Men's Basketball Welcomes Cornell Saturday
1/19/2017 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
PRESENTED BY NEW YORK PRESBYTERIAN
ANNUAL FACULTY & STAFF FESTIVAL
• Columbia Athletics will host the annual Faculty and Staff Festival, a FREE event for Columbia faculty, staff, and their families! The festival will take place in the University (Blue) Gym (2nd floor, Dodge Fitness Center) from 3–4:15 p.m., prior to the Columbia women's basketball game against Cornell. Click here for more information.
GIVEAWAYS/IN-GAME PROMOTIONS
• 2016 Ivy League Champions Columbia Men's Soccer team to be honored during a timeout.
• Halftime scrimmage featuring Fairlawn, New Jersey girls and boys basketball teams.
COLUMBIA'S STATUS
The Lions picked up their third straight win and fifth consecutive victory in Newman Arena after a 79-75 triumph last Saturday. Senior Luke Petrasek netted a career-high 31 points and Columbia shot 50.0 percent from the floor to start Ivy League play on a high note.
ABOUT CORNELL
• Cornell has lost seven of its last eight against Division I opponents.
• Sophomore Matt Morgan leads the Ivy League in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game, and 3-pointers made (52). Morgan also ranks second on the squad, pulling down 4.9 rebounds per contest.
• The Big Red are led by first-year head coach Brian Earl, who served as associate head coach at his alma mater, Princeton.
SERIES HISTORY
The Lions and Big Red will meet for the 228th time in a series that dates all the way back to the 1902-03 season. Columbia holds a 128-99 edge in the meetings and have won 10 of the last 13 contests. The Lions have a chance to sweep the regular season series for the second consecutive season and the fourth time in seven years.
COLUMBIA IN IVY LEAGUE OPENERS
The Lions are 30-31 all-time in Ivy League openers, including their Jan. 14 win at Cornell. Columbia is now 13-21 all-time when beginning Ancient Eight play on the road and have won the last four Ivy League debuts in Ithaca, going back to 2011.
LUKE SKYWALKER
Forward Luke Petrasek is having a strong senior campaign, averaging a team-best 15.8 points and 6.9 rebounds, which puts him third in the Ivy League in both categories. The East Northport, New York, native is shooting 93.0 percent (40-of-43) from the foul line, which leads the conference and fifth in the NCAA. Petrasek netted a career-high 31 points against last weekend at Cornell to earn Ivy League Co-Plyaer of the Week honors. He is the team's leading returning scorer after posting 10.2 points on 44.2-percent shooting from downtown in 2015-16.
CLEANING UP THE GLASS
Columbia's 59 rebounds against Howard was the most against a Division I opponent since the recorded 59 against Yale on Feb. 4, 1972. It was just the second time the Lions eclipsed 50 or more in a game against a Division I program since 1994 (53 vs. TCU on Dec. 29, 1994 & 50 vs. Brown - Mar. 5, 2011). Columbia has outrebounded its opponents 142-107 during its three-game winning streak and now lead the Ivy League in rebounds per game (36.0).
COBY SYSTEM
Senior Jeff Coby is rounding into form at the right time for Columbia. Coby has pulled down 35 rebounds in his last three games and notched his first double-double of the season against the Bison with 13 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. The Pembroke Pines, Florida, product missed the first two games of the year due to injury and saw limited action on the bench in his first six games, but is averaging 9.0 points in his last six games and has made five consecutive starts.
IF I COULD BE LIKE MIKE
First-year point guard Mike Smith was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Jan. 16 after posting 17 points and handing out five assists at Cornell last Saturday. Smith recorded 21 points in back-to-back games against UAlbany and Maine and has dished out five assists in four of the last five games games. Smith currently leads all Ivy League rookies in assists (3.6 APG). Smith has started every game for the Lions and played a key role in Columbia's opening night win. He netted 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting and drilled a key 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down and drew a charge on the ensuing possesion to help seal the Lions' victory.
ON THE OFFENSIVE
Columbia has been one of the strongest offensive teams in the Ivy League this season, ranking second in the conference in scoring (75.7), field goal percentage (.464) and lead the Ancient Eight, dishing out 16.3 assists per game. The Lions set season-highs 98 points and 13 made 3-pointers at Maine on Jan. 2. The point total was the most for Columbia against a Division I opponent since Nov. 15, 2010 when they scored 104 points in a win over Maryland-Eastern Shore.
#PATHTOTHEPALESTRA
The Ivy League has added men's and women's basketball tournaments to its slate of conference championships beginning in March 2017. The top four teams in men's and women's basketball will vie for the conference's automatic bids to the NCAA Division I Basketball Championships. The regular season champion will receive an automatic bid to the postseason NIT. The 2017 Ivy League Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments will both be held over the same two competition days, March 11 and 12, at The Palestra in Philadelphia. All six games will be broadcast live on ESPN's networks. For more information, visit IvyMadness.com.
