As Columbia enters the first full weekend of the second half of its conference slate, the Lions find themselves at a crossroads of sorts.
The Light Blue boasts a 14-10 (3-5 Ivy) record, and has been close in every Ancient Eight contest this year, losing five games by a combined 17 points—the largest of which was a five-point decision to Harvard in Boston, Mass. where the Crimson haven’t lost in 24 games. Yet those close losses—particularly last Saturday’s 59-58 defeat to Yale—loom large heading into back-to-back trips to Princeton’s Jadwin Gymnasium and Penn’s The Palestra, two of the most storied venues in the league.
On Friday, Princeton’s big men may pose a matchup problem for the Light Blue. Junior Ian Hummer leads the Tigers in scoring with 16.7 points per game and on the glass with 7.7 rebounds per game. Although he will need to be accounted for, head coach Kyle Smith worries about 6-foot-9 forward Mack Darrow, who can stretch defenses with the outside shot. Darrow had 10 points on 2-for-3 shooting from downtown in the Tigers’ 62-58 win over Columbia on Jan. 14.
“I thought we did a really good job on Hummer,” Smith said. “But they make it hard, because Darrow can step out and hit the three and that’s a tough matchup. So we’ve got to find a better way to get [center Mark] Cisco on other guys.”
Despite limiting Hummer to 11 points on 3-for-10 shooting in the first matchup, Smith warned of his potential to wreak havoc on opposing defenses.
“He’s a killer, a kind of physical beast,” Smith said. “If you’re not ready for the fight, he’ll take your heart. He’s kind of a battering ram.”
The Tigers are coming off back-to-back wins last weekend, including a 70-62 upset of then-No. 21 Harvard on Saturday. That momentum, combined with Columbia’s late second-half collapse Saturday against Yale, could be a dangerous combination for the Lions.
“Their confidence should be good,” Smith said. “But you know, you might think we’re going to be going in there with our heads down, but we have to make sure we don’t do that or else we’ll get popped.”
Against Penn, senior guard Zack Rosen—second in the league in scoring with 18.0 points per game and first in the conference with 5.8 assists—will be the focus for Columbia defensively.
“With Rosen, you’ve got to throw the kitchen sink at him,” Smith said. “You can’t let him know what’s coming. He’s too smart, I swear he’s trying to read the other coach’s mind. He’ll be a coach, I’d be shocked if he’s not after he plays—he’ll play professionally.”
Rosen was quiet for much of the Lions’ 66-64 loss to the Quakers on Jan. 13, but he came through in the clutch for Penn with two key jumpers in the last two minutes and eight points in the last eight minutes to secure the victory.
“He didn’t really hit the gas until late,” Smith said. “I think we’ll probably give him a little different taste, just to try and throw him off his rhythm. But late in the game you know it’s going to be in his hands. But if we’re on their court, and we’re in that situation again—with a chance to win—that’d be great.”
The Lions will start with sophomore guard Meiko Lyles on Rosen and likely use a number of other backcourt players to contain the Quakers’ star, according to Smith.
For the Lions, junior co-captain and point guard Brian Barbour leads the way with 15.3 points per game while Cisco contributes 10.0 points per game and a team-high 7.3 boards. Lyles adds an outside threat to the Light Blue offense, scoring 10.4 points per game and shooting 43.6 percent from beyond the arc. All three will be needed this weekend for the Lions to pull off two wins and reach .500 record in conference play.
Tipoffs are scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. in Princeton, N.J. and Saturday at 7 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa.
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