NEW YORK — Columbia men's basketball looks to stay perfect this season and continue the longest winning streak in the country on Wednesday at UAlbany. Tip-off from Broadview Center is set for 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday's matchup between the Lions (8-0) and Great Danes (5-3) can be followed via live stats or
watched live on ESPN+. Rodger Wyland (play-by-play) and Michael Johnson Jr. (analyst) will have the call.
Opening Tip-Off
Columbia kept its perfect start to the season intact with an 83-57 victory against New Hampshire on Nov. 25 inside Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium.
The Lions are 8-0 for the first time since Columbia's 1969 team, which started the season with 10 straight wins before finishing 20-5 (11-3). Columbia has an eight-game winning streak for the first time since Feb. 1982.
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa and Kenny Noland are the first Lions duo to record double-figures scoring in each of the first eight games of a season since at least 2003-04.
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 second-highest KenPom continuity rating in the country (71.4). The average continuity mark in the country is 34.1.
As Seen on TV
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa and Robbie Stankard joined Tina Cervasio on Fox 5 NY's Sports Xtra to talk about Columbia's 8-0 start, their personal journeys, and more.
News/Notes
Last Time Out
Columbia led for over 36 minutes for the sixth straight game and dismantled New Hampshire last Monday at home, 83-57. Kenny Noland poured in a game-high 17 points.
Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa recorded 14 points and four assists.
Avery Brown notched 10 points, five assists, and four steals.
Jake Tavroff recorded a career-high five assists in the win. First-year
Mason Ritter led with eight rebounds. Columbia had a strong rebounding performance, picking up 40 against the Wildcats and a well-balanced offensive attack (25 assists).
Postgame Notes From Win vs. New Hampshire
- Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa posted his 12th straight double-figures scoring game dating back to last season.
- Columbia has led at the half in seven of eight games this season.
In The Polls
Columbia received votes in Monday's AP Top 25 Poll for the third time in four weeks. The Lions are ranked No. 11 in the latest collegeinsider.com poll and No. 17 in the latest Mid-Major Basketball Poll.
Rubio De La Rosa Dominance
Senior guard Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa is off to a scorching start this season, averaging 22.8 points per game (eighth in the country) over the first eight wins in 2024-25. He is shooting 55.8 percent from the floor and 52.4 percent from three-point range.
Rubio De La Rosa's 182 points scored this season are the 13th most in the country. The Santiago, Dominican Republic native ranks fourth in the country in three-pointers made (33) and three-pointers per game (4.1). His assist/turnover ratio of 3.6 is 33rd 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.
Historic Performance by G
On Nov. 23 vs. Stony Brook, Rubio De La Rosa dropped a career-high 37 points and moved to 11th place on Columbia's all-time scoring list. Rubio De La Rosa set a Levien Gym record and a career high with nine three-pointers made. He also tied the Levien Gym record for points scored by a Lion, matching Mike Smith, Buck Jenkins, and C.J. Thompkins' 37-point performances. From the floor, Rubio De La Rosa was 14-18 (.778) from inside the arc and 9-13 (.692) from three-point range. Rubio De La Rosa had 24 of the Lions' 38 first half points.
Rubio De La Rosa was the first Lion to score 37 points in a game since Mike Smith did so on Feb. 22, 2020 vs. Yale.
Noticing Noland
Junior guard Kenny Noland has played a big part of Columbia's offense, averaging 14.4 points per game in 31.5 minutes per game. His 28 assists lead the team and are tied for sixth in the Ivy League. Among conference players, Noland is tied for sixth in steals, seventh in minutes per game, and eighth in scoring.
Spreading The Wealth
The Lions are putting together well-balanced numbers on the stat sheets this season Junior Blair Thompson leads the team and ranks in the top ten in the Ivy League in rebounds per game (6.6). The New York City native's 21 offensive boards are the second-most in the conference. 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.
First-year Mason Ritter leads the team with seven blocks in just 10.6 minutes per game this season. Junior Avery Brown has chipped in averaging 10.4 points per game with double-figure scoring in four games. He is tied for second on the team in assists (25).
Record Book Watch
- Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa (1,256 points) is 11th on Columbia's all-time scoring list and is 10 points away from tying Heyward Dotson '70CC for 10th place.
- Rubio De La Rosa is second all-time in program history in three-pointers made (208). 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 (544). Maodo Lo (692) is the all-time leader in three-pointers attempted for the Lions.
- Rubio De La Rosa's .837 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 129 steals. He is 27 steals away from tying Sean Couch for third place.
Inside the Analytics
Columbia's KenPom rating is 142. The last time the Lions had a rating of 142 high was Jan. 9, 2016. Columbia's NET ranking is 76, which is the best among Ivy League teams.
Fast Break Points
- The 26-point win on Nov. 25 against New Hampshire (83-57) was the largest margin of victory against a D1 opponent at Levien Gymnasium since Dec. 7, 2018 vs. Bryant (90-68 win). The Lions have had four double-digit home wins this season.
- Columbia has received votes in the AP Top 25 Poll three times in the last four weeks.
- It's likely the first time Columbia has gotten an AP Top 25 vote since 1970.
- The last time Columbia won its first five home games in a season was 2010-11.
- On Nov. 25, Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa was named Ivy League Player of the Week, ESPN Dick Vitale National Player of the Week, and CollegeInsider.com Lou Henson National Player of the Week. On Nov. 26, he was named an Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.
- Jim Engles was named National Coach of the Week by legendary ESPN analyst Dick Vitale on Nov. 11.
- 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.
- 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).
Series History - UAlbany
Columbia is 2-7 all-time against the Great Danes and have dropped seven straight in the series. In last season's home opener in New York City, Columbia fell, 78-75.
Up Next
Columbia returns to New York City to host United States Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday at 2 p.m. Click here or call 888-LIONS-11 to purchase tickets.
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.
Follow The Lions
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