Update: We won! Final score: 75-57. It’s the first time since 1985 that Columbia has beaten Villanova.

Barbour could be the next Jeremy Lin

Tonight’s Men’s Basketball (2-1) game versus Villanova (3-1) of the Big East will be streamed live on ESPN3, ESPN’s online network that airs games tertiary to their two main networks and tangental to various other channels (ESPN Classic, ESPNU).  The fact that Columbia’s game will be aired on ESPN3, which should not be – but very well could be – confused with ESPN “the Ocho”, is a testament to the somewhat unclear place the Ivy League holds in NCAA Division I basketball. However, this may all be changing, especially after the media frenzy and subsequent barrage of awful puns last year over Harvard alum Jeremy Lin. In fact, Columbia’s own Brian Barbour CC’13 was called the next Jeremy Lin by Dime Magazine this fall for his strong vision on the court and consistently high level of play, despite an assuming presence at 6-1. Barbour, First-Team All-Ivy last year and ranked 7th in the NCAA for free throw percentage in the 2011-2012 season, dropped 19 points and was 10 for 10 from the line in Saturday’s close loss to Marist.

“Tune” in to check out Barbour and the rest of the Lions at 7pm. Who knows, this could be a breakout season for Columbia and put them on real TV a little more often.