Men’s Basketball Takes on Harvard Saturday in Conference Home Opener

Saturday, January 10

New York, N.Y.

2:00 P.M.

Columbia University

Harvard

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Lem Photography

Men’s Basketball Takes on Harvard Saturday in Conference Home Opener

1/9/2026 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Columbia Game Notes Harvard Game Notes Miles Franklin Feature

The Lions seek first 2-0 Ivy start in 10 years

NEW YORK — Columbia men's basketball hosts Harvard on Saturday from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium at 2 p.m.

Saturday's contest between the Lions (12-3, 1-0) and Crimson (7-8, 0-1) can be followed via live stats or watched live on SNY or ESPN+. Steve Gelbs (play-by-play) and Barry Rohrssen (analyst) will have the call. Click here to purchase tickets.

News/Notes

Opening Tip-Off

Columbia has the third-best rebounding margin in the country and ranks inside the top 10 nationally in rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game.

The Lions went undefeated at home in non-conference play for a second consecutive season and also entered the Ivy League gauntlet with double-digit wins in back-to-back years.

Columbia goes for its first victory over Harvard since Feb. 2, 2018.

Columbia opened Ivy League play with a 104-99 win at Cornell on Monday. The Lions moved to 33-36 all-time in Ivy League openers.

Kevin Hovde is the first Columbia head coach in his debut season to win 12 of his first 15 games since Lou Rossini started 20-0 in his first season in Morningside Heights in 1950–51.

Last Time Out

Columbia erased a nine-point second half deficit to earn a 104-99 victory at Cornell in the teams' Ivy League opener on Monday night at Newman Arena.

Columbia was down 74-65 with 10:19 to play. After trimming it to a three-point game, the Lions raced in front on a three-pointer from Blair Thompson and a fast break layup from Kenny Noland to lead 78-76 with 7:13 to go.

Shortly after, Columbia's 10-0 run broke open an 88-78 lead with 5:23 left in the game. Cornell (7-7, 0-1) cut it back down to four with 2:40 left, but Columbia held on down the stretch.

Cornell Postgame Notes (Jan. 5)

Monday's 104-99 contest was the highest-scoring game in Columbia-Cornell history (242 games).

Columbia scored 100 points on Cornell for just the second time in series history (103 on Jan. 18, 1957).

The last time Columbia scored over 100 points in an Ivy League game was Feb. 6, 1993, vs. Harvard (W, 101-70).

The last time Columbia scored over 100 points in a road Ivy League game was Feb. 19, 1972, at Harvard (L, 102-100).

Kenny Noland became the 31st Lion in program history to reach 1,000 career points when he hit a free throw with 34 seconds remaining in the game.

Five Lions scored in double-figures for the fourth time this season.

Offensive Fireworks

With Monday's 104-point showing at Cornell, the Lions have now scored over 100 points in three games in a season for the first time since 1976-77.

Columbia is coming off back-to-back games with 100 or more points for the first time since Jan. 1969 (wins over Georgetown and Niagara).

The Lions have had two players with 20 points or more in a game twice this season (Kenny Noland and Blair Thompson on Nov. 26 and Jan.5), marking the first time that's happened since 2018-2019.

On Nov. 26, the Lions scored 106 points at Fairfield, marking their first 100-point game against a Division I opponent since Nov. 15, 2010 (108 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore) and their first on the road since Dec. 8, 2009, at Wagner. Columbia shot an impressive 62.5 percent from the field against the Stags—their first road game shooting over 60 percent since Feb. 27, 2016, at Penn. The Lions are clicking from deep, ranking 23rd nationally with a 38.8 percent three-point clip.

Columbia averaged 93.8 points over a four-game span from Nov. 21 to Nov. 29. Columbia last averaged 90-plus points over a four-game span during the 1976-77 season.

In the Nov. 29 win over Sarah Lawrence, six Lions reached double-figures in scoring, marking the first time the program had that many players notch 10 or more points in a game since Dec. 4, 2017, vs. Quinnipiac. Columbia also had six score in double-digits in the Dec. 31 win over PSU Abington.

