At home opener, men's basketball unveils Sweet 16 banner, dismantles Delaware

A few minutes before taking the floor at Newman Arena Nov. 17, the Cornell men's basketball team spent a few minutes looking back.

Just prior to tipoff of the first home game of 2010-11, this year's crop of new and returning players paid homage to the historic 2009-10 season. Cornell's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 run was celebrated with the unveiling of a banner, along with a second banner marking that year's third-straight Ivy League championship.

This year's squad got to work after the brief reminiscence. They beat the University of Delaware Blue Hens, 75-61, which propelled them to a 2-1 start to the season.

Senior guard Max Groebe and junior guard Chris Wroblewski contributed 13 points apiece toward the victory. Senior guard Anthony Gatlin was perfect from the floor, going four-for-four overall, three-for-three from three-point range and one-for-one from the free-throw line for a season-high 12 points. During the second half, Gatlin converted a four-point play that put the Big Red up 49-42 and sent the spectators into a joyous frenzy.

As in years past, the Big Red were spirited from start to finish by the boisterous student section, dotted by "Newman Nation" jerseys and brimming with the usual colorful heckling of the visiting team.

Cornell, whose first-year coach Bill Courtney also got his first taste of Newman Nation, opened the 2010-11 season with a 65-61 win over University of Albany. That was followed by a 68-91 loss at Seton Hall University.

Cornell will host St. Bonaventure University on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m.

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Blaine Friedlander