TOWSON, Md. – Entering the penultimate week of the 2015-16 regular season, the Towson University men's basketball team will have a huge say in the denouement of the Colonial Athletic Association's (CAA) regular season standings.
 
Including last Saturday's victory over William & Mary, the Tigers are the only CAA team to play four of their final five games against teams with at least 17 victories. The CAA is one of seven Division I conferences to have at least five teams with 17 or more overall wins. The teams are UNCW (20), Hofstra (18), Towson (18), James Madison (17) and William & Mary (17).
 
With Towson making its annual trek across the Long Island Expressway to Hofstra Thursday night, this will be its second consecutive game against one of those teams.
 
Towson is currently in a three-way tie with James Madison and William & Mary for third place. Each team is a game behind Hofstra, who is in sole possession of second place. The Pride trails CAA leader and red-hot UNCW, winners of 11 straight since a 76-60 loss to Towson on Jan. 7, by two games.
 

When	Thursday, February 18, 2016
Where	Hempstead, N.Y. (Daniel Mack Sports Complex)
Time	7 p.m.
Team Records	Towson (18-9, 9-5 CAA), Hofstra (18-8, 10-4)
Radio	TowsonTigers.com
Series	Hofstra leads the series, 38-24
Last Meeting	Hofstra 90, Towson 58 (Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016 at Towson)

 
Last Meeting Against Hofstra
When these teams gathered Jan. 2 at Towson, the Tigers suffered their worst loss of the season, 90-58, despite having three players in double figures highlighted by William Adala Moto's 14 points and Walter Foster's double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds).
 
For Towson, it was like starring in the basketball version of "Saw." Instead of being tortured by Jigsaw and his posse, the Tigers were tormented by Hofstra's crew of Juan'ya Green (16 points, seven assists), Rokas Gustys (11 rebounds), Brian Bernardi (21 points, four 3-pointers) and Ameen Tanksley (14 points).
 
On the Air
Today's game can be heard live on CBS Sports Radio 1300.  Spiro Morekas will provide the play-by-play.
 
Skerry on the Radio
Head Coach Pat Skerry can be heard on 10.5.7 the Fan every Tuesday at 12:25 during the 2015-16 season.  Skerry will talk with Vinny and Rob and everything Towson basketball.
 
vs. Hofstra
This will be the 63rd meeting between Hofstra and Towson. Hofstra leads the all-time series, 38-24. Towson gets another opportunity to solve the Hofstra riddle in a place where it has enjoyed recent success. The Tigers have won three consecutive games at Hofstra, including last season's 86-72 conquest on Jan. 31, 2015. The Tigers have won five of the last seven meetings against the Pride. Under Pat Skerry, Towson is 5-4 against Hofstra. 
 
With A Win
Towson would move it into a second-place tie with the Pride with three games remaining and achieve double-digit victories in conference games for the third time in the last four years.
 
Last Time Out
The Tigers enter the game with plenty of momentum thanks to a 99-82 victory over William & Mary Saturday, an effort that was fueled by Mike Morsell's photoshoot fresh 34-point performance, a SECU Arena scoring record and career-high. Byron Hawkins (18 points), Adala Moto (14) and Eddie Keith II (10) also reached double-digits for Towson. Meanwhile, Green had 19 points and 12 assists in Hofstra's 77-66 win over Delaware on Saturday. Gustys finished with with 18 points and 21 rebounds. That effort earned Gustys CAA Player of the Week honors.
 
Quotable
Towson head coach Pat Skerry
"Hofstra is really, really good. I believe they have five all-conference players. We're excited for the challenge and we know that we have to play well."
 
Best Things In Life Are Free
Towson is fourth in the country in free throw attempts (725) and eighth in free throws made (496).
 
CAA Road Warriors
Towson is 5-2 on the road in conference play. Towson still has a chance to match or pass its CAA road win total from 2013-14. The Tigers went 6-2 in the CAA that season. Their final two away contests are against the two teams currently ahead of them in the standings, Hofstra (Thursday) and UNCW (Saturday, Feb. 27).
 
Scouting Hofstra
The Pride have won two straight games and have a RPI of 76. Hofstra's leader this season has been Juan'ya Green, who paces the Pride in scoring (17.8), assists (7.6) and steals (1.8). He had 19 points and 12 assists against Delaware in a 77-66 victory on Saturday. Ameen Tanksley finished with 15 points, while Denton Koon added 13 for the Pride. As a team, Hofstra is second in the CAA in scoring offense (80.3 points per game). The Pride also lead the CAA in rebounding (40.2). Hofstra makes 8.8 3-pointer per contest, which is third in the CAA.
 
Up Next
Towson will play its annual Autism Awareness game on Saturday at Noon against Elon. Tigers' head coach Pat Skerry and Georgia Tech assistant coach Tom Herrion have helped attract national attention for the cause with the help of the NABC and Autism Speaks. Skerry's son, Owen, has autism, which is the fastest growing developmental disorder in our society. The game between Towson and Elon will be televised live by Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic and tip at noon.