Seven of Columbia's wins have come by 15 or more points. The Lions are averaging 87.5 points per game in wins this season.

Breaking The Glass

In addition to having the third-best rebounding margin (13.7) in the country, the Lions lead Ivy League teams in combined rebounds per game (43.4), defensive rebounds per game (30.3), and offensive rebounds per game (13.1). Columbia has out-rebounded its opponent in all 12 wins this season.

The Lions have out-rebounded an opponent by more than 20 boards five times this season (plus-23 vs. UMass Lowell on Nov. 13, plus-25 at Lehigh on Nov. 21, plus-38 vs. Sarah Lawrence on Nov. 29, plus-20 vs. UAlbany on Dec. 6, and plus-42 vs. PSU Abington on Dec. 31). The plus-25 margin against the Mountain Hawks is Columbia's largest against a Division I opponent since Nov. 15, 2010, vs. Maryland Eastern Shore, when the Lions were 44-21 on the boards against the Hawks. Columbia notched 49 rebounds at Stony Brook on Dec. 9. Previously, the pair of 48-rebound performances against UMass Lowell and Lehigh were the most boards in a game for Columbia against a Division I foe since Dec. 12, 2022 (at Lafayette). The last time Columbia recorded multiple 40-rebound games in a season against Division I opponents came in 2017-18.

Columbia also had 23 offensive rebounds on Nov. 13, marking the first time the Lions secured over 20 offensive boards since Jan. 16, 2023, vs. Cornell.

Tied for the team lead in rebounds and rebounds per game with Connor Igoe and Ryan Soulis, Blair Thompson is 15 boards away from the 500-rebound mark for his career. Thompson would be the first Lion to record 500 career rebounds since Mark Cisco did so in 2012-13.

Noticing Noland

Senior guard Kenny Noland is off to a strong offensive start to 2025-26, averaging a team-best 17 points per game. Noland leads the Lions in assists, field goals made, three-point field goals made, free throws made, and minutes per game. Noland's 255 points this season rank third among Ivy League scorers and his 40 three-pointers are the second-most in the league.

On Jan. 5 at Cornell, Noland notched his 1,000th career point, becoming the 31st Lion in program history to reach that mark and the first since Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa on Feb. 23, 2024. Noland's 101 steals rank 11th all-time in program history.

The Apex, N.C. native has trumped his career-high in points twice already this year and has recorded seven 20-point performances. Noland went off for a career-best 27 points in a win at Lehigh on Nov. 21, where he went 11-18 from the field. He then matched the 27-point mark on Dec. 28 at North Florida.

At 45-47 (95.7 percent) from the charity stripe, Noland has the second-highest free throw percentage in the country among qualified players.

Noland has earned two Ivy League Player of the Week honors and was added to the Lou Henson Award Early Season Watch List on Dec. 18, which recognizes the top mid-major players in Division I college basketball.

How Many Miles Can He Go?

First-year guard Miles Franklin shined in his collegiate debut in the Nov. 7 season opener. The Vienna, Virginia native came off the bench and in 18 minutes of action tallied 13 points on 5-5 shooting from the floor. Franklin knocked down two three-pointers and recorded three rebounds, two blocks, and a steal.

Franklin followed up on Nov. 10 at No. 3 UConn with a 10-point showing (eight in the second half) on 5-8 shooting. His performance included a posterizing dunk over Silas Demary Jr. with 8:42 remaining in the game.

Franklin poured in a career-best 19 points on 6-12 shooting on Dec. 28 at North Florida and has scored double-figures in nine of this season's 15 games. His five steals on Nov. 23 vs. Longwood are the most by a Lion since Avery Brown had five on Nov. 15, 2023, against SUNY Delhi.

Franklin has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week three times this season (Nov. 10, Dec. 8, and Dec. 29).

Series History - Harvard

Columbia is 98-94 all-time against the Crimson and goes for its first win in the series since Feb. 2, 2018, in New York City.

Up Next

Columbia is back on the road for Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend. The Lions visit Brown on Saturday at 2 p.m. before heading to Yale on Monday at 2 p.m.

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