NEW YORK — Columbia men's basketball goes for its sixth straight victory to start the season for the first time since 1969 on Wednesday when the Lions take on LIU at Steinberg Wellness Center at 7 p.m.

Wednesday's matchup between the Lions (5-0) and Sharks (2-2) can be followed via live stats or watched live on NEC Front Row. Pat Boyle (play-by-play) and Cooper Albers (color) will have the call. Click here to purchase tickets.

Opening Tip-Off

Columbia kept its perfect start to the season intact with a 77-63 victory over Mercyhurst on Saturday afternoon inside Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium.

Columbia is 5-0 for the first time since 2005 and has won its first three home games in a season for the first time since 2019.

Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa and Kenny Noland are the first Lions duo to record double-figures scoring in each of the first five games of a season since 2015-16. Grant Mullins and Alex Rosenberg each dropped 10 or more points in the first seven contests of that campaign.

Columbia's 407 points this season (81.4 per game) is the program's highest clip over the first five games of a season since 2015-16 (416 - 83.2).

The Lions return more than 78 percent of their scoring for the second straight season. Columbia also brings back at least 79 percent of its rebounds, assists, and steals from 2023-24. The Lions have the third-highest KenPom continuity rating in the country (73.5). The average continuity mark in the country is 33.8.

News/Notes

Last Time Out

Columbia remained undefeated with a 77-63 win at home against Mercyhurst in the two teams' first-ever meeting on Saturday. Columbia led for nearly 38 minutes in the victory for the second straight game. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 shooting from three-point range. The senior guard has scored at least 19 points in all five games this season.



Kenny Noland contributed 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Blair Thompson added 10 points and a team-best seven boards. Columbia went 30-of-56 (.536) from the field and were 9-of-20 (.450) on three-pointers. The Lions dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Lakers, 37-23.



Postgame Notes From Win vs. Mercyhurst

- Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa posted his ninth straight double-figure scoring game dating back to last season and his 14th career 20-point game on Saturday. He has scored at least 20 points in four of five games this season.
- Rubio De La Rosa (1,184 career points) is now in 19th place on Columbia's all-time scoring list, passing Walter Budko (1,163 points). He is 19 points away from tying Matt Shannon for 18th on the list.
- Rubio De La Rosa is now in sole possession of 2nd place on Columbia's all-time three-pointers made list (194) after knocking down five on Saturday afternoon, passing Matt Shannon.

Inside the Analytics

Columbia's KenPom rating as of Nov. 18 is 157. The last time the Lions had a rating this high was on Nov. 23, 2019. Columbia has jumped 60 spots in KenPom since the Villanova win.

Rubio De La Rosa Dominance

Senior guard Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa is off to a scorching start this season, averaging 22 points over the first five wins in 2024-25. He is shooting 50 percent from the floor and 48.7 percent from three-point range. Rubio De La Rosa has poured in 20 points in four of the season's first five games.

Rubio De La Rosa's 110 points scored this season are tied for the seventh-most in the country. The Santiago, Dominican Republic native ranks tied for 25th in the country with 34 field goals made and is tied for 41st with 23 free throws made. His 11 steals are tied for 20th in the nation.

Rubio De La Rosa was named to the Lou Henson Award Early-Season Watch List on Nov. 19 and to the inaugural Bracketeer.Org Non-Power Conference All-American Watch List on Oct. 31. He played a strong all-around game over 25 appearances (24 starts) in 2023-24 and was tabbed All-Ivy League Honorable Mention. Rubio De La Rosa averaged a team-best in points per game (14.4) for the second straight season and led Columbia in minutes per game (30.8), field goals made (116), three-pointers made (57), and steals (41). Rubio De La Rosa ranked in the top ten among Ivy League players in scoring, three-point field goal percentage, three-point field goals per game, and steals. The guard notched double-figures in 20 games and carries a four-game double-figure scoring streak into the 2024-25 season.

In February, Rubio De La Rosa became the 30th Lion in program history to score 1,000 points and the 16th to do so in his first three seasons.

Record Book Watch

- Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa is now second all-time in program history in three-pointers made (194). Maodo Lo (277) is the all-time leader in three-pointers made for the Lions.
- Rubio De La Rosa is second all-time in program history in three-pointers attempted (520). Maodo Lo (692) is the all-time leader in three-pointers attempted for the Lions.
- Rubio De La Rosa's .834 free throw percentage ranks third all-time in program history. He trails Brian Barbour (.897) and Chet Forte (.841).
- Rubio De La Rosa is fourth all-time in program history with 125 steals. He is 21 steals away from tying Sean Couch for third place.

Fast Break Points

- Last Saturday's 21-point win against Delaware State was the largest margin of victory against a D1 opponent at Levien Gymnasium since Dec. 7, 2018 vs. Bryant (90-68 win).
- It was also the largest margin of victory in a home opener since 2010 (108-74 win over Maryland Eastern Shore).

- Columbia received one vote in the Nov. 11 AP Top 25 Poll.
- It's likely the first AP Top 25 vote Columbia has gotten since 1970.

- Jim Engles was named National Coach of the Week by legendary ESPN analyst Dick Vitale on Nov. 11

- Last time Columbia won its first three home games in a season was 2019-20 (75-63 W vs. Binghamton on Nov. 13; 68-64 W vs. Lehigh on Nov. 30; 69-54 W vs. Marist on Dec. 28).

- Columbia is tied for 19th in the country in points scored (407) as of Nov. 18.

- Columbia had the third-biggest KenPom rating jump in the country during the first week of the season (209 to 148 – +61).
-Was their highest KenPom rating since Nov. 16, 2019 (147).

- On Nov. 11 Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa was the first Lion to be tabbed Lou Henson National Player of the Week. He was also tabbed Ivy League Player of the Week and Mid-Major Madness Men's Player of the Week.

- Blair Thompson posted his first career double-double in the Nov. 9 win over Delaware State, which included 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

Series History - LIU

Columbia is 5-3 all-time against the Sharks and most recently defeated LIU last season on Nov. 21, 77-67. The Lions last played at LIU on Nov. 28, 2012.

Preseason Ivy League Poll

The Lions were predicted to finish fifth in the preseason Ivy League poll, conducted by selected members of the media. It is the highest the Lions have been picked to finish since 2017, when they were also picked fifth. Columbia had been predicted to finish eighth the last three seasons.

Up Next

Columbia returns home to Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium for two contests on Saturday (vs. Stony Brook at 7 p.m.) and Monday (vs. New Hampshire at 7 p.m.). Saturday's matchup with the Seawolves will air live on SNY.

Tickets on Sale

Single-game tickets for the 2024-25 Columbia men's basketball season are now on sale. Click here or call 888-LIONS-11 to purchase tickets. 

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