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PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Fresh off a strong effort in a narrow 92-88 loss at Ivy champion Yale, the Big Red will close out its four-game road trip when it visits Brown on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. at the Pizzitola Sports Center. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.

• Cornell gave the Bulldogs all they could handle on Friday, as AK Okereke (30), Jake Fiegen (23) and Nazir Williams (19) combined for 72 points.

• The Big Red outrebounded Yale 42-36, assisted on 19 baskets, hit 15 3-pointers and turned it over just nine times, but the Bulldogs made big plays late to extend its win streak to 11 games.

• Cornell enters Saturday tied with Brown for fourth place in the Ancient Eight standings, one game behind second-place Dartmouth and Princeton and a game ahead of sixth-place Harvard with four to play.

• Cornell entering the weekend third in Division I in assists (18.7 per game) is little surprise, as the Big Red has ranked in the top 10 in each of the past three seasons (sixth in 2023 and 2024, seventh in 2022). Ironically, the first assist credited in an NBA game was by a Cornellian, Nat Militzok, for the New York Knicks against the Toronto Huskies in Canada on Nov. 1, 1946.

• Cornell also has a direct connection to one of its biggest weapons — the 3-point shot. Cornell has finished in the top 20 in Division I in 3-pointers made and attempted in each of the past three seasons, and Big Red alum Ed Steitz ’43, a member of the Basketball and FIBA Basketball Halls of Fame, was the original founder and president of Amateur Basketball Association of the United States of America (ABAUSA). He was instrumental in the reinstatement of the dunk in 1976 and was an advocate of the 45-second shot clock and 3-point shot. 

• The Big Red has picked up right where it left off a season ago when it went 22-8, finished tied for second in the Ivy League and made its first-ever NIT appearance.

• All five starters are in double figures and nine players are seeing double-digit minutes.

• The Big Red returns two starters and eight letter winners from last season, with former Big Red captain and longtime assistant and associate head coach Jon Jaques ’10 taking over the program.

• Picked fourth in the Ivy League Preseason media poll, Cornell will be in search of its fourth consecutive appearance in the four-team conference tournament.

GAME INFORMATION

Cornell at Yale

DATE & TIME: Saturday, February 22 at 6 p.m.

SITE: The Pizzitola Sports Center – Providence, R.I.

RECORDS: Cornell 13-10 (5-5 Ivy); Brown 13-10 (5-5  Ivy)

SERIES RECORD: Cornell leads 84-58

BROADCAST: ESPN+

STATS: CornellBigRed.com

DIGITAL PROGRAM: CornellBigRed.com

GAME NOTES: CornellBigRed.com

THE SERIES

Overall: Cornell leads 84-58

In Ithaca, N.Y.: Series tied 35-35    

In Ivy League play: Cornell leads 77-58

On neutral courts: N/A

Streak: Brown, 2

Last 5: Brown leads 3-2

Last 10: Brown leads 6-4

Last meeting: Brown 83, Cornell 82 (1/20/2025 at Cornell)

Last Cornell win: Cornell 84, Brown 83 (1/20/2024 at Brown)

First meeting: Cornell 39, Brown 32 (1/2/1950 at Cornell)

A WIN OVER BROWN WOULD …

• push Cornell’s record to 14-10 on the season and 6-5 in Ivy League play.

• snap a two-game losing skid against the Bears and up its all-time record to 85-58.

• improve its Ivy record to 18-8 over its past 26 league contests.

• avoid Cornell’s first five-game losing streak since the 2019-20 season when it dropped 10 in a row.

• up its all-time record in Ivy League play to 413-535 (.436).

• make Cornell 68-40 overall (.630) since the beginning of the 2021-22 season.

• be the 1,345th in program history (1,344-1,500-2 in 125th season, .473).

LAST TIME VS. BROWN

• Senior Nazir Williams led four double figure scorers for Cornell, but Brown’s Kino Lilly Jr. shook off an uncharacteristically cold shooting night to hit the game-winning free throw with 10 seconds remaining to lift the visiting Bears to an 83-82 victory at Newman Arena. 

• Williams scored 17 points and added five rebounds and five assists to lead the Big Red, while AK Okereke netted 18 points, four boards, four assists and two steals. 

• Jake Fiegen (13 points) and Guy Ragland Jr. (11 points, six rebounds) rounded out the double figure scorers. 

• Cornell shot 64 percent from the floor in the loss, including a torrid 77 percent in the first half. 

• Aaron Cooley scored a game-high 28 points on 10-of-13 shooting, with Landon Lewis adding 17 and both AJ Lesburt Jr. and Lyndel Erold scoring 11 for the Bears. 

• Brown shot 53 percent from the floor and turned the ball over just seven times, allowing the Bears to attempt eight more shots than the Big Red, who coughed the ball up 14 times. 

