The Northeastern Huskies (12-8), who have the top scoring defense in the Colonial Athletic, will match up with the Towson Tigers (13-7) at Matthews Arena. Action begins at 1:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 23.
The Huskies are hoping to rebound after their 96-92 loss to Hofstra on Thursday. Despite the loss, David Walker earned his second double-double this season with 18 points and 13 assists. The Tigers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their close 40-37 loss against Charleston on Thursday. Walter Foster had a team-high nine points.
Trips to the foul line may prove key for the Tigers in this one. They’re ranked 14th in the nation in FTA rate (46.7), while Northeastern is among the best at keeping opponents off of the charity stripe (ranking 16th by allowing a FTA rate of 25.9).
Northeastern is a six-point favorite against Towson and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at 131 points. The Huskies come into this game 12-8 Straight Up (SU) and 9-8 Against The Spread (ATS).
In the other locker room, the Tigers have records of 5-7 ATS and 13-7 SU. The Tigers have controlled the glass with an average of 41.2 rebounds per game, 31st in the country. Moving on to the Towson defense, the Tigers allow just 63.8 points per game, ranking them 28th in the nation. The Tigers have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .390. Blocking shots is an area where Towson has excelled. The Tigers average 5.2 blocks per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Huskies victory, bumping their SU record to 8-2 over Towson in their most recent meetings. On the other hand, Towson holds the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. Neither team held the edge in field goals, rebounds, or three-pointers in a single game during this span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Towson, ATS Winner – Towson, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Northeastern’s last 6 games.
Northeastern is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games at home.
Northeastern is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing Towson.
Northeastern is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Towson.
Northeastern and Towson both have a 4-3 record against their conference.
Northeastern scores just 76.0 points per home game (ranked 193rd). Towson ranks 63rd in points allowed on the road, giving up 69.6 points.
The Towson Tigers have a defensive rating of 95.4 (ranked 38th), while the Northeastern Huskies have an offensive rating of 108.2 (ranked 115th).
The Northeastern Huskies average a field goal percentage of 43.9% this season. The Towson Tigers are 2-3 when opponents have a FG% of 43.9% or greater.
The Northeastern Huskies rank lower for their field goal percentage (187th) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (101st), but the Towson Tigers have a better FG% ranking (278th) than eFG% ranking (311th).
Northeastern ranks 89th in assists, registering 15.1 per game. Towson performs worse at 312th with 11.2 assists per game.
Towson, the 37th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 5.2 per game. Northeastern does worse, ranked 143rd with 3.7.
Northeastern ranks 234th in offensive rebounds, while Towson ranks 93rd in defensive rebounds.
On average, Northeastern makes 6.9 steals per game. Towson has a solid 6-3 record when it gives up at least 6 steals.
