Friday, March 6
Cambridge, Mass.
7:00 P.M.
Columbia
at
Harvard
Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Lem Photography
Men’s Basketball Travels to Harvard on Friday Night for Season Finale
3/5/2026 10:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Lions can reach 17 wins on the season for the third time since 1978-79
NEW YORK — Columbia men's basketball closes out the 2025-26 season at Harvard on Friday at 7 p.m. from Lavietes Pavilion.
Friday's matchup between the Lions (16-11, 5-8) and Crimson (16-11, 9-4) can be followed via live stats or watched live on ESPN+. Luis Sanchez (play-by-play), Amanda Keane (analyst) and Allison DeWitt (sideline) will have the call.
News/Notes
Opening Tip-Off
The Lions have the 10th-best rebounding margin in the country and rank inside the top 40 nationally in rebounds per game and offensive rebounds per game. Through 13 Ivy League games, Columbia leads the conference in offensive rebounds (157).
Columbia has secured its first season over .500 since 2015-16, when the Lions went 25-10 and won the Collegelnsider.com Tournament.
Columbia concludes its 125th year of men's basketball on Friday and wraps up the regular season against Harvard for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign.
The Lions go for their first victory over Harvard since Feb. 2, 2018.
First-year forward Connor Igoe was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season on Monday. Igoe dropped 15 points in Friday's win over Brown and recorded 10 assists for his fourth double-double of the season. His eight rebounds on the night left him two shy of being the first Columbia men's basketball player to have a triple-double.
Head coach Kevin Hovde has been named a finalist for the 2025-26 Joe B. Hall Award, CollegeInsider.com announced on Wednesday. The award is presented annually to the top first-time head coach in Division I college basketball.
Last Time Out
Columbia fell to Yale in its home finale, 60-54, on Saturday night from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium.
The Lions recognized seniors Avery Brown, Kenny Noland, Blair Thompson, and Zine Eddine Bedri in a pregame ceremony. Noland played seven seconds shy of 40 minutes and scored a game-high 20 points. He now has 1,208 for his career, which is tied with Sean Couch '87CC for 17th place on the program's all-time scoring list. Thompson scored seven in his final outing before the home crowd.
Yale was 22-of-40 from the field and it allowed the Bulldogs to keep pace ahead of the Lions, who went 21-of-58 (36.2 percent) from the floor. The Bulldogs led the entire way. After 10 first-half turnovers by the Lions, they only gave up the ball four more times and forced nine Yale turnovers in the second half.
Noticing Noland
Senior guard Kenny Noland is on an offensive tear through 27 games this season, averaging a team-best 17.1 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 463 points this season are tied for second among Ivy League scorers and his 71 three-pointers are also tied for the second-most in the league.
On Jan. 24 at Dartmouth, Noland posted 28 points and 11 rebounds (both career highs) for his first-career double-double in the 79-69 win. Noland went 11-11 from the free throw line (also a career-high) and tallied four steals, which tied his career-best. The Apex, N.C. native played all 40 minutes.
Noland's 28 points were the most scored by any Ivy League player amongst that week's games and were the most points scored by a Lion on the road since Nov. 13, 2022, at Sacred Heart (Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, 28). His 28 points were also the most points scored by a Lion in a road Ivy League game since Feb. 15, 2020, at Harvard (Mike Smith, 38).
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 123 steals rank sixth all-time in program history.
Noland has trumped his career-high in points three times this year and has recorded 13 20-point performances. Noland went off for an at-the-time 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 70-76 (92.1 percent) from the charity stripe, Noland ranks sixth in the country in free throw percentage among qualified players.
Noland has earned three 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.
Thompson Accomplishments
Senior forward Blair Thomspon pulled down his 500th career rebound in the Jan. 24 win at Dartmouth, becoming the first Lion to achieve the feat since Mark Cisco in 2012-13.
Thompson joined Gary Raimondo '99CC as the only other Lion to have 500 rebounds and 100 steals in their Columbia careers. The New York, N.Y. native also played in his 100th career game on Jan. 30.
