The Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens (5-15) visit the Towson Tigers (15-7) in what should be a low-scoring game. The game gets underway at 2:00 pm ET on Saturday, Jan. 30.
The Tigers beat Drexel 77-70 on Thursday. Byron Hawkins was the game’s leading scorer with 23 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The Fightin’ Blue Hens, meanwhile, are coming off a 94-79 loss at the hands of William & Mary on Thursday. Kory Holden had a good shooting night, leading the game with 29 points.
Half-court execution will be at a premium as Towson ranks 309th in the nation in possessions per game (66.5 possessions per game), while Delaware is 298th (66.7).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Tigers won the first game 79-77. In the loss, Holden led all scorers on the team with 29 points.
The Tigers enter the game with records of 15-7 Straight Up (SU) and 7-7 Against The Spread (ATS). Towson is known to control the offensive glass, where it racks up an impressive 14.0 offensive rebounds per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Towson defense has been very good, only giving up 64.4 points per game. Towson’s defense can be considered one of the best in the country. The Tigers allow a .398 opponent field-goal percentage, one of the lowest shooting rates in the country. Opponents have consistently had their shots rejected by the Tigers, ranking 49th in the country in blocks per game with 4.9.
On the other side, the Fightin’ Blue Hens have 4-16 SU and 6-11-1 ATS records.
Towson won the last meeting this season between these two teams, but the win was not enough to overtake Delaware in their recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the last few meetings. On the other hand, with a 5-4-1 record, Towson has the advantage ATS. Towson held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Delaware never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – Towson, ATS Winner – Towson
Notes
Towson is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games.
Towson is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games at home.
Towson is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Delaware.
Towson is 4-8 SU in its last 12 games when playing Delaware.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Towson’s last 9 games when playing Delaware.
Towson is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Delaware.
Towson holds a winning 6-3 SU record against the Colonial Athletic Conference, while Delaware has yet to win a game against teams in the conference (0-9 SU).
Delaware scores just 65.3 points per away game (ranked 245th). Towson ranks 27th in points allowed at home, giving up 59.8 points.
The Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens average 66.7 possessions per game and 1.001 points per possession. The Towson Tigers earn fewer possessions with 66.5, but they score more points with 1.072.
Towson has an average effective field goal percentage of 47.0%. Delaware is an underachieving 2-12 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Towson, the 49th-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.9 per game. Delaware does worse, ranked 248th with 2.8.
Towson is one of the best teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds, ranking 19th. Delaware ranks just 101st in defensive rebounds.
On average, Delaware forces a turnover rate of 13.9%. When Towson turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 13-5 record.
