Brown Bears vs Columbia Lions Preview
It’s Ivy League season, the time of the year when Ivy League schools face off against one another daily. Action will continue on Sunday, February 10, when the Brown Bears host the Columbia Lions at the Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence, Rhode Island. The game starts at 9 am PST and is available on ESPN+.
The Bears are just 6-15 this season and have dropped six of their past eight games. Columbia is a respectable 11-8 and they’ve lost five of their past eight. The Lions have won two of their past three, putting them as the favorites heading into this fixture. Don’t worry, we’ll go over everything you need to know so you can feel confident when betting on college basketball.
Brown Bears vs Columbia Lions Head-To-Head and Key Stats
The Brown Bears and Columbia Lions are two of the eight Ivy League schools in the northeast. They face off twice every season, not including Ivy Madness, so there’s a lot of history between these two teams – and a lot of emotion. If you’re looking for a good game to watch this weekend, you’ve found it.
Speaking of history, Sunday’s game will be the 144th regular season game between Brown and Columbia since the 1949-50 season. The Lions hold a slight edge, winning 73 of those games to Brown’s 70. But the Bears have dominated the matchup in recent years, winning six straight since the 2019 season.
With that said, it’s their first matchup against one another this year, and it has been nearly a year since they last met. Both teams have similar rosters, but don’t let Brown’s recent history fool you. The Lions are having a better season and can easily break that six-game drought. Here’s how their two games against each other last season went:
Game 1: Their first meeting in 2023 was on January 21 in Providence, and Nana Owusu-Anane had a day. He finished with 27 points, 18 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two blocks. Brown had six players score in double-digits, leading them to an impressive 97-85 win, including 51 points in the first half.
Nana Owusu-Anane (Burlington,ON) had 27 pts,18 rebs,3 rebs,1 ast,2 stls in 29 mins in 97-85 win over Columbia. #CanBall
(PHOTO: Brown Athletics) pic.twitter.com/NAN6CY6jIs— CanBallRay (@CanBallReport) January 22, 2023
Game 2: They played against each other one month later on February 25, in NYC. Brown took an early 40-35 lead at the end of the first half and didn’t let up in the second half. They outscored the Lions 44-38. Brown won the game 84-73 and Kino Lilly Jr. led the way with 23 points and three steals.
That second win against Columbia last season had Brown sitting at 14-12 on the year, while the Lions were just 7-21. This season brings a different dynamic as the records have been reversed. The Lions often struggle against Brown, but a lot of fans are betting on Columbia to tip the scale in the opposite direction.
Brown Bears vs Columbia Lions Predictions
The Lions lost three straight games to Cornell, Yale, and Princeton in mid-January, but have played much better since. The Bears have been stringing losses together all season and have yet to win twice in a row. Both teams have the talent to win, but which team will come away with the much-needed victory?
We have the Lions defeating the Bears 88-72, despite being on the road.
They say history repeats itself, but not this weekend, not with Columbia, at least. They’re playing some solid team basketball this year, and it’s showing in the assist category. As a team, they’re averaging 17.6 assists per game this season. That ranks 13th in the nation.
Raining threes 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Lions lead 21-7 with 13:05 left in the first half as Harvard calls timeout!
📊 https://t.co/jGoO2StmOM
📺 https://t.co/sohJqqbYwM#RoarLionRoar🦁 #OnlyHere🗽 pic.twitter.com/XyIyjDMasG— Columbia Basketball (@CULionsMBB) February 3, 2024
Columbia also ranks 20th in the nation for the three-point percentage (38.1%). They have five players shooting at least 40% from a long range and two of those players, Blair Thompson and Kenny Noland, average 1.5 three-pointers per game. Their nifty passing results in wide-open looks, which translates to easy points.
Meanwhile, the Bears don’t rank in the top 50, or top 60, for that matter, in any statistical category this year. They rank 61st in blocks per game, with 4.5 blocks, and 74th in offensive rebounds per game. However, they are well off the pace in just about every other category. It’ll likely be an uphill battle for them.
