Columbia grad transfer Mike Smith, the Ivy League’s leading scorer, considering Arizona

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One Ivy League grad out, another in?

The Arizona Wildcats are one of two teams expressing the most interest in Columbia graduate transfer Mike Smith, according to CBS’ Jon Rothstein. Michigan is the other.

Columbia grad transfer Mike Smith tells me he's receiving interest from Arizona and Michigan. Immediately eligible.

Averaged 22.8 PPG last season.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 18, 2020

Smith, an all-conference player, averaged 22.8 points per game this season, leading both Columbia and the Ivy League (by five points!) in scoring. The 5-foot-11 guard shot 43 percent from the field and 34 percent from 3, taking more than six treys per game.

Smith only appeared in eight games in 2018-19, before suffering a season-ending meniscus injury. He has averaged double-figure scoring in all four years of his career, altogether averaging 18.0 PPG over 92 career games (90 starts). Smith is originally from Burr Ridge, Illinois.

As a graduate transfer, he would be able to play immediately at his new school and have one year of eligibility. Smith outlined to 247Sports’ Evan Daniels what he likes about the UA.

“We haven’t gotten down to the details yet but you can’t beat the weather,” Smith told Daniels. “Coach Miller has always had good guards. I know how they have [James] Akinjo coming in and they were saying like how we could play together and be a really good backcourt. We would be kind of small but we would be quick and fast guards and that changes the game a lot too.”

If Smith joins the Wildcats, he’d be the second former Ivy Leaguer to suit for them in as many seasons. Stone Gettings graduated from Cornell before transferring to the UA for the 2019-20 campaign.

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