GAME 25: Cornell (14-10, 6-7 Ivy) at Columbia (4-21, 1-12 Ivy)

Date & Time: Saturday, March 5 - 4:00 p.m.
Venue: Levien Gymnasium (2,500) - New York, N.Y.
Twitter: @CUBigRedGameday | @CUBigRedHoops
 

STORY LINES

• The Cornell men's basketball team will close out the regular season when it visits Columbia on Saturday, March 4 at 4 p.m. at Levien Gymnasium.
• The contest, which will serve as the Lions' Senior Day, will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• The Big Red is riding high after last weekend's events that began with Saturday's 71-65 win over Yale, its first over the Bulldogs after 16 consecutive losses.
• The win, coupled with Sunday's Princeton win at Harvard, secured the Big Red's second appearance in the Ivy League Tournament and first since 2018.
• The Big Red is in search of its 15th victory and has already secured its first winning season since the 2009-10 Sweet 16 team.
• The win over the Bulldogs came on the Big Red's Senior Day, as Cornell celebrated Kobe Dickson, Dean Noll, Sarju Patel and Max Samberg in a pregame ceremony.
• Cornell, which ranks 19th in the nation in scoring entering the weekend, was No. 1 in the country in adjusted pace in terms of shortest average possession time in Division I during the non-conference season.
• The Big Red stands second in the conference in points per game despite not having a player ranked in the top 15 in scoring.
• In fact, Cornell has 10 players averaging between 5.8 and 10.3 points per game this year and 12 have posted at least one double figure scoring game.
• Cornell has shared the ball all season long, ranking seventh nationally in assists per game (17.4).
• While the Big Red's offense has been in focus all season, Cornell is second in the Ivy League in opponent's field goal percentage (.429)
• Senior Dean Noll has played at an All-Ivy League level in conference play, averaging 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 82 percent from the free-throw line.
• Sophomores Keller Boothby (Dec. 6) and Chris Manon (Feb. 7) and freshmen Nazir Williams (Nov. 29) and Guy Ragland Jr. (Feb. 28) are four Cornellians that have earned weekly Ivy rookie honors.
 

SERIES HISTORY VS. COLUMBIA

Overall: Columbia leads 131-104
In New York, N.Y.: Columbia leads 80-36
Current Streak: Cornell, 2 games
Last Meeting: Cornell won 88-75, 2/9/22 in Ithaca, N.Y.
Earl vs. Columbia: 6-4
Series dates back to the 1902-03 season • Cornell leads 21-16 over the last 19 seasons • narrowing that down, the Lions have a 13-8 lead over the last 11 seasons • seven of the last 13 meetings have been decided by five points or less
 

NEXT UP

• Cornell will meet either Princeton or Yale in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals on Saturday, March 12 at 11 a.m. at Harvard's Lavietes Pavilion.
• The Big Red split its series with both teams.
• It will be Cornell's second Ivy League Tournament appearance, and it will be looking for its first victory.
• The winner advances to the championship game on Sunday, March 13 at noon on ESPN2.