The Game: Towson Tigers (8-3, 0-0 CAA) vs. UNI Panthers (3-7, 1-1 MVC)
Where: United Center – Chicago, Ill.
When: Saturday, Dec. 17 – 12 p.m. cst, 1 p.m. est
Broadcast: Audio broadcast on TowsonTigers.com – Spiro Morekas
Series: First Meeting
 
TOWSON, Md. – Towson men's basketball heads to the Madhouse on Madison to take on Northern Iowa in the Legends of Basketball Showcase on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 12 p.m. central, 1 p.m. eastern.

The Tigers are coming off a tough 71-69 overtime loss against Navy on Sunday afternoon. Towson led by as many as nine in the second half, but the Midshipmen forced overtime and won in the extra session. Nicolas Timberlake led the Tigers with 17 points.

Cam Holden and Charles Thompson also hit double figures with 13 and 11 points respectively.

This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.
 
THE LEADER OF THE PACK:
Head coach Pat Skerry is back on the sidelines for the Tigers in 2022-23 for his 12^th season as the bench boss of the Tigers. Skerry led the Tigers to their first CAA Regular Season title in 2022, posting a 25-9, 15-3 CAA record. For his career, Skerry owns a 180-176 record at Towson and a 204-201 record for his career.
 
The Massachusetts native has rebuilt the Tiger program, who has the highest Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in the CAA. Over the last ten seasons, Towson has won 18+ games seven times.
 
Skerry has used his platform as a head coach to start Autism Awareness in college basketball.  What started as two guys with an idea has turned into a national event where hundreds of coaches wear the prominent blue puzzle piece pin. The effort put forth by Skerry was recognized as he was honored with the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Guardians of the Game Service Award.

TIMBERLAKE 1K:
Graduate guard Nicolas Timberlake became the 29^th player in Towson history to reach 1,000 career points. Timberlake hit his 1,000^th point on November 17 in the second half against UNCG. Timberlake is currently sitting at 1,114 points in 22^nd place all-time.
 
CAA PRESEASON FAVORITES:
Towson men's basketball was chosen as the preseason favorites on October 19. The Tigers were unanimously chosen after garnering 12 of the 13 first-place votes. Towson returns their top four scorers from a year ago that won the CAA Regular Season title.
 
Nicolas Timberlake, Cam Holden, and Charles Thompson were named to the CAA Preseason All-Conference First Team. Timberlake was the leading scorer a year ago, averaging 14.4 ppg and 4.4 rpg plus shooting just under 50 percent from the floor. For his efforts, he earned All-CAA First Team honors. Timberlake scored double digits in 27 of the 34 games in 2021-22.

Cam Holden averaged 13.5 ppg and a team best 7.9 rpg last season, earning him not only All-CAA First Team honors but also a spot on the NABC Division I All-District 10 Team. Holden had a stretch of eight straight games with double digit points including a season-best 25 points against Pitt in November.

Thompson was named the All-CAA Second Team and was also named to the NABC Division I All-District 10 Team last season after averaging 10.8 ppg and 6.7 rpg, having started every game for the Tigers. He finished the season with five double-doubles and 20 double figure scoring games.
 
Welcome to Towson:
Towson adds seven newcomers to the program for 2022-23. Three of the seven have previous college experience including Sekou Sylla, the reigning NCAA Division II Player of the Year. Sylla averaged 22.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game at Nova Southeastern.
 
Ryan Conway and Nygal Russell come to Towson with Division I experience, spending last season at Seton Hall and Southeast Missouri State respectively. Conway spent last season as a redshirt after coming out of nearby Dulaney High School as a four-star prospect. Russell spent four seasons at SEMO helping the Redhawks to an OVC Semifinal for the first time in 17 seasons.
 
Dylan Williamson, Christian May, Cole Paar, and Malik Missouri will also make their collegiate debuts with the Tigers in 2022-23.
 
National Exposure:
The Tigers will appear on CBS Sports Network a total of three times during the 2022-23 season. Towson will have home games against Drexel on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3 p.m. against Monmouth, as well as a road contest at Charleston on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. on the network. The game against Monmouth was originally scheduled to air on NBC Sports Washington.

The games are part of a conference TV package with the CAA.

There is a possibility for another game for Towson to appear on the CBS Sports Network.  There is a wild card game on Saturday, Feb. 25 which will be decided as the top matchup possible towards the end of the regular season.  In addition, the 2023 Jersey Mike's CAA Championship semifinal and final rounds on March 6-7 will also be televised.
 
Coming Back with A Vengeance:
The Tigers will have ten returners from the 2021-22 squad that won the CAA Regular Season title. Over 60 percent of the scoring from a year ago will return, led by graduate Nicolas Timberlake who averaged 14.4 ppg. Cam Holden (13.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg), Charles Thompson (10.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg), and Jason Gibson (9.8 ppg) also return to make up the 60 percent.
 
Oh Captain, My Captain:
Nicolas Timberlake, Charles Thompson, Cam Holden, and Jason Gibson were named as team captains for the 2022-23 season.
 
The quartet returns as the top four scorers from a year ago that fueled a potent Tiger offense which had one of the biggest single-season turnarounds, going 25-9 after a 4-14 season the year prior. The 25 wins ties the most in a DI single season in program history.

Facts and Figures:
The Tigers came in ranked ninth in the most recent College Insider Mid-Major. Towson is also 117th in the NCAA NET Rankings that were released this week.

Nicolas Timberlake is currently second all-time in career three pointers attempted with 461. Only Josh Thornton (574) is ahead of him. Timberlake is also second in three pointers made with 163.

Cam Holden is fast approaching 1,000 career points. During his time between UT Martin and Towson, Holden has amassed 945 points with 633 coming at Towson.
 
Scouting the Opponent:
Perennial MVC heavyweight Northern Iowa comes into the neutral site contest at 3-7, 1-1 MVC having lost their last three games. Most recently, the Panthers dropped a tough 72-69 game at South Florida on Monday. The Panthers tied the game with a layup with four seconds to go, but the Bulls won the game with a three at the buzzer. Bowen Born and Tytan Anderson are the only Panthers in double figures at 19.0 and 12.9 ppg respectively. Anderson is nearly averaging a double-double, pulling down 9.2 rpg.