NEW YORK — Columbia men's basketball welcomes Ivy League foe Penn to Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium on Saturday at 2 p.m. in a Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week matchup.

Saturday's contest between the Lions (9-7, 0-3) and the Quakers (9-9, 1-2) can be followed via live stats and watched live on ESPN+. Jack Benjamin (play-by-play) and Barry Rohrssen (analyst) will be on the call. Tickets can be purchased here.

Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week

Coaches vs. Cancer Suits And Sneakers Week is a nationwide event when basketball coaches across the country unite for a common cause – ending cancer. To raise awareness and bring attention to the cause during this week, college basketball coaches around the country are suiting up during game(s) and wearing their most eye-catching sneakers. Both the Columbia and Penn coaching staffs will be wearing suits and sneakers at Saturday's game in an effort to support the cause. For more information, click here.

Opening Tip-Off

The Lions are coming off a hard-fought 70-62 loss to Princeton last Saturday in a game Columbia had tied twice down the stretch and trailed by four points with under four minutes to go.

Last Saturday's attendance of 2,307 inside Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium was the largest crowd for a Columbia men's basketball game since Feb. 28, 2020 vs. Harvard.

A win against Penn would give Columbia its first home victory over the Quakers in nearly seven years and would snap a three-game losing streak in the series.

Columbia's seven home wins this season are the most for the Lions since 2017-18.

Following Saturday's matchup with the Quakers, Columbia hits the road for a back-to-back Friday (Harvard at 7 p.m.) and Saturday (Dartmouth at 6 p.m.).

Morningside Hoops Podcast (Season 6, Episode 4)

A new episode of the Morningside Hoops Podcast has arrived. The latest episode features sophomore forward Blair Thompson (New York, N.Y.) and senior forward Josh Odunowo (Laurel, Md.). Hosts Kyle Mattracion and Aliyah Funschelle sit down to get to know Thompson, preview the matchup with Penn on Saturday, and much more. Listen on Spotify, Apple, SoundCloud, or wherever you get your podcasts.
 

𝘽𝙊𝙍𝙉 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝘽𝙍𝙀𝘿 🗽
This week's episode of the Morningside Hoops Podcast is now available on @Spotify & all major platforms!

🏀 @CULionsMBB
🗣️ @Bompson3 & @Slimhunchoo

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— Columbia Athletics (@GoColumbiaLions) January 26, 2024

News/Notes

Last Time Out 

Columbia went toe-to-toe with Princeton in front of 2,307 fans inside Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium last Saturday, but fell to the first-place Tigers, 70-62. The Lions clawed back to tie the game 47-47 with 11:16 to go but Princeton  exploded on an 8-0 run to re-take momentum. Columbia was able to get the margin back within reach when a Blair Thompson lay-up trimmed Princeton's lead to 64-60 with 3:39 to go. The Tigers closed out the victory with three baskets in the paint in the final two minutes. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa returned to action after missing the previous two games with an injury and tied his season-high with a team-best 19 points. The junior guard finished 8-of-14 from the field in 32 minutes of action. Avery Brown added 11 points while Thompson chipped in 10.
 

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In The New York Groove

Columbia is averaging 86.7 points per game in wins this season. The Lions have the third-largest scoring margin (9.1) and most second-most assists (286) in the Ivy League. The Lions are averaging 17.9 assists per game, which ranks No. 16 nationally. Columbia is also second in steals (128) and steals per game (8.0). The Lions rank 51st in the country in opponent 3-point field goal percentage (30.6).

Fast Facts

The Lions are one of four teams in the country that return more than 90% of their scoring this season, along with Northern Iowa, Wisconsin, and St. Bonaventure. Columbia is also one of 11 teams in the country to return at least 70 percent of its points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks from 2022-23.

Before last Saturday's loss to Princeton, Columbia had won seven straight home games for the first time since 2015-16. 

The Lions began conference play with nine wins for the first time since 2015-16.

Columbia has scored at least 100 points in two games this season. The last time a Lions team accomplished this feat was in 1976-77.

