The Game: Towson (19-7, 10-3 CAA) @ UNCW (18-7, 12-2 CAA)
When: Thursday, Feb. 17 – 6 p.m.
Where: Trask Coliseum – Wilmington, N.C.
Broadcast: CBS Sports Network
Radio/Online Broadcast: Towsontigers.com
Series: UNCW leads 25-20
 
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The two teams at the top of the CAA standings are set to do battle on the CBS Sports Network as the Towson University men's basketball visits UNCW on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m.
 
The game will be broadcast nationally on the CBS Sports Network with Scott Graham and Donny Marshall on the call.  Check your local listings for channel information. Spiro Morekas will have the radio call on Towsontigers.com.
 
Towson is currently in second place in the CAA at 10-3 in the league while UNCW holds first place at 12-2.  In addition, each team stands in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25, with Towson at #20 and UNCW at #21.
 
Each team enters Thursday having won its last two games.  Towson is coming off an 86-50 home victory on Saturday over Elon to stand at 19-7 overall.  UNCW has won its last pair of games in this homestand, defeating William & Mary 80-73 in overtime on Monday, to enter at 18-7 overall.
 
With the series beginning in 1977, this will be the 46th all-time meeting between Towson and UNCW.  The two battled in a thriller in SECU on Jan. 22, with UNCW winning 81-77 in overtime, snapping Towson's five-game winning streak in the series.  All-time, UNCW has a slight edge 25-20.
 
HOLDEN - HENSON AWARD MID-SEASON WATCH LIST
Cam Holden was named to the 2021-22 Lou Henson Award Mid-Season Watch List on Jan. 12.  The Lou Henson National Player of the Year is awarded to the top mid-major player in DI college basketball.
 
Through 26 games, Holden is Towson's leading scorer and rebounder with 13.9 points and 8.0 boards a game, adding eight double-doubles.  He also averages 2.6 assists per game.
 
He ranks in the top-80 nationally in rebounds per game (77th), double-doubles (38th), steals per game (64th) and total rebounds (46th).
 
STANDOUT DEFENSE
Through 26 games, Towson stands with the top scoring defense among CAA programs, allowing 64.2 points per game.  Towson has allowed 65 points or fewer in 16 games.
 
Towson in first in the CAA in field goal % defense at 41.1% as well as in three-point field goal % defense at 32.5%.
 
The Tigers also have the second-best rebounding margin in the CAA at +5.8, 34th in all of Division I.  Before the 2020-21 season, Towson finished the year having led the league in rebounding margin the previous seven seasons, finishing third at +2.2 last year.
 
DOUBLING UP
Towson has been able to rely on a quintet of scorers thus far this year, who each have at least 10 games in double figure scoring.
--Nicolas Timberlake: 19 (4 with 20+ points)
--Cam Holden: 18 (5 with 20+ points)
--Charles Thompson: 14 (3 double-doubles)
--Terry Nolan Jr.: 11 (9 games with 5+ assists)
--Jason Gibson: 10 (8 games with 3+ 3-FGs)
 
FOR THREE!
Towson has had strong success from downtown.  Jason Gibson, who stands 5th in the CAA in threes per game with 2.3, is 44.7% from three-point range.  Nicolas Timberlake is the team leader in three-point field goals with 53.
 
Towson netted a program record 16 three-pointers victories over Hofstra and Coppin State, including Jason Gibson tying a single game record with eight threes in both contests.
 
TOWSON - BEST START IN DIVISION I HISTORY
Towson has earned its best start in its Division I history at 17-6 (achieved Feb. 3) since the Tigers came to DI in the 1979-80 season.  Towson's 14-5 beginning was also the best in school history.
 
Towson's previous best starts in DI play were in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons when the Tigers began the year at 12-5.
 
The Tigers also started 5-1 in league play for the first time since joining the CAA in the 2001.  Towson's best finish in CAA history came in the 2013-14 season, Pat Skerry's third year with the program, when the Tigers were 13-3.
 
Towson is trying to go to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991, when the East Coast Conference Champion Tigers finished 19-11 overall and 10-2 in the league.  The Tigers have been in the NCAA DI Tournament twice: 1990 and 1991, each under Terry Truax.
 
TOWSON PREDICTED TO FINISH EIGHTH IN CAA
Towson was predicted to get eighth in the CAA in the league's preseason poll, voted on by the conference's head coaches, SIDs and media.
 
This past year, Towson finished the year at 4-14 overall and 3-9 in the CAA, plus had three pauses due to COVID-19.
 
Delaware is predicted to finish first in the preseason poll with 19 out of 36 possible first-place votes, followed by Northeastern at second with seven.  Reigning league champion Drexel is third followed by James Madison, Hofstra, Elon, Charleston, Towson, UNCW and William & Mary.
 
