They need to control the tempo, as they won't be able to run with Kentucky, and they need to keep the bigger, stronger, and more athletic Wildcats off the offensive glass. In other words, Kentucky is going to score enough as it is. Cornell needs to limit the number of easy baskets the Wildcats get. I don't see it happening, and I think Kentucky wins by double digits.