Columbia surpassed the previous record for most points in a game in program history on Jan. 4 vs. Mount Saint Vincent when the Lions cruised to a 120-52 win. The previous mark was 118 points at Wagner on Jan. 17, 1977.

Zavian McLean dropped a game-high 19 points and pulled in 11 rebounds on Jan. 4, becoming the first Lion to tally a double-double since Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa on Feb. 4, 2022, at Princeton.

Following a win over Temple on Nov. 18, it was the first time Columbia's record has been over .500 since Feb. 4, 2017.

Columbia's two road wins this season so far match the away victory total from the previous three seasons combined.

The Lions had won eight of their first 11 games to start the season for the first time since 1978. Columbia already passed last season's win total on Dec. 11.

Columbia's six-game winning streak earlier this season was the program's longest since January 2016.

Scouting Penn

The Quakers enter Saturday's contest at 9-9 (1-2) and having dropped two straight league games after beating Dartmouth in their conference opener. Penn leads the Ivy League in three-pointers made (180) and three-point field goal percentage (.385). Clark Slajchert (17.4 points per game) and Tyler Perkins (14.2 points per game) lead the team in scoring. The Quakers are 1-5 on the road this season.

Series History - Penn

The Lions are 93-148 all-time against the Quakers and last defeated Penn on Jan. 8, 2022 at The Palestra. In last season's matchups, Zavian McLean averaged a team-high 11.5 points per game for the Lions.

Well-Balanced Attack

Through the first 16 games this season, Columbia has had at least four players finish with double-figures scoring eight times and five players finish with double-figures scoring three times (Dec. 5 vs. Lafayette, Jan. 4 vs. Mount Saint Vincent, and Jan. 9 at Cornell).

Before this season, Columbia last had five players score double-figures in the same game on Nov. 19, 2019 against Binghamton.

Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa (13.7) and Avery Brown (11.9) are averaging double-figures scoring, while three other Lions are averaging over eight points per game. Brown leads the team with 13 double-figure scoring performances while Rubio De La Rosa has 11. Odunowo and Thompson have seven such games.

Free Throw Frenzy

Columbia is 225-291 (77.3 percent) from the free throw line this season. That mark is second in the Ivy League and ranks 16th in the country. Zavian McLean (18-22), Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa (50-57), and Noah Robledo (14-16) are all shooting above 80 percent from the charity stripe.

Columbia went 28-39 from the line on Nov. 21 against LIU. It was the most attempted free throws by the Lions since Feb. 23, 2018 vs. Brown and the highest mark in head coach Jim Engles' tenure.

De La Rosa Dominance

Junior guard Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa has built off his strong sophomore campaign to start this season. The Santiago, Dominican Republic native had scored in double-figures in nine straight games dating back to last season before dropping eight points on Nov. 15. He has scored double-figures in 11 out of 14 games this season. De La Rosa played a strong all-around game in 2022-23, leading the Lions and ranking among the Ivy League leaders in scoring (13.6), rebounding (5.6) and steals (1.4). His 713 points through his first two seasons are the third-most all-time in program history for a player's first two years.

De La Rosa recorded 22 double-figures scoring games last season, including six straight to close out the year. He scored in double-figures in 12 out of the team's 14 Ivy League games last season. De La Rosa was one of four Lions to play in all 29 games last season and Avery Brown was the only other Lion to start in every game. De La Rosa's 88.8 percent mark from the free throw line last season led the Ivy League and ranked No. 16 in the country. His mark from the charity stripe also ranked third all-time in a single season behind Brian Barbour, who did it twice (.917, 2010-11 and .901, 2011-12).

Up Next

Following Saturday's matchup with the Quakers, Columbia hits the road for a back-to-back Friday (Harvard at 7 p.m.) and Saturday (Dartmouth at 6 p.m.).

Preseason Ivy League Poll

The Lions were predicted to finish eighth in the preseason Ivy League poll, conducted by selected members of the media.

Follow The Lions
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