Providence, R.I. - Columbia men's basketball (6-14, 1-4) begins a five-game road trip when it travels to Brown (9-9, 2-3) on Saturday, January 21 with tip at Pizzitola Sports Center set for 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
OPENING TIP-OFF
• After five of the last six games on its home floor, Columbia heads to Providence, Rhode Island to play Brown on Saturday at 4 p.m.
• The Lions embark on a five-game road trip, the longest of the season. The last time Columbia played five consecutive games away from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium was December 9, 2018- January 2, 2019. Columbia went 2-3 during that stretch. The last time Columbia played five straight road Ivy League games was January 23-February 6, 2016.
• Columbia dropped its third and fourth straight games last weekend to Harvard and Cornell. Sophomore
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa scored in double-figures in both contests.
• Through the first 10 weeks of the season, the Lions have posted three Ivy League Rookies of the Week, which is the most in the conference.
Avery Brown picked up the honor twice (Dec. 12, Jan. 3) and
Blair Thompson earned the award on Dec. 18.
• Next week, Columbia's road trip continues in Hanover, New Hampshire when it will head to Dartmouth on January 28. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+ and will serve as the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers game.
NEWS/NOTES
BROWN'S STATUS
The Bears enter Saturday's game with a record of 9-9 (2-3) after splitting two tightly-contested games with Princeton and Yale last weekend. Brown defeated Princeton at home, pulling out a 72-70 victory last Saturday. Reigning Ivy League Player of the Week Kino Lilly Jr. hit the game-winning jump shot with 0:03 on the clock. Two days later, the Bears suffered an 81-78 defeat at Yale. Brown has a 5-4 record inside Pizzitola Sports Center this season. Lilly Jr. leads all Ivy League players in minutes per game (34.6) and 3-pointers made (50) while ranking third in scoring (16.5 ppg). Brown sits last behind the Lions in scoring offense at 66.2 points per game.
INSIDE THE SERIES - BROWN
The Lions are 76-72 all-time against Brown. The Bears have won four-straight in the series. Seven of the last eight games between the two teams have been decided by single digits. Columbia's last win over Brown came at Pizzitola Sports Center on March 1, 2019.
DECEMBER TO REMEMBER
Columbia turned another corner in the final month of 2022. The Lions finished December 4-3, marking the first winning month for the program since January 2017 when they went 5-1. Columbia has already eclipsed its 2021-22 win total (four) on December 12.
CRASHING THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
The Lions lead Ivy League teams with 233 offensive rebounds, which is 31 more than Harvard, who has the second-most.
Josh Odunowo leads Columbia with 29 offensive boards and ranks 11th among Ivy League players in that category.
MIDDLE OF THE PACK
Through the first 20 games of the season, Columbia sits in the top five of several stat categories among Ivy League teams. The Lions are third in free throw shooting (71.1%), fourth in steals (6.9 per game), fourth in turnover margin (-0.45), and first in offensive rebounds (11.7 per game).
FREE THROW SHOOTING
Columbia's ability to get to the foul line has been a strength this season. The Lions are leading the Ivy League, averaging 12.4 made free throws per game and are third in the conference in free throw percentage (71.1). Columbia recently went 17-of-17 from the stripe against UMES to bolster that average.
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa ranks second in the conference and 20th nationally in free throw percentage, converting at an 89.7 percent clip. The Lions have made 254 foul shots and attempted 357, both by far the most in the conference.
NUTHIN' BUT A G THANG
There's been no sophomore slump for
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa this season. He has played a strong all-around game, leading the Lions and ranking among the Ivy League leaders in scoring (12.5), rebounding (5.6) and steals (1.5). De La Rosa has recorded three-straight double-figure scoring games, marking 14 such games on the season. No other Lion has eclipsed 10 double-figure scoring games yet this season. The sophomore's season also includes six selections to the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll.
KLEPTOMANIACS
Against Delaware State on November 16, the Lions established a new program record for steals with 15. Columbia then tied that mark two weeks later when it posted 15 steals against Sarah Lawrence.
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 48 percent of the team's scoring in 2022-23. When you combine the sophomore class (De La Rosa, Cooper, Robledo, Stankard, Tavroff) - that represents 78 percent of the team scoring coming from underclassmen.
TICKETS TO UPCOMING HOME GAMES
Tickets for all Columbia home games are on sale now and can be purchased by
clicking here or calling 888-LIONS-11.
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