NOTE: Since this preview was published, the games and times have changed: https://towsontigers.com/news/2020/11/24/schedule-changes-announced-for-towson-mens-basketball-at-mohegan-sun.aspx

The Games: Towson (0-0, 0-0 CAA)
--vs. Virginia (0-0, 0-0 ACC), 11/25, 1:30 p.m.
--vs. San Francisco (0-0, 0-0 WCC), 11/26, 3:30 p.m.
--vs. Buffalo (0-0, 0-0 MAC), 11/27, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Mohegan Sun Arena – Uncasville, Conn.
Online Broadcast ($): FloHoops.com (FloSports)
----Broadcasters: James Westling, Kevin Lehman
Radio: Towsontigers.com
----Broadcasters: Spiro Morekas, 30^th season
Series: 
--Virginia leads Towson 6-0
--First meeting between Towson and San Francisco
--Towson, Buffalo tied at 3-3
 
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The Towson University men's basketball team is set to begin the 2020-21 campaign at the Mohegan Sun "Bubbleville" with a matchup against one of the best in the country, a 1:30 p.m. game against #4 Virginia on Wednesday, Nov. 25th at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.

Towson is scheduled to play three games in as many days in the Bubbleville pod: Virginia on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m., San Francisco at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday and Buffalo on Friday at 4:30 p.m.  All games will be broadcast online on FloSports.
 
All games will be broadcast online on FloSports.  In addition, Spiro Morekas begins his 30^th season as the voice of the Tigers on TowsonTigers.com.
 
At this time, all games are expected to be played without fans in attendance.  Games and times are subject to change.  Fans are encouraged to visit https://www.hoophall.com/events/bubbleville or follow @hoophall #Bubbleville on Twitter and Instagram.
 
Towson is coming off a 19-win season, the sixth year in the last eight seasons where the Tigers won at least 18 games, finishing 19-13 and 12-6 for third place in the Colonial Athletic Association.  Virginia, the 2019 NCAA champion and ranked fourth in the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Preseason polls, went 23-7 overall and 15-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference last year.

Towson and UVA met two years ago, with the Tigers falling 73-42 on Nov. 6, 2018, also the season opener for both teams.  UVA leads the all-time series 6-0, with all games coming in Charlottesville.

This is the first time that Towson will play at the Mohegan Sun Arena.  It is also the first time since the 2002-03 season where Towson begins the year with a neutral site contest: the Tigers played UMBC that year at Loyola.
 
Towson Possible Starters
Player                             Pos.     Yr./Ht./Wt.      PPG     FG%   3FG%    RPG    APG      Notes
#1 Demetrius Mims           G/F   R-So., 6-6/185    0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       Sat out 2019-20 after transferring from Long Beach State
#2 Zane Martin                   G      Sr., 6-4/205      0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       Preseason All-CAA First Team
#11 Jason Gibson               G      So., 6-1/165      0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       2019-20 CAA All-Rookie Team
#25 Nicolas Timberlake       G    R-So., 6-4/200    0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       2019-20 CAA Sixth Man of the Year
#32 Charles Thompson       F      So., 6-7/235      0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       Played all 32 games as a freshman
 
Towson Possible Reserves
Player                             Pos.     Yr./Ht./Wt.      PPG     FG%   3FG%    RPG    APG      Notes
#0 Curtis Holland III            G       Jr., 6-2/220      0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       Played last two seasons at High Point University
#3 Cam Allen                     G      Gr., 6-1/185      0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       Graduate transfer from CSU Bakersfield, averaging 7.9 ppg
#5 Jakigh Dottin                 G       Jr., 6-2/211      0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       Appeared in all 64 games over the past two years
#12 Juwan Gray                 F     R-Sr., 6-8/215    0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       7 double-digit scoring games in 2019-20
#15 Chris Caliguiran           G       Jr., 5-6/140      0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       Walk-on, has played 14 career games
#22 Solomon Uyaelunmo    F     R-So., 6-7/230    0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       Missed most of 2019-20 due to knee injury
#23 Darrick Jones Jr.          G       Fr., 6-5/190      0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       #8 recruit in the state of Virginia by ESPN.com
#24 Greg Cross                  G      Sr., 6-4/213      0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       Walk-on, played in five contests last season
#34 Victor Uyaelunmo         C     R-Jr., 7-0/220     0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       Sat out 2019-20 after transferring from Southern Calif.
#35 Chris Biekeu                F       Fr., 6-7/210      0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       First Towson player under Pat Skerry from Canada
#44 Justin Patterson           G      So., 6-4/215      0.0       --%      --%       0.0      0.0       Walk-on, played in seven contests last season
 
MARTIN EARNS PRESEASON ALL-CAA FIRST TEAM
Zane Martin's return to Towson has been noticed by the league as he was named to the 2020-21 Preseason All-CAA First Team in the preseason.
 
Coming back to Towson for this year, Martin averaged 10.1 points and 3.1 assists a contest last year with New Mexico, including 16 double-digit scoring contests.
 
It is the second straight year where Towson placed a player on the Preseason All-CAA First Team, with Brian Fobbs landing on the 2019-20 team.
 
His last year with Towson in 2017-18, Martin earned All-CAA Second Team after averaging 19.8 points per game.
 
TOWSON PREDICTED TO FINISH FOURTH IN CAA
Towson was predicted to get fourth in the CAA in the league's preseason poll, voted on by the conference's head coaches, SIDs and media, including four first-place votes.
 
This past year, Towson concluded at 19-13, the fourth time in the last five seasons with at least 18 victories.  The Tigers went 12-6 in the league for a third place finish, its third top-three finish in conference play in the last five seasons.
 
Reigning league champion Hofstra was predicted to finish first in the preseason coaches poll, with Delaware and Drexel second and third respectively.  The rest of the poll was filled out in order by Elon, Charleston, Northeastern, UNCW, JMU and William & Mary.
 
SKERRY APPROACHING 150 WINS AT TOWSON
Pat Skerry, who is in his 10th season at the helm of the Tigers, is quickly approaching his 150th victory as the team's head coach.
 
Currently, Skerry has amassed 143 victories at Towson, including six years of at least 18 wins since the 2012-13 season.
 
Skerry is looking to be the third Towson men's basketball head coach with over 150 wins.  Vince Angotti won 229 games as Towson's head coach from 1966-83 while Terry Truax notched 202 wins with the Tigers from 1983-97.  Skerry is also the third longest-tenured coach in Towson history.
 
Including two seasons leading Curry from 1996-98, Skerry has 167 wins as a head coach.  His teams have won double digit victories in 11 out of 12 seasons as a head coach.
 
REPPING THE HOME STATE
Towson's represents its home of the Old Line State well, having seven players from Maryland on the roster.
 
Baltimore Poly's own Demeterius Mims came back to Charm City after a year at Long Beach State and is eligible after sitting out 2019-20.
 
From Severna Park comes Jason Gibson, who earned All-CAA Rookie Team honors after averaging 8.4 points and 2.1 assists a game last year.  Charles Thompson, from Fort Washington, was one of the first forwards off the bench in 2019-20 with 3.2 points and 3.7 rebounds a contest.  Joining the team this year is Curtis Holland III, a Churchton native transferring after two seasons at High Point.
 
Three more Tigers call the state of Maryland home: Chris Caliguiran from Accokeek, Greg Cross from Silver Spring and Justin Patterson from Bowie.
 
WELCOME BACK ZANE!
After two years at New Mexico, Zane Martin has returned to the Black & Gold as a redshirt senior.  In his sophomore season with Towson, the Philadelphia-native earned All-CAA Second Team, NABC All-District 10 Second Team and a place on the Lou Henson Award Midseason Watch List after averaging 19.8 points a game, including double digit scoring in 30 of 32 games.
 
With New Mexico last year, Martin earned 10.1 points and 3.1 assists a contest, picking up Mountain West Academic All-Conference honors.  He surpassed the career 1,000 points mark on Jan. 18th, 2020.
 
ARRIVING IN TOWSON......
Towson has seven players who have come to Towson from other NCAA programs.
--#0 Curtis Holland III, transfer from High Point (2018-20)
--#1 Demetrius Mims, transfer from Long Beach State (2018-19)
--#2 Zane Martin, transfer from New Mexico (2018-20)
--#3 Cam Allen, grad transfer from CSU Bakersfield (2019-20)
--#12 Juwan Gray, transfer from San Diego (2016-18)
--#24 Greg Cross, transfer from Fayetteville State (2017-18)
--#34 Victor Uyaelunmo, transfer from USC (2017-19)
 
CAN I GET AN ASSIST?
Towson's primary two point guards and leaders in assists in the 2019-20 campaign, Jakigh Dottin and Jason Gibson, are back with the Black & Gold this year.
 
Dottin has earned at least 60 assists in each of his first two seasons, including a team-high 69 last year as a sophomore, and stands with 129 in his Towson career.
 
Gibson broke into the starting lineup as a freshman and notched 68 assists his first year, helping him land on the CAA All-Rookie Team.
 
STAFF STAYS INTACT
Towson's coaching staff has remained the same for the past four seasons under Pat Skerry.
 
Associate head coach Kevin Clark arrived with Skerry at Towson and enters his 10th season.  Clark was recently regonized by Stadium as one of the top assistants in the Colonial Athletic Association.
 
Assistant coach Pat O'Connell begins his fifth season at Towson while assistant coach Branden McDonald is in his fourth year with the Black & Gold.  Parfait Bitee, director of player development, is in his fifth season.
 
SECU ARENA - TRUE HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Since SECU Arena opened in 2013, Towson has defended home court well with a 65-32 record in home games.
 
Of the first seven year, Towson has won at least two-thirds of its games in five seasons. The 2013-14, the opening year of SECU, Towson went 15-1.
 
OH BROTHER
Set to play this year in the Towson frontcourt are the Uyaelunmo brothers, Solomon and Victor, natives of Nigeria.
 
Solomon was granted a redshirt season last year after being injured early.  He played 30 games as a freshman in 2018-19, averaging 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds a contest.
 
Victor sat out 2019-20 after transferring in from USC and is a redshirt junior.  He played in 49 games in two years at USC.
 
BRING BACK THE SIXTH MAN
Nicolas Timberlake is back for Towson after earning 2019-20 CAA Sixth Man of the Year honors in his redshirt freshman campaign.
 
Playing in 28 games off the bench last year, Timberlake averaged 6.1 points and 3.5 rebounds a game, scoring in his final 27 contests played.
 
ALUMNI PLAYING IN THE PROS
Towson currently has several alumni playing in the professional ranks across the world.
   
Arnaud William Adala Moto '17, a member of the Cameroon National team, signed with TAU Castello in Spain and has also played in France.
 
Brian Starr '18 signed with Budo Gemlik Basketbol in Turkey after playing two years with COR-Borisfen in Belarus.
 
Two Towson players competed in The Tournament this past summer.  Four McGlynn '15 helped Sideline Cancer reach the final game, narrowly coming short of the title.  Jerrelle Benimon '14 was one of the top players for Team Hines, the 11-seed of the tournament.
 
Several of Towson players under Skerry have played professionally: Adala Moto, Starr, McGlynn, Benimon, Mike Burwell, Marcus Damas, John Davis,  Bilal Dixon, Alex Gavrilovic, Mike Morsell and Timajk Parker-Rivera.  Graduate manager Gary Neal '07 played nine years in the National Basketball Association.
 
Tigers in the Community
The Towson University athletics department deems community service as one of its highest priorities to give back to the Greater Baltimore area.
 
Towson was on track to have its 8th consecutive year of over 10,000 hours of community service in 2019-20 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all activity.  Towson finished with 7,527 hours last year, good for third in the NCAA Teamworks Helper Helper competition.
   
Towson ranked #1 nationally for community service and won the 2018 National Championship for Community Service through the Helper Helper NCAA Team Works Competition.  Towson also won the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from Susan G. Komen of Maryland.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: 
Virginia has been predicted to finish first in the ACC preseason poll, led by a pair of preseason All-ACC players: senior forward Sam Hauser, transfer from Marquette, averaged 14.9 points and 7.2 rebounds a game in his final season with the Golden Eagles while junior point guard Kihei Clark was third in the ACC last year with 5.9 assists a game, adding 10.8 points a contest.

San Francisco got placed fifth in the WCC preseason coaches poll.  Senior point guard Jamaree Bouyea landed on the WCC All-Preseason Team, averaging 12.2 points and 3.5 assists last year.  Redshirt junior guard Khalil Shabazz was USF's first player off the bench last year, getting 10.5 points per game.

Buffalo was put at fourth in the preseason MAC poll in the first year without divisions in the league.  Senior guard Jayvon Graves, earning a team-best 17.1 points per contest in 2019-20, and junior forward Josh Mballa, a Texas Tech transfer who nearly averaged a double-double a game off 10.8 points and 9.6 boards per game, are on the Preseason All-MAC Team.

SERIES HISTORY:
Towson vs. Virginia: Virginia leads 6-0
--Last time out: Virginia 73, Towson 42
(11/6/18 - Charlottesville, Va.)
    Towson kept close with the 1-seed of the 2018 NCAA Tournament, down by nine with 12 minutes left, but fell to the Cavaliers in the season opener.  Brian Fobbs had nine points and six rebounds for Towson while Ty Jerome led UVA with 20 points, going 6-9 from three.

First Meeting vs. San Francisco

Towson vs. Buffalo: 3-3 tie
--Last time: Buffalo 76, Towson 73
(11/22/19 - Charleston, S.C.)
    Meeting in last year's Charleston Classic, Towson led by seven with two minutes but succumbed to a Buffalo comeback and fell 76-73.  Brian Fobbs notched 22 points while Nakye Sanders had a double-double of 16 points and 12 boards.  Jayvon Graves concluded with 25 points, eight rebounds and three assists.