Brown Bears vs Columbia Lions Betting Picks
Betting on college basketball is always exciting, and this week is no different. There are dozens of fixtures this weekend and the Bears vs Lions is one of several matches we expect to be a thriller. Recently, this match-up has gone in favor of Brown. Each time these sides face off, the Bears find another gear and work out a healthy lead over the Lions.
This week, we are predicting a change. If you visit online sportsbooks, you will see a range of odds but the overall consensus is a tight game. We think betting on the away side will be your greatest chance to secure a winning bet. Placing a wager on Columbia to start strong and win by 16 points or more seems like a smart move this week. Plus, being accurate with the score will give you much larger returns.
If you are thinking about live betting on this event, watch out for the Browns. Sure, they have been well off it this season, not even ranking in the top 50 for any major stat. However, they have historically found another gear against Columbia. This could be a match they lose but show serious signs of improvement on the rebounds and blocks. If you are going to sign up for a sportsbook this weekend, this NCAAB game could be a fantastic candidate for your welcome bonus.
Brown Bears Team News & Lineups
The Brown Bears are experiencing one of their worst seasons since the turn of the century. Their six wins through 21 games is uncharacteristic, to say the least. Especially for a team that has finished with at least 10 wins in all but three seasons since 2000. Even a strong finish won’t save their season.
With that said, they have two things going for them, and their names are Kino Lilly Jr. and Nana Owusu-Anane. Lilly Jr. is averaging 18.8 points and 3.0 assists per game this season, while Nana averages 15.3 points and 8.8 rebounds. That included at least 20 points in three of Owusu-Anane’s last four games.
from the GREEN#EverTrue x @Kino_Lilly pic.twitter.com/O1nJ1RUvAl
— Brown Men's Basketball (@BrownU_MBB) February 4, 2024
Sunday’s game will bring an end to Brown’s current three-game home stand. Now they face a four-game road trip, starting with Princeton 16-3, on February 16. They’ll play Columbia a second time on February 23, so a win here would give them the motivation they need to have a successful road trip.
They’re just 2-4 in the Ivy League conference, but they squeaked away with a victory against Harvard on January 15 and a win against Pennsylvania on February 2. The good news is they’re healthy, and they have a history of playing well against Columbia.
Brown Bears Predicted Lineup
- Starting: Kino Lilly Jr. (G), Aaron Cooley (G), Felix Kloman (G), Nana Owusu-Anane (F), Kalu Anya (F)
- Bench: Malachi Ndur, AJ Lesburt Jr., Kimo Ferrari
- Not Likely to Play: Landon Lewis, N’famara Dabo, Adrian Uchidiuno, Luke Paragon, Lyndel Erold, Malcolm Wrisby-Jefferson, Symeon Efstathiou, Drew Kania, Sam Klores
Columbia Lions Team News & Lineups
It was just eight years ago that the Columbia Lions finished 25-10, setting a school record for most wins in a single season. Unfortunately, they couldn’t duplicate that success and went just 29-53 over the next three years. Followed by 17-68 over the next three. It wasn’t pretty, but they were bound to figure it out.
With 11 wins in the 2023-24 season and eight games left on the schedule, the Lions are finally back on track. They won’t reach 25 wins, but they can easily reach 15. They have two games against Brown, one game against Dartmouth, and one against Pennsylvania over the next month. It all starts with a win on Sunday.
https://twitter.com/CULionsMBB/status/1754141003433337230
The reason we have Columbia winning this game is that of teamwork. They know how to get everyone involved. No one on their team averages over three assists per game, but six of them average at least 1.5, and three of them average at least 2.0. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa leads the team with 2.8.
Speaking of De La Rosa, he’s our x-factor in this one. He’s Columbia’s most consistent scorer, even though Kenny Noland has led the way the past two games, and he does a bit of everything. He’s averaging 2.0 three-pointers made per game and is shooting 37% from beyond the arc.
Columbia Lions Predicted Lineup
- Starting: Avery Brown (G), Zavian McLean (G), Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa (G), Josh Odunowo (F), Blair Thompson (F)
- Bench: Zine Eddine Bedri, Noah Robledo, Jake Tavroff, Nicolo Romanelli, Kenny Noland, Jaden Cooper
- Not Likely to Play: Arop Arop, Robbie Stankard, Liam Murphy, Richard Nweke
