NEW YORK - The Columbia men's basketball team will hit the road one final time this weekend, taking on Brown Friday night at 5 p.m. before meeting up with first-place Yale Saturday at 7 p.m.
   

OPENING TIP-OFF

• Columbia concludes a four-game road swing this weekend, taking on Brown (March 1) in Providence before heading to New Haven to take on first-place Yale (March 2).

• The Lions snapped a 17-game Ivy League road losing streak with their 79-77 overtime win at Penn last Friday. Maka Ellis delivered a game-winning layup with 0.4 seconds left in the extra session. Columbia also won its first OT game of the season (1-3).

• Columbia dropped the weekend finale at Princeton, 79-71, Saturday. The Lions finished just 4-of-15 from beyond the arc in the contest.

• The Lions will wrap up the regular season at home when they face Dartmouth (March 8) and Harvard for Senior Night (March 9) in Levien Gymnasium.

NEWS/NOTES

BROWN'S STATUS
The Bears took a huge step towards earning their first Ivy League Tournament bid, sweeping Harvard and Dartmouth at home. Desmond Cambridge paces the team, averaging 16.1 points per game. Tamenang Choh is having a strong all-around season with averages of 12.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

INSIDE THE BROWN SERIES
The Lions hold a 74-68 record in the series with the Bears. Brown snapped a five-game losing streak at Levien Gymnasium with a 65-63 victory on Feb. 17.

YALE'S STATUS
The Bulldogs fell for just the second time in Ancient Eight play after Bryce Aiken hit  a jumper as time expired to give Harvard an 88-86 win Saturday. The loss snapped the Bulldogs' 14-game home winning streak. Miye Oni does it all, posting 18.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest.

INSIDE THE YALE SERIES
Columbia is 125-111 all-time against Yale, but the Bulldogs have claimed the last seven meetings and nine of the last 10. The Lions rallied from an 18-point deficit to tie the score, but was held to just two points during the final 2:52 as the Bulldogs escaped with a victory.

EXORCISING THE DEMONS
Columbia is beginning to buck some trends that have plagued them the last couple of seasons. Friday's victory at Penn snapped a 17-game road losing streak in Ivy League play (Jan. 14, 2017 - at Cornell). It was also the first overtime win for the Lions during Jim Engles' tenure as head coach (1-7). Earlier this season, Columbia's win at Binghamton snapped an 18-game road losing streak that dated back to last season. The Lions previous road win was an 87-77 triumph at Longwood on Nov. 14, 2017.

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.