Memorable Win in Ithaca
The Lions' 104-99 win on Jan. 5 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.
Offensive Fireworks
With Jan. 5's 104-point showing at Cornell, the Lions have scored 100 or more points in three games in a season for the first time since 1976-77.
Columbia recorded 100 or more points in back-to-back games (Dec. 31 vs. PSU Abington and Jan. 5 at Cornell) 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.
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.
Eight of Columbia's wins have come by 15 or more points. The Lions are averaging 84.8 points per game in wins this season. Five Lions have scored in double-figures four times this season. Columbia's 47.7 percent shooting mark from the floor ranks 49th in the country.
Breaking The Glass
In addition to ranking 10th in the country in rebounding margin (8.9), the Lions lead Ivy League teams in combined rebounds per game (39.4), defensive rebounds per game (26.6), and offensive rebounds per game (12.8). Columbia has out-rebounded its opponent in all but one of its 16 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.
Igoe Impresses
First-year forward Connor Igoe has garnered four Ivy League Rookie of the Week nods this season and is averaging 8.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native's .506 field goal percentage ranks ninth in the Ivy League. Igoe's 80 assists are the second-most on the team behind Noland. He has recorded four double-doubles in his rookie season.
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 12 of his 25 games. His five steals on Nov. 23 vs. Longwood were at the time the most by a Lion since Avery Brown had five on Nov. 15, 2023, against SUNY Delhi.
Franklin recorded his first-career double-double at Penn on Feb. 13. His performance at The Plaestra featured 14 points on 6-14 shooting and 10 rebounds.
Franklin has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week five times this season (Nov. 10, Dec. 8, Dec. 29, Jan. 12, and Feb. 16).
Series History - Harvard
Columbia is 98-95 all-time against the Crimson and goes for its first win in the series since Feb. 2, 2018, in New York City. The Lions last won at Lavietes Pavilion on Jan. 30, 2016.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on X and Instagram, search Columbia men's basketball on Facebook, or follow on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Friday's matchup between the Lions (16-11, 5-8) and Crimson (16-11, 9-4) can be followed via live stats or watched live on ESPN+. Luis Sanchez (play-by-play), Amanda Keane (analyst) and Allison DeWitt (sideline) will have the call.
News/Notes
Opening Tip-Off
The Lions have the 10th-best rebounding margin in the country and rank inside the top 40 nationally in rebounds per game and offensive rebounds per game. Through 13 Ivy League games, Columbia leads the conference in offensive rebounds (157).
Columbia has secured its first season over .500 since 2015-16, when the Lions went 25-10 and won the Collegelnsider.com Tournament.
Columbia concludes its 125th year of men's basketball on Friday and wraps up the regular season against Harvard for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign.
The Lions go for their first victory over Harvard since Feb. 2, 2018.
First-year forward Connor Igoe was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season on Monday. Igoe dropped 15 points in Friday's win over Brown and recorded 10 assists for his fourth double-double of the season. His eight rebounds on the night left him two shy of being the first Columbia men's basketball player to have a triple-double.
Head coach Kevin Hovde has been named a finalist for the 2025-26 Joe B. Hall Award, CollegeInsider.com announced on Wednesday. The award is presented annually to the top first-time head coach in Division I college basketball.
Last Time Out
Columbia fell to Yale in its home finale, 60-54, on Saturday night from Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium.
The Lions recognized seniors Avery Brown, Kenny Noland, Blair Thompson, and Zine Eddine Bedri in a pregame ceremony. Noland played seven seconds shy of 40 minutes and scored a game-high 20 points. He now has 1,208 for his career, which is tied with Sean Couch '87CC for 17th place on the program's all-time scoring list. Thompson scored seven in his final outing before the home crowd.
Yale was 22-of-40 from the field and it allowed the Bulldogs to keep pace ahead of the Lions, who went 21-of-58 (36.2 percent) from the floor. The Bulldogs led the entire way. After 10 first-half turnovers by the Lions, they only gave up the ball four more times and forced nine Yale turnovers in the second half.
