TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University men's basketball team opens its 2018-19 season by visiting Virginia.
The NCAA announced in January that it has approved a proposal to move the start of the college basketball season from the second Friday in November to the Tuesday before the second Friday in November.
So here we are.
| When: |
Tuesday, November 6, 2018 |
| Where |
John Paul Jones Arena -- Charlottesville, Va. |
| Time: |
7 p.m. |
| Records: |
Towson (0-0); Virginia (0-0) |
| Television/Internet: |
ACC Network Extra |
| Radio: |
CBS Sports Radio 1300 AM with Spiro Morakes |
| Series History: |
Virginia leads 5-0 |
| Social Media Updates: |
@Towson_MBB |
The Opening Tip
- This is one of 146 Division I men's basketball contests on Tuesday night.
- Of those games, 52 of them feature a Division I squad playing a non-Division I school.
- Towson head coach Pat Skerry begins his eighth season.
- Towson has won at least 18 games in five of the last six seasons.
- One of the Tigers wins last season was a 78-65 decision over UMBC, which defeated Virginia in the NCAA Tournament.
- The Tigers return three players from last season: Senior Alex Thomas, redshirt senior Jordan McNeil and redshirt junior Dennis Tunstall.
- Two players who practiced with the Tigers last season will be eligible in redshirt junior Nakye Sanders and redshirt freshman Quinton Drayton.
- Sanders (Duquesne) and Tobias Howard (Western Kentucky) have previous experience playing against Division I competition.
- This is the first of three non-conference road games for the Tigers.
- Following this game, Towson won't play a true road content until it visits George Washington on Dec. 5.
- Towson will play six neutral site games including three in the Bahamas, two in Atlantic City and one in Baltimore.
- This is the third straight season, Towson will open its season in the state of Virginia. The Tigers defeated George Mason in 2016 and lost to Old Dominion in 2017.
- Virginia won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) last season and won 31 games.
- This will be the third straight season Towson will play an ACC opponent. Towson played Boston College in 2016 and Pittsburgh in 2017. In both games, Towson led with five minutes remaining.
- Towson has led the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in blocked shots in three of the last five years: 2017-18 (4.3), 2015-16 (4.7) and 2013-14 (4.9).
- The Tigers return two of the top shot blockers in the conference in redshirt junior Dennis Tunstall (sixth, 1.1 blocks per game) senior Alex Thomas (ninth, 0.8).
- Entering this season, Towson has led the CAA in rebounding margin in four consecutive seasons: 2017-18 (+5.3), 2016-17 (+7.9), 2015-16 (+7.2) and 2014-15 (+8.7).
- The Tigers were 35th nationally in rebounding margin last season.
- Towson outrebounded 24 of its 32 opponents during the 2017-18 season, including a whopping 46-25 edge on the boards in a win over Drexel on Jan. 18.
A Look At Virginia
The Cavaliers are ranked fifth in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll. They were picked second in the ACC preseason poll behind Duke. Kyle Guy (first-team), De'Andre Hunter (second team) and Ty Jerome (second team) earned preseason All-ACC honors. Head coach Tony Bennett was the 2017-18 National Coach Of The Year.
Towson In The Community
The Towson men's basketball team has been active in the community since returning to campus in August. Members of the team spoke at Loch Raven Academy, participated in Towson West Elementary School's Back To School Night and the Autism Speaks Walk.
Up Next
Towson hosts Wesley in its home opener on Sunday, Nov. 11 at SECU Arena. The game begins at 4:30 p.m. and will be the second game of a men's-women's basketball doubleheader. The women's team hosts Massachusetts starting at 2 p.m. Tickets are $5 and one ticket is good for both games.
