The UNC Wilmington Seahawks (9-4) head to Towson to take on the Tigers (10-5) in what should be a low-scoring game. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7.
The Tigers are hoping to rebound after their 90-58 loss to Hofstra in their last matchup. Despite the loss, Walter Foster earned his third double-double this season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Seahawks, meanwhile, are coming off a tough 65-63 loss to Northeastern in their last game. Chris Flemmings had a team-high 17 points.
It’s a matchup of two different tempos, as the up-and-down Seahawks (ranked 21st in the nation in possessions per game) square off against the half-court oriented Tigers (274th).
Towson is a slight underdog, with UNC Wilmington favored by one. The Over/Under (O/U) is 144 points. The Tigers come into this game 10-5 Straight Up (SU) and 3-4 Against The Spread (ATS). Towson has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 17 made free throws per game, which is 46th-best in Division I. Towson is known to control the offensive glass, where it racks up an impressive 14.9 offensive rebounds per game.
On the other side, the Seahawks have records of 5-4 ATS and 9-4 SU. The UNC Wilmington defense has been a problem for competitors, allowing only 5.0 field goals from three-point range per game. They average 5.2 blocks per game, good for 46th in the nation. Taking care of the basketball is something the Seahawks do very well, averaging just 11.4 turnovers per game.
This game marks the first time these teams will play this season. The last time these conference foes played, UNC Wilmington won, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over their most recent meetings. On the other hand, with a 6-4 record, Towson has the advantage ATS. Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers in a single game during this span.
Predictions: SU Winner – NC-Wil, ATS Winner – NC-Wil, O/U – Over
Notes
Towson is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games.
Towson is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Towson’s last 8 games when playing UNC Wilmington.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Towson’s last 8 games when playing at home against UNC Wilmington.
UNC Wilmington is one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation, averaging 83.8 points per game (ranked 24th). Towson allows 65.0 points per game (ranked 51st).
In its last game, Towson lost by a margin of 32 points. UNC Wilmington is 7-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Towson has a 5-1 record in blowouts.
The UNC Wilmington Seahawks have a defensive rating of 94.7 (ranked 44th), while the Towson Tigers have an offensive rating of 107.4 (ranked 138th).
With 67.8 possessions and 1.074 points per possession, the Towson Tigers perform worse on both metrics than the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. UNC Wilmington averages 74.8 possessions and 1.119 points per possession.
The UNC Wilmington Seahawks average an effective field goal percentage of 50.2% this season. The Towson Tigers are a winless 0-4 when opponents have an eFG% of 50.2% or greater.
On average, Towson attempts 16.0 three pointers and UNC Wilmington attempts 20.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Towson Tigers are 3-2 while the UNC Wilmington Seahawks have a solid 5-2 record.
Towson ranks 69th in blocks per game with 4.7 and UNC Wilmington ranks 46th with 5.2 blocks per game.
Towson is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking 10th. UNC Wilmington ranks 71st in defensive rebounds.
The UNC Wilmington Seahawks average 9.5 steals per game, ranked 10th in the nation. The Towson Tigers are an even 1-1 when they give up at least 9 steals.
