Columbia University’s men’s basketball team is set for a back-to-back road trip, facing Penn on Friday at 7 p.m. and Princeton on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Lions, holding a 14-8 overall record and 3-5 in Ivy League play, will first take on the Quakers (11-10, 4-4) at The Palestra. The game can be followed via live stats or watched live on ESPN+, with Joe Tordy and Vince Curran providing commentary.
The following day, Columbia will meet the Tigers (8-15, 4-4) at Jadwin Gymnasium. Steven Cusumano and Jesse Agel will call the action for ESPN+ viewers.
Columbia enters the weekend ranked ninth nationally in rebounding margin and is among the top 30 teams in rebounds per game as well as defensive rebounds per game. In Ivy League competition, Columbia leads with 99 offensive rebounds through eight games.
Last Saturday, Columbia lost to Cornell at home by a score of 88-67. Despite the defeat, Columbia maintains an 8-3 record this season at Schiller Court in Levien Gymnasium.
Connor Igoe was named Ivy League Rookie of the Week for a second consecutive time after scoring 13 points and collecting four rebounds against Cornell. “Igoe scored 13 points on 5-11 shooting and pulled down four rebounds on Saturday,” according to the release.
The Lions have remained undefeated at home during non-conference play for two straight seasons and entered Ivy League play with double-digit wins in consecutive years.
Senior guard Kenny Noland continues to lead Columbia offensively, averaging a team-high 16.9 points per game across 22 contests this season. He also tops the team in assists, field goals made, three-point field goals made, free throws made, and minutes played per game. With his current total of 372 points this season and his fourth-place ranking among Ivy League scorers for both total points and three-pointers made (54), Noland has been recognized multiple times: “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.”
Noland reached several career milestones recently: he became just the 31st player in program history to reach 1,000 career points during a win over Cornell on Jan. 5; he also moved into sixth place all-time for steals at Columbia with a current tally of 111.
Senior forward Blair Thompson recorded his 500th career rebound during a win over Dartmouth on Jan. 24—making him only the second Lion ever to achieve both that mark along with more than 100 steals in their career.
Offensively, Columbia achieved notable feats this season by scoring over 100 points in three games—the most since the late seventies—and recording back-to-back games above that threshold for the first time since January of 1969.
Rebounding remains one of Columbia’s key strengths: they lead all Ivy League teams in combined rebounds per game (40.5), defensive rebounds per game (27.5), and offensive rebounds per game (13.1). They have out-rebounded opponents in each of their fourteen victories so far this year.
First-year forward Connor Igoe has received three Rookie of the Week awards from the league while averaging eight points and over five rebounds per contest; his .516 field goal percentage ranks tenth within conference play.
First-year guard Miles Franklin has been named Ivy League Rookie of the Week four times this season after strong performances off the bench—including double-digit scoring efforts against UConn and North Florida—and posting five steals against Longwood earlier this year.
Columbia’s last meeting with Penn resulted in a home victory (72-67) that snapped a three-game losing streak against them; their last win at The Palestra came two years ago. Against Princeton, however, Columbia seeks its first series win since February of 2018 after falling earlier this season at home.
After these road matchups, Columbia returns home next Saturday to host Dartmouth.
