Yale at Columbia
Saturday, Jan. 18 – 2 p.m.
Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium
New York, N.Y.
ESPN+ | Live Stats | International Stream | Game Notes
 
Yale vs. Dartmouth
Monday, Jan. 20 – 2 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
New Haven, Conn.
ESPN+ | Live Stats | International Stream | Tickets | Game Notes
 
Yale men's basketball is set to continue Ivy action this weekend, hitting the road to face Columbia on Saturday, Jan. 18. The Bulldogs will then return to Lee Amphitheater on Monday, Jan. 20 for a MLK day matchup against Dartmouth. Yale, who last played Brown to open conference play, enters with an 8-6 record (1-0 Ivy).  
 
Last Time Out

• The Bulldogs kicked off Ivy League play with a 79-58 victory over Brown at home.
• After a back-and-forth first half, Yale pulled away in the second.
• The Bulldogs led by eight points through the first few minutes of the frame before Brown trimmed it down to three at the 10:37 mark.
• Yale countered with a dominant 21-4 run capped off by four straight points from Nick Townsend to take a 20-point advantage with 2:55 to go. The Bulldogs didn't look back the rest of the way.
• Four Bulldogs scored in double-figures with Townsend and Casey Simmons leading with 18 points apiece.
• Townsend shot 6-of-15 from the field, had a team-high eight rebounds, three assists, and tallied 10 of his points in the first half.
• Simmons shot 7-of -11 from the field, grabbed seven rebounds, and recorded 12 of his points in the second half.
• The Bulldogs only had four turnovers, marking a season-low for the team.

 Bulldog Notes

• Six Bulldogs are averaging 8.0 points per game with John Poulakidas leading the way with 19.6 points per game, which ranks first in the Ivy League.
• Poulakidas' 19.6 points per game ranks 19^th nationally, and he is also 15^th nationally in three pointers per game (3.36).
• Townsend is second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.7 points per game. He is first on the squad in rebounds, averaging 6.9 per game.
• Bez Mbeng ranks third for Yale in scoring (10.9 ppg) and is first with 73 assists and 23 steals. Mbeng's 5.6 assists per game also ranks first in the Ivy League.
• Townsend has tallied double-figures in his past nine games, highlighted by a season-high 20 with 10 rebounds, picking up his second career double-double.
• Simmons' field goal efficiency has been a bright spot for the Bulldogs as he sinks 67.1% of his attempts, which ranks first in the Ivy League.
• As a team, the Bulldogs rank 15^th nationally in assists per game (17.9), 16^th in rebound margin (8.7), and 20^th in assist/turnover ratio (1.64).

 Season Notes

• Mbeng sits at 166 career steals, which is second place all-time by a Yale player. He is just one steal shy of tying the program record held by Alex Zampier who registered 167 between 2006-10.
• Head Coach James Jones picked up his 400th career win in the Yale's 91-66 showing over Fairfield on Nov. 23. Jones is in his 26th season with Yale.
• Poulakidas scored his 1,000th career point against Delaware on Nov. 24.
• Mbeng played his 100th career game for Yale against Vermont on Dec. 7.
• Poulakidas and Mbeng were named to the 2024-25 Lou Henson Early Season Watch List. The award is presented annually to the top player in mid-major college basketball.
• Poulakidas and Mbeng are two of six Ivy League players on the list. They join Princeton's Xavian Lee and Caden Pierce, Brown's Kino Lilly, Jr., and Columbia's Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa.

 A Look at History Against Columbia

• Columbia leads the all-time series, 127-118.
• The first meeting between the two teams came in 1902, a 48-3 Yale victory in New Haven.
• The last time Columbia and Yale met was Feb. 24, 2024, with the Bulldogs winning by a score of 84-76. Yale was 18-of-28 (64.3%) from the field over the final 20 minutes, including hitting several big shots down the stretch. The Bulldogs were also strong in the paint, outscoring the Lions 48-28.
• The Bulldogs won both games against the Lions in 2023-24.

Scouting the Lions

• Columbia enters the contest with an 11-3 record, 0-1 in Ivy action.
• The Lions are coming off a 94-83 loss to Cornell on Saturday. In the defeat, Kenny Noland led Columbia by tying his career-high with 19 points and tied a career-high with six assists.
• Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa paces the Lions in scoring, averaging 19.1 points per game, which ranks second in the Ivy League. He also ranks third in the conference in three-point field goals per game (3.2).
• The Lions boast an 8-1 record at home and are averaging 81.9 points per game.

A Look at History Against Dartmouth

• Yale leads the all-time series against Dartmouth, 123-98.
• The Bulldogs have won 15 of the last 16 meetings.
• The first meeting between the teams was back in 1900, a 10-8 Yale win in a game played in Boston.
• Yale and Dartmouth last met on Mar. 1, with the Bulldogs winning by a score of 80-56. In the victory, Yale shot 55% from the field, 46% from three-point range and had 23 assists on their 33 field goals. Poulakidas paced the offense with 16 points.

Scouting the Big Green

• Dartmouth enters the weekend with a 7-7 record and are 1-0 in Ivy League play.
• The Big Green is coming off a 73-70 victory over Penn on Saturday.
• In the win, Brandon Mitchell-Day and Ryan Cornish combined for 49 points.
• Mitchell-Day had 25 points, and Cornish tallied 24 points with 10 rebounds.
• The Big Green are averaging 79.2 points per game.
• Cornish ranks sixth in the Ivy League in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game, and is first with 25 steals, averaging 1.9 per game.

Up Next
Yale will return to Lee Amphitheater to host Harvard on Saturday, Jan. 25. Tip is slated for 2 p.m.