Columbia University
Fairleigh Dickinson
Men's Basketball Closes Out Semester against FDU, Lafayette
12/8/2022 2:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Columbia wraps up a four-game homestand Friday against the Knights before heading to Lafayette Monday
NEW YORK - Columbia men's basketball is set for two more games before taking a break for final exams and the holidays. The Lions (4-8) will host FDU (4-6) on Friday, December 9, at 7 p.m. on SNY and ESPN+. On Monday, December 12, Columbia heads to Lafayette (1-9) for a 7 p.m. contest on ESPN+.
OPENING TIP-OFF
• Columbia will look to finish out a four-game homestand with a win Friday night against FDU.
• The Lions will then head to Lafayette Monday night before taking a 15-day hiatus for final exams and the holidays.
• Columbia is coming off a 73-66 defeat against UMBC Tuesday evening. First-years Kenny Noland and Avery Brown led the way with 15 and 12 points, respectively.
NEWS/NOTES
FDU'S STATUS
FDU will be in search of its second consecutive win after topping Saint Joseph's, 97-80, in Philadelphia on Saturday. The Knights broke out of a shooting slump, knocking down 57.6 percent of their field goal tries and going 12-of-24 from downtown, against the Hawks after scoring in the 60s in their previous three contests. Demetre Roberts leads FDU, checking iat 16.9 points and 4.4 assists per game.
INSIDE THE SERIES - FDU
Despite the schools being less than 10 miles apart, Friday will mark just the fourth meeting between Columbia and FDU. The Lions are 3-0 in the series that dates back to 2012. Columbia topped the Knights, 57-47 in the last meeting November 25, 2014.
COLUMBIA AGAINST THE NEC
Columbia has fared well against teams currently in the Northeast Conference, posting a 35-26 mark all-time. The Lions' have squared off against St. Francis Brooklyn on 19 occasions (10-9), the most of any NEC squad.
LAFAYETTE'S STATUS
The Leopards have dropped five straight games heading into a Saturday night contest at Quinnipiac. Three of those losses have come against Ivy League teams (74-68 OT vs. Penn, 73-68 at Cornell, 69-58 at Princeton). Leo O'Boyle paces the offense, averaging 12.8 points.
INSIDE THE SERIES - LAFAYETTE
Columbia holds a 14-29 all-time record against the Leopards. Lafayette has taken the last two meetings, including a 73-50 win on Morningside Heights last season.
COLUMBIA AGAINST THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Lions are 130-107 against teams currently in the conference. Columbia's most common opponent is Army, who they have faced 59 times.
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Columbia boasts one of the youngest rosters in the country with four first-years averaging over 15 minutes per game. It is believed only VMI is playing more freshmen consistently (five averaging 20+ MPG) than the Lions this season. Avery Brown and Zinou Bedri have started every game and Blair Thompson entered the lineup on Nov. 18. The class of 2026 has comprised 47.7 percent of the team's scoring in 2022-23. When you combine the sophomore class (De La Rosa, Cooper, Robledo, Stankard, Tavroff) - that represents 76.8 percent of the team scoring coming from underclassmen.
DEFENDING THE PRIDE
Columbia's defense has stepped things up over the past five games, holding opponents to 64.0 points and 38.4-percent shooting since its game at Providence on Nov. 26. The Lions have also done a nice job creating turnovers (8.6 steals) during the recent stretch.
BUY TICKETS TO UPCOMING GAMES
Tickets for all Columbia home games are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here or calling 888-LIONS-11.
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.
