Andy Bernard references aside (Okay, one more here, in case you are having pronunciation issues), the two-game offensive performance that Big Red put on display this weekend might be one of the best we'll ever see. Especially considering the teams they played.
Temple and Wisconsin are both very good defensive groups. Temple was third in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency during the regular season and Wisconsin was 20th. A key to Temple's success was forcing tough shots, as they limited opponents to a 43.0 effective field goal percentage (2nd nationally). Wisconsin (BIG SHOCKER HERE) is one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the country, allowing just 26.3% of missed shots to be grabbed by the opposing offense .
Cornell took one look at those statistics, gave them a swift kick to the groin, and they fell to the ground screaming like little girls.
So what about Temple and their awesome defensive eFG%? Cornell shot 65.6%.
What about Wisconsin's awesome defensive rebounding percentage? Cornell garnered 37.7% of their own missed shots. Not that they needed to anyway, since they posted a ridiculous 68.5 eFG%.
The Owls are no slouches in the rebounding department either, and Cornell posted a 41.9 OR% on them. Cornell just flat out dominated these two teams in every statistical category (with the only blemish being a low free throw rate against Wisconsin, but if you are hitting shots like they were, who needs free throws?). This domination translated to their most impressive numbers of all: 1.30 points per possession against a Temple team that usually only gives up 0.91 and 1.44 points per possession against a Wisconsin team that had previously given up 0.94. To use an overused cliche, they were a "model of efficiency."
Did I mention that they don't have athletic scholarships?