NEW YORK - The Columbia men's basketball team will play for the final time in 2019 when it hosts UAlbany on Monday, December 30, at 7 p.m. in Levien Gymnasium.
OPENING TIP-OFF
• Columbia closes out the decade with a Monday night matchup with UAlbany.
• The Lions are 3-0 at home this season.
• Mike Smith saw his string of 20-point games end at eight on Saturday. His streak was the longest in the nation and the most for a Lion since David Newmark did so in 13-straight during the 1965-66 season.
NEWS/NOTES
UALBANY'S STATUS
The Great Danes have been off since a 72-70 defeat at Monmouth on December 21 and have dropped five of their last six. Cameron Healy and Ahmad Clark are UAlbany's top two scoring threats, averaging 16.1 and 14.5 points per game, respectively. Healy is also one of the best free throw shooters in the nation, checking in at 93.5 percent (43-of-46).
INSIDE THE SERIES
Columbia is 2-5 all-time against UAlbany and has lost the last five in the series. The schools last met on Dec. 2, 2017 with the Great Danes coming away with an 86-82 victory at SEFCU Arena. Mike Smith netted a then career-high 27 points in the defeat.
COLUMBIA VS. THE AMERICA EAST
The Lions are 19-21 against teams currently in the America East Conference. Columbia's most common foe is Stony Brook, who it has faced 20 times. The Lions have already topped Binghamton earlier this season and will head to Maine for a Jan. 2 matchup in Orono.
IF I COULD BE LIKE MIKE
Senior Mike Smith is doing it all for Columbia this season. He is ranked among the top-50 nationally in points per game (21.8 - 12th, No. 1 in Ivy League) and minutes per game (36:35 - 24th). He leads the Ancient Eight in free throw percentage (.794) and is second in assists, dishing out 4.8 per game. Additionally, Smith is 12th in the NCAA in total points with 280.
A LOOK BACK AT THE DECADE
The Lions posted 140 overall victories in the 2010's, which is the most for the program since the the 1950's (148). Additionally, Columbia's 57 Ivy League wins were the most since the 1980's (58).
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2010's
- Two Postseason Appearances (2014, 2016)
- 2016 CIT Championship
- Eight Individual Career Records Broken
- Seven Individual Single-Season Records Broken
- Eight Team Season Records Broken
- 15 All-Ivy League Selections
- Six Players Reached 1,000 Career Points
