NEW YORK - The Columbia men's basketball team hosts Harvard, Friday, February 28, and Dartmouth, Saturday, February 29, for its final home weekend of the 2019-20 season. Friday night's game is featured on ESPNews, while Saturday's showdown can be seen live on both ESPN+ and SNY.

OPENING TIP-OFF

• Columbia will play its final home games of the 2019-20 season this weekend. The Lions will honor seniors Jake Killingsworth and Mike Smith prior to the start of Saturday night's contest against Dartmouth.

• The Lions could not get past Brown or Yale last weekend at home, extending their winless streak to eight contests.

• Mike Smith ranks No. 8 in the NCAA, averaging 22.6 points per game, and has led the Lions in scoring in 24 of 26 games this season. Smith eclipsed 35 points for the second time in three games after a 37-point performance against the Bulldogs Saturday.

• The Lions will close out the campaign next week against Princeton and Penn on the road.

 

NEWS/NOTES

HARVARD'S STATUS
The Crimson completed its second home weekend sweep in a row, edging Princeton, 61-60, and Penn, 69-65. Harvard is led by Noah Kirkwood and Chris Lewis, who average 12.5 and 11.6 points per game, respectively.

INSIDE THE SERIES - HARVARD
The Lions are 98-85 against the Crimson all-time. Harvard earned its third consecutive overtime victory over Columbia, 77-73, in two extra sessions on  Feb. 15. Last season, the schools combined to play four overtimes in two games with Harvard taking a 98-96 triple-overtime contest in Cambridge and edged out Columbia 83-81 in a single extra session in Levien Gym.

DARTMOUTH'S STATUS
The Big Green are winners of three of their last four after stunning Penn, 66-59, Friday. The next night, Dartmouth nearly pulled off another upset, but fell to Princeton, 65-62. Chris Knight is averaging a team-high 14.3 points per game and 6.0 rebounds. Aaryn Rai checks in at 11.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per contest.

INSIDE THE SERIES - DARTMOUTH
Columbia is 114-103 against Dartmouth going all the way back to 1905-06. In Hanover on Feb. 14, the Lions led by six with 6:50 left in regulation, but were held scoreless for the remainder of the contest. Aaryn Rai converted on a layup to give the Big Green a 65-63 victory. The Lions and Big Green split the season series' the previous three seasons with the home team winning each time. Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by four or fewer points.

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.

INSIDE COLUMBIA BASKETBALL PODCAST
Columbia hosts a weekly podcast featuring the men's and women's basketball programs. New episodes are available weekly on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and SoundCloud. Search and subscribe for "Columbia Athletics."

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.

FOLLOW COLUMBIA ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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