Men’s Basketball Starts Road Trip at Columbia Tuesday Night

BOSTON –  Starting off a four-game road trip, the Boston University men’s basketball team will visit Columbia on Tuesday night with both the SNY and ESPN3 broadcasts set for a 7 p.m. tip.

The trip marks a homecoming for BU head coach Jones, who led the Lions over seven seasons from 2003-2010. He collected 86 wins at Columbia and is currently 12 wins away from breaking the program record at 236 total.

   

TERRIER TIDBITS

• BU is back on the road following a 1-1 home split in which the Terriers defeated their first Ivy League opponent, 90-77, and came up short to Merrimack, 91-79. BU started the year on the road with a split as well, earning a 76-75 OT victory at Northeastern and then falling at Northwestern, 76-52.
• Four Terriers are averaging double digits in points with junior Michael McNair just edging freshman Sam Hughes for the leading slot, 16.2-16.0. Both men are shooting over 50 percent in 3-point territory, combining for 30-for-57 (.526).
• Sophomore Ben Defty (13.2 ppg) leads BU at 6.5 rpg and owns a team-high nine blocks through four contests after totaling 17 his rookie year over 32 appearances.
• Freshman Chance Gladden nearly had a triple-double against Merrimack with 10 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. He is the fourth Terrier to average double digits in scoring at 10.0 ppg while helping direct the offense at 4.8 apg.
• As a team, BU is averaging 74.2 ppg and 46.6 FG% with opponents shooting 48.9 FG% for a 79.8 points scoring average.

SCOUTING COLUMBIA

• After starting off the season on the road with a 71-53 win at New Haven and 89-62 loss at then-No 3 UConn, the Lions opened the home slate with an 86-72 victory over UMass Lowell.
• Last season, Columbia went 12-15 with a 9-6 home record, highlighted by wins against Lehigh, Stony Brook, New Hampshire and Fairfield, while also posting road victories against Villanova and Loyola Maryland.
• 6-foot-2 guard Kenny Noland averages 15.3 ppg and 36.8 percent from behind the arc, while 6-foot-10 forward Zine Eddine Bedriis averaging 12.3 ppg alongside 4.3 rpg.
• 6-foot-9 forward Mason Ritter leads the Lions at 7.0 rpg with 6.7 ppg.
• Columbia is averaging 73.0 ppg and 46.4 FG% while holding opponents to 71.3 ppg and 45.0 FG%.

SERIES HISTORY

• Columbia owns a 2-1 advantage in the series that saw the Lions win the first meeting, 83-80, in a neutral contest hosted in Worcester, Massachusetts during the 1992-93 campaign.
• BU rolled to a 66-37 home victory in 2002 to avenge the previous year’s 68-47 road loss.

LOOKING AHEAD

• The Terriers will face their third Ivy League opponent this season in Harvard, 74-63, when they meet at the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase hosted by the Mohegan Sun.
• The Terriers and Crimson will tip off Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in their first matchup since 2017.
• Harvard leads the all-time series, 40-27, having won the last eight meetings with BU previously prevailing in 2008 on the road, 75-59.
• BU and Harvard are facing on a neutral court for the first time since the Crimson won at the old Boston Garden, 83-69, during the Beanpot competition on Dec. 1..