NEW YORK - The Columbia men's basketball team heads to Princeton on Friday, March 6, at 7 p.m. followed by the season finale Saturday, March 7 at Penn at 6 p.m. Both contests will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

** Please note ** The Columbia Alumni Association pre-game event prior to the game at the Palestra on Saturday has been canceled due to concerns about the coronavirus. Any inquires should be directed to CAA.
 

OPENING TIP-OFF

• Columbia rounds out the 2019-20 season on the road at Princeton and Penn.

• The Lions winless streak stretched to 10 after losses to Harvard and Dartmouth in their final home weekend.

• Mike Smith ranks No. 6 in the NCAA, averaging 22.8 points per game, and has led the Lions in scoring in 26 of 28 games this season. He is 58 points shy of setting Columbia's single-season scoring record.

NEWS/NOTES

PRINCETON'S STATUS
The Tigers punched their ticket to the Ivy League Tournament with a 71-49 road win over Brown Friday. Princeton then dropped a hard-fought 66-63 contest at Yale. Jaelin Llewellyn checks in at 14.8 points per game and Richmond Aririguzoh adds 12.3 points, on 61.7 percent shooting, to go with a team-high 7.4 rebounds.

INSIDE THE SERIES - PRINCETON
The Lions are 86-156 against the Tigers all-time. Princeton swept Columbia last season and are winners of 11 of the past 12 contests. Smith posted 30 points, but Princeton used five double-figure scorers to come away with an 81-74 victory on Feb. 9. Jaelin Llewellyn led the Tigers with 19 points, going 10-of-10 from the foul line, to go with six rebounds.

PENN'S STATUS
The Quakers are battling with Brown and Dartmouth for the final Ivy League Tournament spot this weekend after earning a road split (loss to Yale, win over the Bears) to close out February. AJ Brodeur leads Penn in scoring (17.0 PPG), rebounding (8.8), assists (4.9) and blocks (1.8).

INSIDE THE SERIES - PENN
Columbia is 92-144 all-time against Penn. Penn shot 62.5 percent in the second half to pull away to a 76-67 triumph over Feb. 8. Smith led the Lions with 21 points to go with five rebounds and four assists in the defeat.  AJ Brodeur registered a game-high 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the line to lead the Quakers. Last season, the teams traded two-point road victories. Four of the last six meetings have been decided by six or fewer points with Penn going 3-2 in those contests.

IF I COULD BE LIKE MIKE
Senior Mike Smith is doing it all for Columbia this season. In addition to his scoring prowess (22.8 PPG - first in Ivy, No. x in NCAA), he is second in the Ancient Eight in steals (1.5) is second in assists, dishing out 4.6 per game and in free-throw percentage (.809). He is 58 points shy of becoming Columbia's highest single-season scorer and his point total (637) is currently the most for an Ivy League player since 1972 and scoring average is the highest since 1989. Against Harvard on Feb. 15 he netted 38 points - the most for a Lion since Buck Jenkins' school-record 47-point game accomplished 29 years ago to the day against the Crimson. The senior made 17 field goals, the second highest single-game total in program history and took 37 shots to break the previous mark of 33 that was set by Chet Forte in 1956.

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
For the latest on the Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.