Basketball Enjoys Home Cooking

With Columbia’s kicking off its 2007-08 basketball season tonight—a season in which there has been more pre-season hype than in any of Joe Jones’ previous four seasons—I have decided to look at history to gain insight into how the Lions might play tonight.

2006:
For the first five minutes, Columbia held its own against the 11th-ranked Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Arena. But the Lions fell apart at the end of the first half, as the Blue Devils went on a 46-16 run to end the period and begin the second half, demonstrating that the Lions were outmatched in the opening round of the College Basketball Experience. They eventually fell to Duke 86-43. The Lions were paced by John Baumann’s 13 points and Niko Scott’s 8 points. However, they shot only 29.4 percent with 19 turnovers.

2005:
The Lions opened their season in the second annual Tyler Ugolyn Tournament against New Hampshire. After falling behind early in the first half, the Lions outscored UNH by four in the second half, shooting 45.1 percent from field goal range while forcing 12 turnovers, as they held on to win 64-61. They were led by then sophomores Baumann and Justin Armstrong, both of whom scored 17 points.

2004:
To open the 2004 campaign, the Lions hosted Longwood, which was in its first season in Division I, in the inaugural Columbia Classic. Despite first-half struggles, Columbia coasted to an 82-69 win, as the team was led by Matt Preston, who managed 19 points and 12 rebounds.

2003:
Columbia opened up the Joe Jones era by playing Army at West Point. Hoping to give Jones a win in his opening game, the Lions were plagued by 24 turnovers and a difficult first half that saw Columbia fall behind by 13 points. Led by 15 points off the bench from Matt Land, Columbia made a valiant comeback in the second half before falling, 60-57.

Is it a coincidence that the Lions have won their season openers at home while losing those on the road during Jones’ tenure? Not really. If you look at the overall nonconference numbers, the Lions have played significantly better at home during nonconference play, accumulating 15 wins compared to only nine losses, while winning only 13 of 28 games on the road. But the opening games haven’t reflected the seasons’ overall outcomes for the Lions. In Jones’ first season, the Lions started slowly, losing nine of the 13 nonconference games before finishing 6-8 in the Ivy League. Similarly, after being routed by Duke, the Lions rolled off nine wins in 14 games before going 7-7 in the league.

Contrarily, whenever the Lions opened the schedule with a victory, they struggled throughout the season. When the Lions defeated Longwood, which finished the 2004-05 campaign 1-30, and New Hampshire, which finished 12-17 in 2005-06, the Lions struggled to the finish line. In those two seasons, the Lions managed just seven Ivy wins and 23 total wins.

Something has got to give, right? Traditionally, either the Lions win and then struggle slightly in the Ivy League, or they lose and do better than expected. Quite a conundrum. What’s more, the Lions are playing at home, where they generally do well, but they are taking on a talented, formidable Fordham team tonight. This matchup against an experienced, athletic squad may be the start of something special, win or lose. Imagine it: opening night, at home. Considering Jones’ previous record in openers at home, something surprising may occur for the Lions. And given the plethora of upsets already in the young college basketball season (Gardner-Webb over Kentucky, for instance), anything can happen.