NEW YORK – Every major basketball publication has a preseason poll. Each varies in some small way, if for no other reason than to differentiate from other rankings. As far as the Columbia men's basketball team this season, two things remain constant regardless of which poll you favor: the Lions are picked in the top-half of the conference and senior captain John Baumann is a first team All-Ivy League selection.

 

Columbia is picked to finish fourth in every major preseason poll, marking the first time since 2001 that the Lions were picked to finish in the upper-half of the conference. Adding to the excitement is that each poll comments on how tight the race could be this season and none counts the Lions out in that race.

 

Lindy's preseason basketball write-up on the Ivy League named John Baumann the Preseason Player of the Year.

 

In 2006-07, Baumann led the Lions in scoring for the second consecutive year, averaging 13.3 ppg, which ranked 8th in the Ivy League.

 

He also ranked third in the league in rebounding (6.5 rpg), while leading the Ivy League in field goal percentage (.578) and three-point field goal percentage (.509). In Ivy League contests, Baumann was even more impressive, averaging 14.4 ppg and shooting a league-leading .610 from the floor.

Baumann's three-point field goal percentage ranks as the best all-time in Columbia's single-season category, while his 57.8 field goal percentage ranks fifth all-time.

With 830 career points, Baumann is poised to be the first Columbia men's basketball player since Austin in 2001 to reach the 1000-point plateau.

This season, Baumann scored in double-digits 23 times, including five 20+ point games. He scored a career-high 29 points in a win over University of California-Davis in the regional consolation of the CBE Classic in Durham, N.C.

The Lions finished 16-12, 7-7 Ivy League for the most wins since 1992-93. The Lions seven Ivy League wins and fourth-place League finish was the best since 2000-01.

 

The Lions open their season on Friday, November 9, 2007 at 7 p.m. with a televised home game vs. local rival Fordham.

 

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