Columbia Lions men's basketball
Men's college basketball team
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Columbia Lions basketball team is the basketball team that represents Columbia University in New York City. The school's team currently competes in the Ivy League. The team's last appearance in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was in 1968. The Lions are led by head coach Kevin Hovde. Their home games are held in the Levien Gymnasium.
(capacity: 2,500)
| Columbia Lions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | Columbia University | ||
| Head coach | Kevin Hovde (1st season) | ||
| Arena | Levien Gymnasium (capacity: 2,500) | ||
| Conference | Ivy League | ||
| Nickname | Lions | ||
| Colors | Columbia blue and white[1] | ||
| NCAA Division I tournament Sweet Sixteen | |||
| 1968 | |||
| NCAA Division I tournament appearances | |||
| 1948, 1951, 1968 | |||
| Pre-tournament Helms national champions | |||
| 1904, 1905, 1910 | |||
| Conference regular-season champions | |||
| 1904, 1905, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1926, 1930, 1931, 1936, 1947, 1948, 1951, 1968 | |||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
Columbia began varsity intercollegiate competition in men's basketball in 1901. The Lions have been retroactively designated as national champions for five seasons during the pre-NCAA tournament era (pre-1939), though these claims are not recognized as official titles by the NCAA in the contemporary sense. The Premo-Porretta Power Poll rated Columbia the highest in 1904 and 1905, and the Helms Athletic Foundation listed Columbia as champions for 1904, 1905, and 1910.[2] While the selections from both the Premo-Porretta Power Poll and the Helms Athletic Foundation are unofficial, the Helms champions are listed in the Official NCAA Men's Basketball Records Book for historical reference.
Coaching History
| No. | Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1906–1916 | Harry A. Fisher* | 10 | 101–39 | .721 |
| 2 | 1916–1917 | Carl Merner | 1 | 6–8 | .429 |
| 3 | 1917–1918 | John Murray | 1 | 4–9 | .308 |
| 4 | 1918–1919 | Fred Dawson | 1 | 3–7 | .300 |
| 5 | 1919–1920 | Bebe Benson | 1 | 4–10 | .286 |
| 6 | 1920–1925 | Joseph Deering | 5 | 47–40 | .540 |
| 7 | 1925–1933 | Daniel Meehan | 8 | 94–56 | .627 |
| 8 | 1933–1942 1945–1946 |
Paul Mooney^ | 10 | 101–81 | .555 |
| 9 | 1942–1943 | Cliff Battles | 1 | 8–8 | .500 |
| 10 | 1943–1945 | Elmer Ripley | 2 | 16–19 | .457 |
| 11 | 1946–1950 | Gordon Ridings | 4 | 70–21 | .769 |
| 12 | 1950–1958 | Lou Rossini* | 8 | 117–81 | .591 |
| 13 | 1958–1961 | Archie Oldham | 3 | 15–39 | .278 |
| 14 | 1960–1961 | Kenneth Hunter | 1 | 5–11 | .313 |
| 15 | 1961–1974 1990–1995 |
Jack Rohan* | 18 | 197–248 | .443 |
| 16 | 1974–1978 | Tom Penders | 4 | 43–60 | .417 |
| 17 | 1978–1984 | Buddy Mahar^ | 6 | 70–86 | .449 |
| 18 | 1984–1987 | Wayne Szoke | 3 | 37–41 | .474 |
| 19 | 1987–1990 | Wally Halas | 3 | 18–60 | .231 |
| 20 | 1995–2003 | Armond Hill | 8 | 72–141 | .338 |
| 21 | 2003–2010 | Joe Jones | 7 | 86–108 | .443 |
| 22 | 2010–2016 | Kyle Smith | 6 | 101–82 | .552 |
| 23 | 2016–2025 | Jim Engles^ | 9 | 71–150 | .321 |
| 24 | 2025–present | Kevin Hovde^ | 1 | 16–12 | .571 |
| Totals | 24 coaches | 125 seasons | 1360–1425 | .488 | |
| Records updated through end of 2025–26 season Source[3] *Alum ^Promoted from assistant to head coach | |||||
Postseason results
NCAA tournament results
The Lions have appeared in the NCAA tournament three times. Their combined record is 2–4.
CIT results
The Lions have appeared in two CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). Their combined record is 6–1. They were CIT champions in 2016.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | First round Second round Quarterfinals | Valparaiso Eastern Michigan Yale | W 58–56 W 69–56 L 69–72 |
| 2016 | First round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship Game | Norfolk State Ball State NJIT UC Irvine | W 86–54 W 69–67 W 80–65 W 73–67 |
