Columbia University
Yale
Men's Basketball Closes Out Road Trip At Yale On Saturday
2/10/2023 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Lions are set to wrap up five-straight games away from home
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Columbia men's basketball (6-18, 1-8) visits Yale (16-6, 6-3) on Saturday at 7 p.m. at John J. Lee Amphitheater for the second matchup between the two teams this season.
📸 One more this weekend on the road before we return home#RoarLionRoar pic.twitter.com/T7BLGAHUS8
— Columbia Basketball (@CULionsMBB) February 7, 2023
OPENING TIP-OFF
• The Lions wrap up 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 looks to snap an eight-game losing streak in its penultimate road game of the regular season after dropping both games of the back-to-back at Penn and Princeton last weekend.
• Next week, Columbia returns home to Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium for the first time in a month to play Harvard on Friday, February 17 and Dartmouth on Saturday, February 18 in the season's final back-to-back. Both games are set to tip at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ with Friday's game also airing on SNY.
CU BLACK EXCELLENCE - JOSH ODUNOWO
#CUBlackExcllence ➡️ Josh Odunowo@CULionsMBB's Josh Odunowo talks about his family roots, his upbringing, his inspirations and how growing up as part of the Black community of Laurel, Maryland has shaped him into who he is today.#RoarLionRoar #BlackHistoryMonth #BlackHistory pic.twitter.com/I3qdM4NciP
— Columbia Athletics (@GoColumbiaLions) January 24, 2023
Leonard "Buck" Jenkins '93CC has been chosen as the 2023 Columbia men's basketball legend. Jenkins is Columbia's all-time leading scorer and was a three-time first-team All-Ivy League honoree. All 16 representatives will be formally honored at the 2023 Ivy League Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments on March 10-12 at Jadwin Gymnasium in Princeton, N.J.
Our all-time leading scorer is part of the 2023 Class of Legends! #BuckJenkins
— Columbia Basketball (@CULionsMBB) January 26, 2023
Also check out the @IvyLeague release on Buck! ⬇️
📰: https://t.co/Zzm0PD08f1 https://t.co/MxI4TkOblx
NEWS/NOTES
YALE'S STATUS
The Bulldogs enter Saturday's game on a five-game winning streak after sweeping a road back-to-back at Harvard and Dartmouth last weekend. Forward Matt Knowling leads second-place Yale with 14.5 points per game and ranks fourth in the league in that category. Three other Bulldogs are averaging double-figures scoring, including August Mahoney, who is shooting 47.7% from three-point range. The Bulldogs' defense is giving up a conference-best 61.0 points per game. Yale also holds the highest scoring margin among Ivy League teams (14.0). The Bulldogs are 8-1 on its home floor this season.
INSIDE THE SERIES - YALE
Yale leads the all-time series with Columbia, 126-116. Earlier this season in New York, the Lions outlasted the Bulldogs 62-60 in the Ivy League opener. Columbia's win snapped a four-game losing streak in the series. Yale has taken 11 of the last 13 meetings.
LAST TIME OUT NOTABLES
At Princeton last Saturday, Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa dropped 12 points and collected a game-high 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. De La Rosa's 12 boards are the most in a game by a Lion this season. Avery Brown led Columbia's scoring (13 points) and Zavian McLean (12 points) also posted double-figures for the second-straight game. Kenny Noland added 11 points. Robbie Stankard chipped in with four rebounds, a block, and a career-high three steals. The Lions tied a season-high with five blocked shots in the loss.
CRASHING THE OFFENSIVE GLASS
The Lions lead Ivy League teams with 263 offensive rebounds, which is 18 more than Penn, who has the second-most. Josh Odunowo leads Columbia with 33 offensive boards and ranks 12th among Ivy League players in that category. Zine Bedri also ranks in the top 15 for offensive rebounds.
STARTING FIVE
Coach Jim Engles has rolled out four different starting lineups this season. Every combination has included Zine Bedri, Avery Brown, and Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa. Zavian McLean has recently made his first five starts of the season in the last six games. In those starts, McLean is averaging 11.4 points per game, 4.4 points higher than his regular average.
MIDDLE OF THE PACK
Through 24 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 (70.3%), fourth in steals (6.8 per game), fourth in turnover margin (-0.17), and first in offensive rebounds (11.0 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 12.1 made free throws per game and are third in the conference in free throw percentage (70.3). Columbia went 17-of-17 from the stripe against UMES to bolster that average. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa ranks first in the conference and tied for 20th nationally in free throw percentage, converting at an 88.7 percent clip. The Lions have attempted a league-high 414 free throws.
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 (5.9) and steals (1.4). De La Rosa recorded his second double-double last Saturday at Princeton and has scored double-figures in 17 games this season. No other Lion has eclipsed 10 double-figure scoring games yet this season. The sophomore's season also includes eight selections to the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll.
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 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 76 percent of the team scoring coming from underclassmen.
RECORD BOOK WATCH
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa is on record book watch. His 88.7 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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