ESTERO, Fla. – The Towson University men's basketball team is in sunny and warm southwest Florida. However, this is no vacation as the Tigers will compete in the Gulf Coast Showcase and play games on three consecutive days against a strong field beginning with a contest against Florida Atlantic.

 

When:	Monday-Wednesday November 20-22, 2017
Where	Germain Arena -- Estero, Fla.
Time:	7:30 p.m. Monday | 1:30 or 7:30 Tuesday | TBA Wednesday
Records:	Towson (2-1); Florida Atlantic (1-1), Pennsylvania (2-2), Northern Illinois (2-0), Missouri State (2-1), Manhattan (2-0), UMKC (1-3) & Georgia Southern (3-0)
Television:	None
Radio:	CBS Sports Radio 1300 AM with Spiro Morakes
Tournament Central:	http://gcs.bdglobalsports.com/
Live Stream Link ($$):	FloHoops.com (Spence Siegel)
Series History:	First meeting against FAU
Last Meeting:	N/A
Social Media Updates:	@Towson_MBB

Florida Homeboys
Senior Eddie Keith II and freshman Jeffrey Prophete are two of 10 players in this tournament from the state of Florida. Keith II is from Orlando and Prophete is from Fort Lauderdale, a leisurely three-hour drive away from the southwest Florida coast.
 
Competing in his home state as a senior has added significance for Keith II, one of five seniors for the Tigers playing a major role in his squad's early success.
 
Quotable
Keith on what it means to play three games in Florida.
"It always feels good to experience Florida weather. To be able to play here in my home state is cool and I am looking forward to the opportunity. This gives some of my high school teammates that haven't had the chance to see me play in person at Towson, to watch me. Also, to be able to play in front of my high school coach and some of my longtime mentors is exciting."
 
Keith on how this tournament will benefit Towson.
"This is gives us an early look at how the (Colonial Athletic Association) tournament is going to be. We're going to have to get used to the tournament style play and to have it come early is always good. We're excited to compete in this tournament against some good programs that will challenge us. We have to continue to stay locked in as a team and focus on getting better with each game."
 
Last Time Out For Towson
Led by Brian Starr and Zane Martin, Towson claimed a 95-72 road victory over Loyola in a non-conference contest at Reitz Arena Friday night. Starr led Towson with 21 points and six assists, both career highs. Starr was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field. Martin scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half. Justin Gorham had a career best 13 points. Deshaun Morman and Mike Morsell had 12 points each for the Tigers, who made 61.8 percent of their shots.
 
A Look At FAU
The Owls are 1-1 after defeating Edward Waters, 91-59, Thursday afternoon. Gerdarius Troutman led all scorers with 23 points, tied his career high with six rebounds and nabbed a career best four steals. Jailyn Ingram scored 18 points to go along with four rebounds and two assists. Anthony Adger posted 15 points and a game high five assists. Ronald Delph tallied just six points, but grabbed a career high 14 rebounds and had a pair of blocks. The Owls nearly doubled up the Tigers on the boards, pulling down 46 rebounds compared to 26. FAU dropped a season-opening 60-59 decision at South Florida. In the win over Edward Waters, FAU scored the first 10 points of the contest and never looked back, stretching its lead to 34, 57-23, at the half on the strength of 60.5 percent shooting from the floor.
 
Gulf Coast Showcase
Towson joins Manhattan, UMKC, Georgia Southern, Missouri State, Pennsylvania, Northern Illinois and Florida Atlantic in the three-day tournament. Georgia Southern and UMKC both played in the 2017 College Basketball Invitational (CBI). The Kangaroos earned a first round victory over Green Bay before falling in the quarterfinals. Towson was the winningest team last year among the eight in the field, winning 20 games. The Tigers have never faced Flordia Atlantic, UMKC and Georgia Southern.
 

Towson vs. the field
Pennsylvania                           0-2
(last meeting Dec. 3, 1996, Penn won 80-74)
 
Northern Illinois                       0-1
(only meeting Jan. 14, 1980, NIU won 71-56)
 
Missouri State                         0-1
(only meeting Dec. 7, 1992, MS won 71-56)
 
Manhattan                               0-2
(last meeting Dec. 20, 2011, Man. won 81-62)
 
Familiar Face
Towson will recognized a familiar face in FAU's Peyton Hulsey. He played at the College of Charleston and is familiar with the Tigers personnel and style of play.  
 
Board Bosses
Towson has outrebounded 51 of its last 55 opponents. Since head coach Pat Skerry took over the program in 2011-12, Towson has grabbed at least 40 rebounds 90 times.
 
Rake It Up
It was a busy week for the Tigers as several players set career high scoring totals: Brian Starr (21 points vs. Loyola), Justin Gorham (13 vs. Loyola), Jordan McNeil (17 vs. Frostburg State) and Deshaun Morman (19 points vs. Frostburg State).
 
Sure Shots
Towson has six members of its regular rotation shooting over 50 percent in its first three games: Zane Martin (53.8), Brian Starr (55.0), Deshaun Morman (68.8), Justin Gorham (50.0), Jordan McNeil (56.3), and Dennis Tunstall (83.3). The Tigers made 61.8 percent of their shots in their 95-72 win over Loyola. It was the first time Towson shot at least 60 percent in a game since Jan. 8, 2007 when it shot 62.5 percent against Delaware in a 75-68 victory.
 
Mileage Calculator So Far
Towson is in the midst of a busy two-week stretch of where its playing seven games over 15 days in two states and one country. Once the Tigers land on Dec. 3, they will have traveled over 8,800 miles and had lots of unique experiences. Towson to Loyola round trip (eight miles). Towson to BWI Airport (27 miles). BWI to Estero, Fl. Hotel (1,078 miles). So far, the Tigers have traveled 1,113 miles in about a 26-hour period. We will also include mileage to and from the hotel to the arena in our totals.
 
Up Next
Towson will meet either Penn or Northern Illinois Tuesday at the Gulf Coast Showcase at either 1:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.
 
Next Towson Home Game
The Tigers will host St. Mary's on Monday, Nov. 27 at 6 p.m. CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS