TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University men's basketball team will participate in the D.C. Holiday Hoops Fest tournament this weekend against a quality field of competitiors at the Entertainment & Sports Arena, home of the 2019 WNBA champion Washington Mystics.
 
Towson's first challenge will be against undefeated Liberty (12-0 overall) on Friday, Dec. 20 at 5 p.m. Liberty is receiving votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll and is ranked second in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
 
The Tigers will play either Akron or Tulane on Saturday, Dec. 21 at either 1 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. Both of those squads have overall records of 8-2. Each school has a NCAA NET ranking in top 150.
 
This tournament will also give the Tigers an opportunity to compete at the venue that will host the 2020 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament in March.
 
Towson enters the tournament having won three of last its four games. In its latest conquest, a 77-71 win over UMBC, Brian Fobbs scored a career best 33 points. He made seven 3-points, also a career high. Fobbs was named the CAA Men's Basketball Player Of The Week. He leads Towson in scoring with a 16.2 point per game scoring average.
 
Allen Betrand, who has made a 3-pointer in every game this season, is averaging 11.2 points per game. Nakye Sanders had 15 points and eight rebounds in the win over UMBC. Sanders has finished with at least six rebounds in seven straight games. He's averaging 9.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.
 
Here's a quick glance at each squad competing this weekend.
 
Akron: The balanced Zips are members of the Mid-American Conference. Two of Towson's losses were to MAC members Kent State in overtime and Buffalo. Akron's two losses were on the road to West Virginia and Louisville. Tyler Cheese leads four Zips in double figures with a 15.4 point per game average. Loren Christian Jackson contributes 14.5 points per outing. Xeyrius Williams is averaging 14.4 points and 10.0 rebounds. Channel Banks chips in 11.7 points per game and leads the Zips with 30 3-pointers. All eight of Akron's victories have been by double digits.
 
Liberty: Members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, Liberty is the first team in the country this season to reach 12 wins after beating Vanderbilt on the road last Saturday. Liberty, which advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament last season, has now defeated a Power 5 school in the last three years. The Flames are one of the best defensive teams in the nation, limiting opponents to 50.2 points per game and 34.2 percent shooting. Only Radford and Grand Canyon have scored more than 60 points against Liberty this season. The balanced Flames have six players averaging at least eight points per outing: Caleb Homesley (11.8), Scottie James (9.8), Darius McGhee (9.8), Elijah Cuffie (9.3), Myo Baxter-Bell (9.3) and Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz (8.2).
 
Tulane: Members of the American Athletic Conference, the Tigers beat the Green Wave last year in the Atlantic City Tournament, 73-55. However, the Green Wave have already doubled its win total from last season under first year head coach Ron Hunter. Tulane's two losses this season were to Mississippi State and Saint Louis. Leading Tulane this season has been the trio of Teshaun Hightower (16.3 points per game), K.J. Lawson (15.0 ppg.) and Christion Thompson (11.8, 6.3 rebounds per game). The Green Wave own a 65-61 victory over Pac-12 member Utah.
 
HOLIDAY HOOPS AT SECU: Towson will begin the 2019-20 CAA schedule with a pair of home games against Northeastern (Saturday, Dec. 28) and Hofstra (Monday, Dec. 30). Northeastern competed in the NCAA Tournament last season. Hofstra was voted as the preseason favorite. The Northeastern game will be family day and fans can get their photos taken with Santa Claus. In addition, fans are encouraged to bring perishable items to donate to Can Can Make A Difference. The Tigers will celebrate Camp Day against Hofstra. Both games begin at 2 p.m. To find tickets, CLICK HERE or call at 1-855-TU-TIGERS.