NEW YORK - Columbia men's basketball takes on first-place Yale on Friday, February 15 and Brown on Saturday, February 16 as the Lions host their annual Alumni Weekend around the home contests. Friday night's game will be shown live on SNY and NBC Sports Philly +, while Saturday night will be aired on tape delay on SNY. Both contests can also be streamed live on ESPN+.
   

GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS
FRIDAY
• Heroes Night - Honoring all Veterans, NYPD, FDNY & First Responders at a special discounted rate

SATURDAY
• Greek Night
• Student Giveaway - First 200 students will receive a free Lions laundry bag
• Cheer Clinic - Youth ages 5-10 can learn beginner level cheerleading techniques and perform with the Columbia Cheerleaders at halftime.  For more information click here.

OPENING TIP-OFF
• Columbia will welcome Yale and Brown to Levien Gymnasium as they welcome back former Lions for Alumni Weekend.
• The Lions are coming off losses at Harvard, a heartbreaking triple overtime defeat, and a sharpshooting (10-of-24 from 3-point range) Dartmouth squad Saturday.
• Columbia will welcome back nearly 50 former student-athletes for Alumni Weekend, highlighted by the annual Alumni Game & Reception prior to Saturday's contest with Brown.
• Patrick Tapé averaged 18 points and 9.5 rebounds on the weekend. He checks in with a field goal percentage of .664, which would be the second highest single-season total in program history.
• The Lions will be on the road to take on Penn (Feb. 22) and Princeton (Feb. 23).

 

NEWS/NOTES

YALE'S STATUS
The Bulldogs sit alone atop the Ivy League standings after downing Princeton and Penn at home last weekend. Yale is one of the stingiest teams in the Ancient Eight, holding opponents ot 39.7 percent shooting and just 30.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs also are +5.8 on the glass, tops in the conference. Miye Oni is filling the stat sheet, averaging 18.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. Jordan Bruner is pulling down a team-high 8.2 boards to go with 11.1 PPG and 1.2 blocks per contest.

INSIDE THE YALE SERIES
Columbia is 125-110 all-time against Yale, but the Bulldogs have claimed the last six meetings and eight of the last nine. The Lions rallied late up in New Haven before an 88-84 win by the Eli's. Yale took an 83-73 decision two weeks later in Levien Gym to wrap up the 2018 series.

BROWN'S STATUS
The Bears salvaged a weekend split with a Saturday win over Princeton, 78-70. Brown had lost four of its last five heading into the contest. Desmond Cambridge puts up 16.4 points and 1.7 blocks to lead the team. Tamenang Choh is posting 12.4 points and a team-best 8.9 rebounds.

INSIDE THE BROWN SERIES
The Lions hold a 74-67 record in the series with the Bears. The teams both held serve at home in 2018, with Brown earning a 91-88 overtime win in Providence before Columbia picked up the split with an 89-82 triumph on Morningside Heights.

MARATHON MEN
Columbia's triple overtime game at Harvard was the longest in program history. The game featured clutch shots from Gabe Stefanini, Harvard's Bryce Aiken and Jake Killingsworth to continue to extend the game. The instant classic led off the 11 p.m. SportsCenter and Stefanini's shot was featured as the No. 2 play on the SCTop10. Quinton Adlesh logged 52 of the 55 possible minutes, the most of any player on the squads.

LUCK NOT ON THE LIONS' SIDE
More than half of Columbia's losses during the past two seasons have been between one and six points. The Lions are just 4-18 overall in games decided within that margin. Analytically, Columbia is ranked 348th out of 353 NCAA Division programs in the category by KenPom (-.123) and TeamRankings.com (-3.2). Last season, the Lions were at -.146 according to KenPom and TeamRankings.com had them at 4.5, both last in the NCAA. 

COACHES VS. CANCER 3-POINT CHALLENGE
Columbia is participating in the 3-Point Challenge for the third consecutive year. With this initiative by the American Cancer Society and the NABC, fans can pledge a dollar amount for every 3-pointer Columbia makes during the month of February or make a one-time donation. All funds will benefit the American Cancer Society. To donate to Columbia's page, click here.

INSIDE COLUMBIA BASKETBALL PODCAST
Columbia Athletics debuted a brand new podcast featuring the men's and women's basketball programs. New episodes are available weekly on iTunes and SoundCloud.

THE IVY LEAGUE ON ESPN+
All home Columbia games and most Ivy League road contests will air on ESPN+ as part of The Ivy League's new partnership with ESPN. ESPN+ is a new, subscription-based service that offers monthly ($4.99) and yearly ($49.99) plans. Click here to subscribe to ESPN+ and start your free trial! Click here for frequently asked questions about the Ivy League on ESPN.  

IVY MADNESS
The third annual Ivy League Basketball Tournaments will be held on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut on March 16-17. Tickets will be available to select groups beginning Tuesday, December 11 at 10 a.m. Full information is available at IvyMadness.com.