First and foremost, I am mad I spotted a fan in the crowd with a Stanford hoodie on ... the nerve. After getting embarrassed by the Cardinal last year in the Big Dance, it's the last thing I want to see. Then again, it might work to our advantage. Throughout the past couple days, players like Ryan Wittman, Louis Dale and Jeff Foote talked about how bad they felt about after last year's season-ending loss. They felt that they let not only themselves down, but the entire Ivy League. Maybe that guy sitting right under the basket will be a little reminder and serve as motivation. But motivation won't do it alone — here are some keys to a Red win.

1. Ball Control

So every year, there is one team that switches up their look for the NCAA Tournament and this year its Marquette. If you don't see this on television right now, they are all pretty much bald. I guess that's cool. It shows team unity, even though defense and passing would already indicate that but that's fine. I did a video story about that as well which you guys will be able to check out later on as well. When I spoke to standout guard Jerel McNeal about his coach not shaving his head, he said "Don't worry, he will be bald by Friday" ... sure enough he is. Now, I am down with the team haircuts and all but if I'm the head coach, I'm keeping my full head of hair as long as I can.

Its 7:47 in the morning over here in the great potato state and we are hours away from what could be an epic day in Cornell Athletics. Stay tuned here as I will be blogging live from Taco Bell Arena. Also check out under the Video tab as I will be posting videos from this whole experience. All right, time to prepare for a long day ... Stay tuned.

It's been a media whirlwind in Boise Idaho ... interview after interview, story after story and you guys will see what I am talking about in the next couple days. But right now, all eyes are on Taco Bell Arena. The Red will try and launch its name into March Madness lore with a win over Missouri.

But right now, I'm sitting courtside at the Marquette vs. Utah State game. Even though Marquette is a 6 seed and Utah State is an 11 seed, its clearly a home game for Utah State considering how close it is. I was predicting a Marquette win on my brackets but after seeing this, my opinion has to at least consider changing. For the Red's sake, let's home Utah State wins because if these fans stick around, they are cheering for the underdog and might give us that extra "umph" we need.

For the record, I got Marquette beating Kentucky in my NCAA brackets but as I sit courtside and watch the two battle, I could care less how my predictions work out. Any other year, I would be glued to the television set, drink and snacks at immediate disposal and brackets in hand. But as the game continues to go back-and-forth, I can only focus on the Red’s upcoming matchup with the Cardinal.

Here are the announced starting lineups:

The Cardinal(s) hit the floor for practice open to the media and they are all about business.

Stanford head coach Trent Johnson stood in the middle of the court, clapping his hands and his players dribbled down the court alongside in a workmanlike manner.

Immediately, I look for the Lopez Twins. As you will see tomorrow, these are legit 7-0 footers. Our photographer/videographer Rob Burris immediately said to me, “those dudes are big,” and Rob is 6-6. Having a true 7-0 footer nowadays is a rarity for any professional team – let alone a collegiate program. Having two of them makes matters worse.

The Red have played games in some of college basketball’s biggest gyms this year. From the Carrier Dome, to the Cameron Indoor Stadium to the The Palestra at Penn. But none of those can stand to the experience of finally stepping onto the floor of the Honda Center. At 12:45 p.m. Pacific, the Red got its first chance to finally step onto the court that they hope to upset the Stanford Cardinal on in a practice open to the public.

With cheerleaders, the band, alums and administrators watching, the team conducted a series of light drills. As The Red players were generally upbeat, head coach Steve Donahue was all business. With players gong through your basic basketball drills, Donahue viewed attentively … arms crossed, legs spread, no smiles.

March 16, 2008

In a room with so many people, it was almost scary how quiet the place became as North Carolina was named the No. 1 seed. The winner of the Coppin State/ Mt. St. Mary’s game was given the chore of facing the Tar Heels. A collective laugh echoed from the room as some players joked about the possibility of being that 16-seed facing Tyler Hansbrough and the Tar Heels.

As a matter of fact, we joked about the situation and how pissed some of the players would have been. Junior Jeff Foote would have stormed outside and kicked the first squirrel he saw. (Refer to Sun Senior Writer Lance Williams’ 10 Questions piece with Jeff Foote to understand the reference.)

March 16, 2008

Even before Newman Nation rushed the court on March 1, Cornell basketball fans were waiting for yesterday’s selection show. All the talk about seeding, locations and possible upsets whirled through my head – and many others – consistently. Cornell’s 20-year exclusion from the selection show was halted yesterday as Greg Gumble announced the Red as one of the NCAA Tournament’s 14-seeds.

The blogs that I will be writing daily until the Red are no longer in competition, will look at the whole NCAA tournament experience inside out.

Saturday was everything Cornell should be.

With the Red claiming dominance over Princeton and the sun claiming supremacy over the recent winter weather conditions, there were very few things that could have made me happier (one of them being my good ol' fashion pre-gaming session). As I sat down in the crowd, shades and all, I remarked to my friends how great this day was for me, for the lacrosse team and for the student body.