Penn, Columbia meet in conference play
Penn (10-7, 2-2) vs. Columbia (6-14, 1-3)
Francis S. Levien Gymnasium, New York; Friday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Columbia plays host to Penn in an Ivy League matchup. Both teams last saw action on Saturday. Penn beat Dartmouth by eight at home, while Columbia fell to Brown on the road, 72-66.
SUPER SENIORS: Penn has relied heavily on its seniors. AJ Brodeur, Devon Goodman, Jordan Dingle and Ryan Betley have combined to account for 75 percent of the team’s scoring this year and 98 percent of all Quakers points over the team’s last five games.
CLAMPING DOWN: The Quakers have given up only 64.8 points per game to Ivy League opponents thus far, an improvement from the 75.5 per game they allowed against non-conference foes.
SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Mike Smith has made or assisted on 53 percent of all Columbia field goals over the last three games. Smith has accounted for 21 field goals and 17 assists in those games.
SLIPPING AT 65: Columbia is 0-12 this year when it allows 65 points or more and 6-2 when holding opponents to fewer than 65.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Lions have recently converted buckets via assists more often than the Quakers. Columbia has an assist on 33 of 72 field goals (45.8 percent) over its previous three games while Penn has assists on 31 of 69 field goals (44.9 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Columbia has committed a turnover on just 17.4 percent of its possessions this season, which is the lowest rate among all Ivy League teams. The Lions have turned the ball over only 12.2 times per game this season and just 9.7 times per game over their last three games.