UPDATE: The UK-Cornell game time has been seet for Thursday at approximately 9:57 p.m. at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. The game will officially begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the Washington-West Virginia game. Also, UK will hold an open practice Wednesday at 3:10 p.m. at the Carrier Dome.
Kentucky will try to crash Cinderella’s dance next week in Syracuse.
The Cornell Big Red upset No. 4 seed Wisconsin 87-69 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 13th-seeded Big Red was one of the hot upset picks entering the Big Dance, and the 29-4 Ivy League team is quickly proving why.
Cornell has thumped both its opponents – both higher seeds – in advancing to the round of 16.
Although UK will remain a heavy favorite, there are a couple of things to be concerned about, No. 1 being the perimeter shooting of Cornell. The Big Red entered the postseason third in Division I men’s basketball with 9.8 three-point field goals per game and first in three-point percentage.
Kentucky will be bigger, stronger and faster than Cornell, but the three-point shot is the great equalizer in college basketball.
Also to consider will be possibility that Thursday’s game could be a neutral crowd. Because Cornell is located less than an hour from Syracuse, there’s a very good chance the Big Red could have a significant crowd and put a dent in UK’s typical home-court tourney advantage.
Kentucky had the strongest fan base in New Orleans this weekend, but there were far fewer fans in the Big Easy than the program is accustomed to in the postseason . Will the Big Blue outnumber the Big Red? Order your tickets at ticketmaster.com.
And finally, the matchup with Cornell will pit former UK forward Mark Coury against his old team. Coury, who played two seasons with the Wildcats, told Courier-Journal columnist Rick Bozich that is looking forward to seeing his old teammates, Mark Krebs, Patrick Patterson, Perry Stevenson and Ramon Harris.
Coury started 29 games in his sophomore season under Billy Gillispie, averaging 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per game. Coury is averaging 2.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.0 minutes for the Big Red.
The UK-Cornell game will take place Thursday but no time has been set. CBS has the rights to choose a game time and will make its selections after Sunday’s slate of games.
