Jones-Jones III: Let's Get Ready to Rumble

In the immortal words of Phil Lynott, lead singer of Thin Lizzy, “Are you ready to rock?”

You better be, Columbia, because tonight something special is transpiring beneath the historic earthen roof of Levien Gymnasium—something that is sure to shake the very ground beneath Low Library, making Alma Mater shift her steadfast gaze uptown, towards the cries of Jews (and others) rooting for Jones. Tonight, Yale is coming to town.

It is, according to this columnist, the biggest sporting event to hit beautiful Morningside Heights in the last four years. Not only does the game bear enormous weight in the standings—a Columbia win against Yale would give them a healthy 4-1 record going into Saturday’s game against a gritty Brown squad—but it has personal significance as well. Columbia versus Yale is also a duel between two leaders. The question: Who’s got the better Jones? The answer: Only the gods of Levien can decide.

Tonight, Jones and his Lions will face Jones and his Bulldogs—two teams vying to be king of the Ivy jungle. It will be round three of a rivalry that has stretched over two seasons of old-fashioned Ivy basketball, round three in a battle between two bitter rivals, Columbia and Yale, and two caring yet competitive brothers, Joe and James. Thus far, the rivalry is dead even at one apiece. Yet most Ivy insiders would say that Columbia has the edge, having finished off last season with a dramatic overtime victory over the New Haven hounds on the hardwood of Levien.

Indeed, last year’s episode of the rivalry exceeded all expectations. In their first meeting in New Haven, the Lions fought courageously against a more experienced and perhaps tougher Yale team, which was able to capitalize on some Light Blue mistakes down the stretch. At that point in the season, the Lions had not yet become the team that would eventually sweep both Yale and Brown in the final weekend of the season. Going into that weekend, Columbia was 4-8, sixth in the League in front of only Harvard and Dartmouth, the bottom feeders of the Ivies. On Friday night, a day before facing the elder Jones, the Lions defeated Jason Forte, last year’s Ivy League Player of the Year, and his Brown Bears—an upset of grand proportions.

The following night, however, would put the previous day’s performance in the rearview mirror. Thanks in large part to the inspired play of junior forward Dragutin Kravic, who put up record-setting numbers (35 points, 12 rebounds, eight three-pointers), the Lions put a seal on their comeback season by bringing down James and his Bulldogs in dramatic fashion, prompting a spastic Levien crowd to rush the floor and heave Kravic onto their shoulders. For those of us who have watched Columbia sports for four years, this sort of fansmanship was otherworldly.

Last year’s finale was perhaps the most exciting athletic event this school has seen in years. It was the moment when the Jones-led squad took that final step into the realm of Ivy contenders—a realm they have not left since.

I, for one, am expecting more big things from this weekend’s festivities. I am expecting the Lions to dig deep, to leave everything on the floor. And I’m sure the Yale players will be doing the same, because as much as both teams say that this is “just another game,” we all know that it’s not. We all know that both teams probably want this game more than any other. We also know that this kind of passion always leads to unexpected outcomes, just like at last year’s maelstrom. In truth, standings and statistics may have nothing to do with who wins tonight. When Columbia and Yale meet, it doesn’t matter which side has the better record or the better players; for both teams, the slate will be wiped clean.

In fact, Saturday’s game against Brown will probably be the more important game, record-wise. Brown is coming off a monumental upset of League-favorite Princeton and is riding high on confidence. Columbia, however, could use a win over Brown in order to inch closer to the Ivy giants, the Killer P’s: Princeton and Penn. As a whole, this weekend should be a lot of fun. Who knows, maybe even Sports Illustrated will show up like they did last year to document the brothers’ tale.

In any case, for the fans, this is perhaps the most exciting basketball weekend of the season. To give the Light Blue the sweep they deserve, the stands need to be packed. Judging by last weekend’s attendance, however, that shouldn’t be a problem.

So Yale, to quote Phil Lynott one last time, “If you’re ready, we’re ready.”