Most bracket predictions have Cornell as a 14 seed, and looking at the data, that makes sense. A lack of quality wins and some back losses outside the league will result in the Big Red ending up a few spots lower on the s-curve than would be expected with an RPI ranking in the high 60s. The early conference tournaments haven’t provided anything in the way of a boost, but there’s still time for that to change.

Tuesday’s games of interest – all times ET (A = ally; E = enemy)
IUPUI at Oral Roberts (E) – 7:00 pm
Cleveland State (A) at Butler (E) – 9:00 pm
Middle Tennessee (A) vs. Western Kentucky (E) – 9:00 pm
Idaho at Portland State (E) – 11:00 pm

IUPUI could end up below Cornell, though an upset win at Oral Roberts could make a difference. The same applies to Cleveland State, as a win at Butler would be a huge plus for the Vikings’ resume. Root hard for Middle Tennessee to continue its run in the Sun Belt Tournament championship game against Western Kentucky. Portland State should be behind the Big Red on the s-curve, but a loss in the Big Sky Tournament would remove all doubt.

Monday’s results of interest
Western Kentucky (E) 70, UALR 55
Elon (A) 49, Davidson (E) 65
William & Mary (A) 59, George Mason (E) 68
IPFW 42, Oral Roberts (E) 58
Rider 53, Siena (A) 74
Middle Tennessee (A) 82, South Alabama (E) 73

Two potentially helpful upsets never materialized last night, as George Mason and Davidson both won their respective conference tournaments against opponents who would have been bumped up Cornell. Meanwhile, Siena won the MAAC Tournament, which should provide the committee with an interesting decision to make. On one hand, the Big Red did defeat the Saints earlier this year, however it was early on and in Ithaca, and Siena has a very impressive non-conference win over highly ranked Stanford.