• Combined with its nine missed free throws, the Big Red couldn’t make up the difference.

LAST TIME OUT

• Cornell gave Yale all it could handle, but the reigning Ivy League Tournament champs clinched a share of 2025 Ancient Eight title following a thrilling 92-88 victory at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. 

• Trailing by two late, the Big Red got its hands on a loose ball and AK Okereke, who had a career-high 30 points, looked to have an open shot under the basket. 

• Yale’s Casey Simmons came from the weak side to block the shot, when was on the receiving end of the run-out break for a dunk to give the home team a four-point lead with 1:16 left. 

• Okereke finished the evening with 30 points, seven assists and four rebounds, while Jake Fiegen also added a career-high with 23 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals. 

• Nazir Williams was the third double figure scorer for Cornell with 19 along with six rebounds and six assists.

• Nick Townsend led Yale with 24 points, 11 rebounds and five assists to pace four in double figures, while Simmons added 21 to go along with eight boards. 

NOTES FROM THE YALE GAME

• Junior AK Okereke became the first Cornell player to score 30 points in a game since Jimmy Boeheim netted 31 points at Robert Morris in the first round of the 2019 CIT.

• Okereke’s seven assists tie the most in a game by a Cornell player with 30 or more points (Matt Morgan ’19 had seven assists twice in 30-point scoring games).

• Cornell posted its fourth game this season with at least 15 made 3-pointers, and its second of the year against Yale.

• Jake Fiegen’s 22 points and six 3-pointers were both career highs.

• Senior Nazir WIlliams posted 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, his third game of the season and fifth of his career with 15+ points, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists. Only Matt Morgan ’19 (seven), Stone Gettings ’19 (seven), Ka’Ron Barnes ’03 (seven) and Chris Wroblewski ’12 (six) have more in a Big Red uniform.

• The Big Red’s six-rebound margin over the Bulldogs was its worst of the season.

TRENDING UP

• The Big Red entered the weekend second in the nation in field goal percentage (.499) and effective field goal percentage (.585) and third in assists (18.7 per game). The Big Red also ranks in the top 20 in scoring offense (15th, 83.2) and 3-point field goals made (17th, 10.3). 

• Entering the weekend, the Big Red ranked as the Ivy League leader in scoring offense (83.2), assists per game (18.7), field goal percentage (.499), effective field goal percentage (.585) and fastbreak points (14.9).

• Four starters are averaging double figures in scoring (a fifth is at 9.9 ppg.), and no player in averaging more than 27.5 minutes per game (senior Nazir Williams).

• Senior Nazir Williams is averaging 16.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 0.9 steals over his past 16 games against Division I teams, shooting 53 percent from the floor overall (100-of-188) and 38 percent from 3-point range (25-of-65).

• Over his past 16 games against Division I teams, junior Cooper Noard is averaging 14.3 points and 3.6 rebounds while connecting on 49-of-110 shots from 3-point range (.445). He is 27-for-38 from inside the arc over that span (.711) and is 34-for-50 (.680) from two-point range for the year.

• Junior AK Okereke is posting 15.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals in his past 13 contests against Division I teams.

• Senior Guy Ragland Jr. is shooting 56 percent (70-of-125) from the floor in his last 18 games, including 46 percent from 3-point range (29-of-63).

• After shooting 31 percent from beyond the arc in his first two seasons, Ragland Jr. is connecting on a .412 clip over the past two (77-187).

• Junior Adam Hinton has made 13-of-20 3-pointers (.650) over his past eight contests.

MILESTONE WATCH

• Senior Nazir Williams enters the contest with 1,149 points to rank 18th all-time at Cornell in scoring. He is four points from 17th (Drew Martin ’86 with 1,153).

• At 12th all-time in assists with 283, Williams is two from joining the top 10.

• Senior Guy Ragland Jr. ranks 12th all-time at Cornell with 145 3-pointers and needs five to hit 11th and nine to jump into the top 10.

• With his 469 rebounds, Ragland Jr. is 31 away from becoming the 28th player in Cornell history to reach 500 career boards.

TEAM NOTES TO KNOW

• Since its return from COVID, Cornell men’s basketball has posted a 67-40 record (.626), a mark that is 66-29 when removing regular season guarantee games (.695).

• Over the past four seasons, the Big Red is averaging 17.9 assists per game and hitting 10.3 3-pointers per game while averaging 81.6 points per game. Over that stretch, Cornell is shooting .596 from two-point range.

• Cornell is 37-10 at home over the past three seasons, including 19-3 against non-conference opponents over that span.

• Cornell earned two votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll on Jan. 29, 2023 after its victory over Princeton, the first time the Big Red earned recognition in the poll since ranking No. 17 in the final poll in 2010 (April 6, 2010).

• The team’s 22 wins last season were tied for second-most by a Big Red, matching the 2007-08 Ivy League champion squad and trailing the 29 wins from the 2009-10 squad.

