Five Thoughts as Columbia Upsets Villanova

Columbia did something on Tuesday night that it hadn’t done in 27 years, it beat a Big East team. The Lions defeated Villanova 75-57 at The Pavilion in Villanova, PA. It’s an incredible result that provides national recognition for an improved Lions team. Here are five things I took away from the game.

1) The defense is a lot better. — Columbia held Villanova to 57 points in an estimated 69 possessions. That is 0.83 points per possession, against a Big East team. Get used to the 2-3 defense, because it is here to stay. The Lions forced Villanova to go outside and the Wildcats couldn’t knock down the three, finishing just 3-17 (18%) from distance. They weren’t that much better from inside the arc either, shooting 16-34 (47%). If Columbia can hold opponents under 50% on two-point attempts, things are going to improve.

2) Fouling Brian Barbour is stupid. — Give credit to Columbia for getting Barbour the ball down the stretch. The time killing offense in the final four minutes was excellently executed, but Villanova had to find someone else to foul. I tweeted that fouling Barbour is like giving Columbia 1.8 points per possession, but that’s only true in the double bonus or on a shooting foul. In the regular bonus it’s only worth 1.7 points. That level of offensive production would make any team seem unbeatable. My point is find someone else to foul. Fouling Barbour is just making your life more difficult.

3) Steve Frankoski did his job. — This was a great rebound game for Frankoski in particular. He struggled against Marist and it might’ve cost the Lions the victory. Against Villanova though he shot lights out, making 5-10 threes and scoring 15 points. If he can provide that level of offense on a consistent basis, or at least hit enough threes to be dangerous, then Barbour and Grant Mullins are going to find more space to work with and be more effective offensive creators.

4) The freshmen are pretty good. — Columbia’s bench consists of four freshmen and John Daniels at the moment. Daniels had a strong game against the Wildcats, grabbing seven boards, but a few of the freshmen also made big contributions. Mullins is a legitimate option at guard and scored 14 points in 22 minutes and generally outplayed his hyped up counterpart Ryan Arcidiacono. Zach En’Wezoh stepped in and gave Columbia 18 minutes against a Big East front court with decent effectiveness. In particular, En’Wezoh’s athleticism was evident down the stretch. Throw in Maodo Lo and Isaac Cohen and the Lions could have a few options to go deeper and get more athleticism in the lineup deeper into games or on the second night of an Ivy League weekend.

5) Columbia likes to play with a lead. — Jay Wright mentioned it after the game, but Columbia really likes to play with the lead. The Lions just seemed more comfortable out there. Forced to play behind against Marist they rushed shots and made awkward plays, but even when the game got tight, it seemed like Columbia found the extra play it needed to get the win. It’ll be interesting to see if that trend continues going forward. Columbia is a young team, so it might have something to do with confidence moving forward.

Finally, congratulations to Alex Rosenberg, who scored 21 points, including 11-14 from the free throw line. He’s developing into a tough cover and at 6’7″ and playing small forward there’s an opportunity for him to do a lot of damage this season. This is a huge win for the Lions, but they’ve got to remain focused as this is a busy week. The Lions head out to California to play Wayland Baptist and San Francisco. The Dons are 2-1, with a win at American.