Noticing Noland
Senior guard Kenny Noland is on an offensive tear through 27 games this season, averaging a team-best 17.1 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 463 points this season are tied for second among Ivy League scorers and his 71 three-pointers are also tied for the second-most in the league.
On Jan. 24 at Dartmouth, Noland posted 28 points and 11 rebounds (both career highs) for his first-career double-double in the 79-69 win. Noland went 11-11 from the free throw line (also a career-high) and tallied four steals, which tied his career-best. The Apex, N.C. native played all 40 minutes.
Noland's 28 points were the most scored by any Ivy League player amongst that week's games and were the most points scored by a Lion on the road since Nov. 13, 2022, at Sacred Heart (Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa, 28). His 28 points were also the most points scored by a Lion in a road Ivy League game since Feb. 15, 2020, at Harvard (Mike Smith, 38).
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 123 steals rank sixth all-time in program history.
Noland has trumped his career-high in points three times this year and has recorded 13 20-point performances. Noland went off for an at-the-time 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 70-76 (92.1 percent) from the charity stripe, Noland ranks sixth in the country in free throw percentage among qualified players.
Noland has earned three 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.
Thompson Accomplishments
Senior forward Blair Thomspon pulled down his 500th career rebound in the Jan. 24 win at Dartmouth, becoming the first Lion to achieve the feat since Mark Cisco in 2012-13.
Thompson joined Gary Raimondo '99CC as the only other Lion to have 500 rebounds and 100 steals in their Columbia careers. The New York, N.Y. native also played in his 100th career game on Jan. 30.
Memorable Win in Ithaca
The Lions' 104-99 win on Jan. 5 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.
Offensive Fireworks
With Jan. 5's 104-point showing at Cornell, the Lions have scored 100 or more points in three games in a season for the first time since 1976-77.
Columbia recorded 100 or more points in back-to-back games (Dec. 31 vs. PSU Abington and Jan. 5 at Cornell) 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.
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.
Eight of Columbia's wins have come by 15 or more points. The Lions are averaging 84.8 points per game in wins this season. Five Lions have scored in double-figures four times this season. Columbia's 47.7 percent shooting mark from the floor ranks 49th in the country.
Breaking The Glass
In addition to ranking 10th in the country in rebounding margin (8.9), the Lions lead Ivy League teams in combined rebounds per game (39.4), defensive rebounds per game (26.6), and offensive rebounds per game (12.8). Columbia has out-rebounded its opponent in all but one of its 16 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.
Igoe Impresses
First-year forward Connor Igoe has garnered four Ivy League Rookie of the Week nods this season and is averaging 8.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native's .506 field goal percentage ranks ninth in the Ivy League. Igoe's 80 assists are the second-most on the team behind Noland. He has recorded four double-doubles in his rookie season.
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 12 of his 25 games. His five steals on Nov. 23 vs. Longwood were at the time the most by a Lion since Avery Brown had five on Nov. 15, 2023, against SUNY Delhi.
Franklin recorded his first-career double-double at Penn on Feb. 13. His performance at The Plaestra featured 14 points on 6-14 shooting and 10 rebounds.
Franklin has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week five times this season (Nov. 10, Dec. 8, Dec. 29, Jan. 12, and Feb. 16).
Series History - Harvard
Columbia is 98-95 all-time against the Crimson and goes for its first win in the series since Feb. 2, 2018, in New York City. The Lions last won at Lavietes Pavilion on Jan. 30, 2016.
Follow The Lions
For the latest on Columbia men's basketball, follow @CULionsMBB on X and Instagram, search Columbia men's basketball on Facebook, or follow on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballHighlights: MBK | Columbia 54, Yale 60
Saturday, February 28
Highlights: MBK | Columbia 80, Brown 62
Friday, February 27
Postgame: MBK | Connor Igoe and Coach Hovde after Brown
Friday, February 27
Postgame: MBK | Igoe, Thompson, and Noland Talk Brown Win
Friday, February 27