• Seven of Cornell’s eight losses came away from home against top 100 NET teams — nationally-ranked Baylor (No. 15 in NET, 24-11), Ohio State (No. 49 in NET, 22-14), Princeton (No. 55 in NET, 24-5), Yale twice (No. 83 in NET, 23-10),  Syracuse (No. 84 in NET, 20-12) and George Mason (No. 93 in NET, 20-12), six teams that each reached 20 wins and combined to go 133-64 (.675). 

• A year ago, the Big Red led Division I in bench scoring (36.0 ppg.) and ranked in the top 20 in effective field goal percentage (sixth, .572), assists per game (sixth, 18.1 apg.), 3-pointers (10th, 10.3), field goal percentage (14th, .487) and scoring offense (16th, 82.1).

• In 14 Ivy games last season, Cornell assisted on 241 baskets with 153 turnovers (1.58 assist-turnover ratio).  

• The Big Red was 18-2 last season when leading at halftime, with the two losses on the road at Ivy leaders Yale (46-38) and Princeton (35-33).

• Cornell has hit a 3-pointer in 994 consecutive games dating back to a contest against Denison in the 1988-89 season opener (0-for-2). Since the 3-point shot came into effect in NCAA play during the 1986-87 season, the Big Red has hit at least one shot behind the arc in 1,043 of 1,047 games (7,216 3-pointers over that span).

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

• Head coach Jon Jaques was a starter and senior captain on the 2009-10 Cornell team that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.

• Cornell has played in 47 different states, as well as in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Australia, France and Spain. The only states the Big Red has not played in are Alaska, North Dakota and Mississippi.

• The Big Red continues to be ranked among the best according to the annual NCAA Division I Academic Progress Report (APR). The APR measures semester-by-semester records for every individual team in Division I with regard to each team members’ continuing eligibility, retention and progress toward graduation. The NCAA “commends” teams that have APR scores in the top 10 percent within their sport. Cornell has been recognized 10 times in since the APR began in 2005, including seven consecutive (2009-16).

• The Big Red was picked fourth in the Ivy League Preseason Media Poll after being chosen third a season ago.

• In the past two seasons, the Big Red has led the Ivy League in scoring offense (81.7 and 82.1 ppg.), assists (17.5 and 18.1 apg.), steals (9.7 and 8.3 spg.) and effective field goal percentage (.556 and .572) both years.

• The Big Red had its streak of 23 consecutive non-conference wins against opponents from conferences other than the ACC or Big Ten dating back to an 80-76 loss at Hartford on Dec. 22, 2019 snapped at George Mason— a streak that spanned 1,424 days.

• At the same time, Cornell won 33 straight regular season non-guarantee non-conference games dating back to that same loss to Hartford prior to its defeat against Robert Morris.

• Cornell’s non-conference home win streak of 20 games, its longest since the 1920s, was snapped with the Robert Morris loss.

BIG RED IN OVERTIME

• Dating back to the first overtime game against Penn way back in 1922, Cornell is 42-51 in games that go an extra period. 

• Cornell is 7-10 in multiple overtime games, with the longest game for the Big Red being a five-overtime contest against Princeton, won by the Tigers 66-61 on Feb. 24, 1979 at Barton Hall. 

• Cornell is 31-19 in home overtime games, 2-2 in neutral contests and 10-29 in road games.

BIG RED GRAD TRANSFERS

• Graduated seniors Keller Boothby ’24 (William & Mary), Isaiah Gray ’24 (Akron), Sean Hansen ’24 (George Washington), Chris Manon ’24 (Vanderbilt), and Evan Williams (Prairie View A&M) have moved on to play as graduate transfers at other Division I institutions (Ivy League does not allow graduate student eligibility).

• Over the past four seasons, 13 grad transfers have gone on to play Division I basketball elsewhere — Jimmy Boeheim ’21 (Syracuse), Kobe Dickson ’22 (Howard), Bryan Knapp ’21 (George Washington), Terrance McBride ’21 (Rice), Dean Noll ’22 (Stony Brook), Sarju Patel ’22 (UAlbany), Riley Voss ’21 (Wright State), Greg Dolan ’23 (Loyola Chicago) and Marcus Filien ’23 (UAlbany).

• Dating back even further, Big Red student-athletes have gone on to graduate transfer success at UConn (Shonn Miller ’15 and David Onuorah ’17), Purdue (Errick Peck ’13), California (Dwight Tarwater ’14) and Kent State (Galal Cancer ’15).

UP NEXT

• The Big Red returns to Newman Arena for a regular season-ending three-game home stand when it welcomes Penn to Ithaca on Friday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m.

• The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

• Cornell will attempt to complete the season sweep against the Quakers following the Big Red’s 86-76 victory over Penn on Jan. 18 at the Palestra.