NEW YORK - The Columbia men's basketball team hosts Brown on Friday, February 21 and Yale Saturday, February 22 to mark Alumni Weekend. Both contests can be streamed live on ESPN+ and Saturday night's matchup with the Bulldogs can be seen live on SNY.
 

OPENING TIP-OFF

• Columbia fell in a pair of heartbreakers on the road last weekend. The Lions went scoreless for the final six minutes and saw Dartmouth hit a game-winning shot with 0.2 seconds left in a 65-63 victory Friday. On Saturday at Harvard, Columbia battled Harvard to double-overtime, but came up just short, 77-73, despite 38-points from Mike Smith.

• The Lions will welcome back a number of former student-athletes during their annual Alumni Weekend. During halftime of Saturday's contest, Columbia will officially dedicate center court of Levien Gymnasium in honor of Jonathan Schiller '69CC '73LAW. Other festivities will include an alumni game, followed by a pre-game reception, all prior to the Yale game.

• Mike Smith ranks No. 13 in the NCAA, averaging 21.6 points per game, and has led the Lions in scoring in 22 of 24 games this season.

• The Lions will remain at home next weekend to take on Harvard and Dartmouth on Feb. 28-29. Columbia will honor seniors Jake Killingsworth and Mike Smith prior to the tilt with the Big Green.

 

NEWS/NOTES

BROWN'S STATUS
The Bears picked up a road split, topping Penn at the Palestra 75-63 before a 73-54 defeat at Princeton. Brandon Anderson leads Brown in scoring at 18.5 points per game. Tamenang Choh checks in at 13.2 points and 8.0 rebounds, while Jaylan Gainey is one of the premiere shot blockers in the Ancient Eight (2.1 BPG).

INSIDE THE SERIES - BROWN
Columbia holds a 76-68 edge in the all-time series against the Bears. Brown finished the first meeting between the schools on a 12-0 run, erasing a four-point deficit to claim a 72-66 victory. Mike Smith finished with 20 points and tied a career-high with nine assists, while Ike Nweke added 14 points, six rebounds and a pair of blocks. Last year, the teams traded road wins with Brown earning a 65-63 win in Levien Gym and the Lions claiming an 80-77 decision at the Pizzitola Sports Center.

YALE'S STATUS
The Bulldogs took hold of the top spot in the Ivy League with a dominating performance over Princeton, but could not hold onto it after a 69-61 defeat to Penn and a Tigers' win over Brown Saturday.  Yale has three players averaging in double-figures, led by a steady diet of Paul Atkinson (17.5 PPG, 63.9% FG, 7.6 RPG).  Azar Swain set the school's singles-season 3-point made record (74) last week and checks in at 16.5 PPG. Jordan Bruner is the top rebounder on the squad, pulling down 9.1 boards per game to go with 11.5 points.

INSIDE THE SERIES - YALE
Columbia is 126-112 against the Bulldogs in a series that dates back to 1901-02. Three weeks ago, Yale broke a 10-10 tie with a 19-2 surge and went on for a 93-62 win in John J. Lee Amphitheater. Matthieu Cotton netted 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting from downtown. The Lions were led by Mike Smith, who notched 20 points to pace four double-figure scorers.

NEW COURT, WHO DIS?
Center court in Levien Gym will be dedicated in honor of Jonathan D. Schiller  '69CC '73LAW at halftime of the Lions' game against Yale on Saturday, Feb. 22. Schiller was a three-year letter winner and member of the 1967-68 Ivy League men's basketball championship team. He went on to co-found Boies Schiller Flexner LLP and oversees the firm's pro-bono program. He was appointed co-chair of the University Trustees in 2014 and served as sole chair from 2015-18. In 2017, Schiller was named an inaugural Legend of Ivy League Basketball for achievements and contributions to the Ivy League.



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