Hanover, N.H. - Columbia men's basketball (6-15, 1-5) continues a five-game road trip when it travels to Dartmouth (7-13, 3-3) on Saturday, January 28 with tip-off at Leede Arena set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
OPENING TIP-OFF
• Columbia travels to Hanover, New Hampshire to play Dartmouth on Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+ during Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers week.
• The Lions continue its 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. The last time Columbia played five straight road Ivy League games was January 23-February 6, 2016.
• Columbia dropped its fifth straight game last Saturday at Brown, 97-85. All but one of the 12 Lions to appear in the game cracked the score sheet. Four players recorded double-figures scoring, including Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, who led with 19 points and has now scored double-figures in four consecutive games. The Lions' 49.3 percent shooting day from the floor is the highest mark its posted over the first six conference games this season.
• Next week, Columbia's road trip continues with the second of three Ivy League back-to-backs this season with games at Penn on Friday, February 3 at 7 p.m. and Princeton on Saturday, February 4 at 6 p.m. Both games will air on ESPN+ with Saturday's game also being on SNY.
CU BLACK EXCELLENCE - JOSH ODUNOWO
NEWS/NOTES
DARTMOUTH'S STATUS
The Big Green enter Saturday's game with a record of 7-13 (3-3) after suffering an overtime defeat at Princeton last Saturday, 93-90. Ryan Cornish logged 40 minutes and poured in 31 points in the loss. The sophomore guard ranks 8th in Ivy League scoring while teammate Dame Adelekun is third in rebounding and first in blocked shots. The Big Green defend the 3-point line well, with opponents shooting at a league-low 30.8 percent from long distance. Dartmouth is 4-3 this season inside Leede Arena.
INSIDE THE SERIES - DARTMOUTH
The Lions are 114-106 all-time against Dartmouth. The Big Green have won four-straight in the series, including a 79-50 victory in the last meeting at Leede Arena. Columbia's last win over Dartmouth came in New York on March 8, 2019.
SUITS AND SNEAKERS WEEK
Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week is a nationwide event that unites basketball coaches across the country for a common cause – saving lives from cancer. The Lions coaching staff will be participating in the cause during Saturday's game. Coaches and their staff across the nation wear sneakers with their suits during games to raise awareness, helping to save lives by raising funds and encouraging people to educate themselves about cancer prevention, screening, and early detection.
CRASHING THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
The Lions lead Ivy League teams with 240 offensive rebounds, which is 31 more than Harvard, who has the second-most. Josh Odunowo leads Columbia with 29 offensive boards and ranks 12th among Ivy League players in that category.
STARTING FIVE
Coach Jim Engles has rolled out four different starting lineups this season. Every combination has included Zine Eddine Bedri, Avery Brown, and Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa. Zavian McLean has recently made his first two starts of the season and is averaging 10 points per game in them, nearly four more than when he comes off the bench.
MIDDLE OF THE PACK
Through 21 games this season, Columbia sits in the top five of several stat categories among Ivy League teams. The Lions are third in free throw shooting (70.4%), fourth in steals (6.8 per game), fourth in turnover margin (-0.52), and first in offensive rebounds (11.4 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 12.5 made free throws per game and are third in the conference in free throw percentage (71.1). Columbia went 17-of-17 from the stripe against UMES to bolster that average. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa ranks second in the conference and 23rd nationally in free throw percentage, converting at an 89.1 percent clip. The Lions have made 262 foul shots and attempted 372, 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 (12.8), rebounding (5.6) and steals (1.4). De La Rosa has recorded four-straight double-figure scoring games, marking 15 such games on the season. No other Lion has eclipsed 10 double-figure scoring games yet this season. The sophomore's season also includes seven selections to the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll. His 89.1 percent mark from the free throw line this season would rank third all-time in a single season behind Brian Barbour, who did it twice (.917, 2010-11 and .901, 2011-12).
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 Zine Eddine Bedri have started every game and Blair Thompson entered the lineup on Nov. 18. The class of 2026 has comprised 46 percent of the team's scoring in 2022-23. When you combine the sophomore class (De La Rosa, Cooper, Robledo, Stankard, Tavroff) - that represents 77 percent of the team scoring coming from underclassmen. Through the first 11 weeks of the season, the Lions have posted three Ivy League Rookies of the Week, which is tied for most in the conference. Avery Brown picked up the honor twice (Dec. 12, Jan. 3) and Blair Thompson did on Dec. 18.
RECORD BOOK WATCH
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa is on record book watch. His 89.1 percent mark from the free throw line this season would rank third all-time in a single season behind Brian Barbour, who did it twice (.917, 2010-11 and .901, 2011-12).
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.
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.
BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER
The Lions return nearly 75 percent of its scoring from 2021-22, highlighted by Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa. The guard averaged 12.3 points per game, which was the third highest total for a first-year in program history.
LIONS PICKED EIGHTH IN PRESEASON IVY LEAGUE POLL
The Lions were predicted to finish eighth in the preseason Ivy League poll, conducted by selected members of the media.
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.
THE IVY LEAGUE ON ESPN+
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