It's on the road where teams are tested. A good home record means little if a team cannot go into hostile territory, cause some damage and come out with a W. Dartmouth is looking desperately to turn its flashes of solid play and double-overtime and one-basket losses into notches on the win column.
The Big Green will first face Cornell (7-11, 2-2 Ivy), a team that just came off a tough victory against Columbia last weekend. Despite leading the historical series 101-90 against Cornell, the Big Red definitely has the momentum going against the Big Green. Having won the last two meetings, Cornell also posts a respectable 4-2 home record that could make Newman Arena a very hostile place for Dartmouth.
Look for a strong defensive effort in the first half from Cornell. The Big Red has held its last two opponents to under 20 points. For the season, the team is holding its opponents to a total of 63.5 points per game, a potential hindrance to a Big Green squad that has been unable to record 60 points in four out of its last five games. The only exception was last weekend's double-overtime 73-70 loss to Brown.
Adam Gore leads Cornell with 13.1 points per game, the fifth-highest total in the Ivy League. Ranking third in rebounds is Andrew Naeve, who has averaged more boards (6.7 per game) than points (6.6 per game) this season.
Dartmouth features a more balanced roster, with two players -- guards Mike Lang '06 and Leon Pattman '07, scoring in double figures. The Big Green also has nine different players getting double-digit playing minutes, presenting a deep threat from the bench for Cornell.
On Saturday, the Big Green will turn its attention to New York City and the Columbia Lions (8-9, 1-3 Ivy). Despite a slow start in the Ivy League, Columbia's overall record is hovering around .500, a mark only Ivy leaders Yale, Penn and Harvard have boasted this season.
A season ago, Dartmouth and Columbia split the season series with one win apiece. This year, Columbia sports a 252 RPI compared to Dartmouth's 317. However, the Big Green has been tested more throughout the season, ranking 52 places ahead of Columbia in the strength of schedule category. Columbia leads the all-time series against Dartmouth 98-90.
After lighting up the stat columns so far this season, both John Baumann and Ben Nwachukwu could pose a problem for Dartmouth Saturday. Baumann ranks fourth in the Ivy League in points with 13.2 per game, in addition to a respectable 5.6 boards. A week ago, he was named Ivy League Player of the Week thanks to a 19-point performance against Cornell. Nwachukwu averages 10.9 points and six rebounds a game, while shooting 57 percent from the field.
This weekend could very well make or break Dartmouth's season. With a pair of victories, the Big Green could begin a long, steep climb out of the morass that is last place in the Ivy League. Two wins on the road would also give Dartmouth a big mental boost when the team heads into a crucial four-game Ivy League homestand.