PASSING WELL
Towson stands with a 1.14 assist/turnover ratio, ranking third in the CAA.
 
Terry Nolan Jr. has the team's best assist/turnover ratio at 3.08.  He has dished out at least five assists in 10 different games, including a career-high 10 assists against then #21 Ohio State.
 
Towson's top four players in assists have more assists than turnovers this year:
Terry Nolan Jr. (77 assists - 25 turnovers)
Cam Holden (70 A - 61 TO)
Jason Gibson (51 A - 27 TO)
Nicolas Timberlake (52 A - 43 TO)
 
SKERRY - 166 WINS AT TOWSON
Pat Skerry earned his 150th victory as head coach of the Tigers on Nov. 23, 2021 with Towson's 76-61 win over Penn.  Currently, Skerry has amassed 166 victories at Towson, including six years of at least 18 wins since the 2012-13 season.
 
Skerry is the third Towson men's basketball head coach with at least 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 190 wins as a head coach.  His teams have won double digit victories in 12 out of 14 seasons as a head coach.  In addition, Towson started 10-5 for the third time in Skerry's tenure, also in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons.
 
In June, Skerry served as a court coach for the 2021 USA Basketball Men's U19 World Cup training camp.  He was one of three coaches across the country selected for this role, working with some of the top up-and-coming talent in the country.  That team went on to win the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup in July.
 
REPPING THE HOME STATE
Towson's represents its home of the Old Line State well, having eight players from Maryland on the roster.
 
Baltimore-native Terry Nolan Jr. is back home after graduating from Bradley, having spent two years with the Braves and two more at George Washington.
 
From Severna Park comes Jason Gibson, who earned All-CAA Rookie Team honors in 2019-20.  Charles Thompson, from Fort Washington, earned a spot on the CAA All-Defensive Team last season.  Joining the team is Mount Airy-native Chase Paar after two years at George Washington.  Four more Tigers call Maryland home: Chris Caliguiran from Accokeek, Brandon Held from Marriottsville and two Bowie natives: Olugbemi Joseph and Justin Patterson.
 
TU.....TRANSFER U.....
    Towson has five players who have come to Towson from other NCAA Division I programs.
--#0 Antonio Rizzuto, transfer from UAlbany (2018-21)
--#1 Terry Nolan Jr., transfer from Bradley (2019-21) and GW (2017-19)
--#12 Juwan Gray, transfer from San Diego (2016-18)
--#13 Chase Paar, transfer from GW (2019-21)
--#55 Cam Holden, transfer from UT Martin (2020-21)
 
......BIG TIME TRANSFERS
Three of Towson's incoming transfers earned a league award with their respective teams last season.
 
Cam Holden was the second-ever UT Martin player to earn all-league honors, being Second Team All-OVC with 14.9 points and 8.3 rebounds a contest.
 
Antonio Rizzuto was Second Team All-America East last year at UAlbany with 12.5 points a game in 2020-21.
 
Terry Nolan Jr. picked up an MVC Scholar-Athlete Team selection with 11.2 points and 3.3 assists a game last year.
 
SECU ARENA - TRUE HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Since SECU Arena opened in 2013, Towson has defended home court well with a 80-39 record in home games.
 
Of the first eight years, Towson has won at least two-thirds of its home games in five seasons. The 2013-14, the opening year of SECU, Towson went 15-1.
 
NATIONALLY TELEVISED TIGERS
Towson had several opportunities to shine on the national stage this year with multiple appearances on national television. (all times ET)
--Nov. 19, 6 p.m. at Pittsburgh - ACC Network
--Nov. 25, 9:30 p.m. vs. San Francisco - FS1
--Nov. 26, 9 p.m. vs. New Mexico - FS2
--Dec. 8, 9 p.m. at Ohio State - ESPNU
--Jan. 3, 6 p.m. at Drexel - CBS Sports Network
--Jan. 11, 5 p.m. vs. Hofstra - CBS Sports Network
--Feb. 10, 5 p.m. vs. W&M - CBS Sports Network
--Feb. 17, 6 p.m. @ UNCW - CBS Sports Network
           
In addition, Towson may have other chances to be on the CBS Sports Network as part of the CAA TV package with the channel.
 
ALUMNI PLAYING IN THE PROS
Towson currently has several alumni playing in the professional ranks across the world.
 
Mike Morsell signed a contract with the Memphis Hustle in the NBA G League before the 2021-22 season.  He is now playing for Spišskí Rytieri in Slovakia.
 
Dennis Tunstall '20, who signed with Basketball Academic Limburg in the Netherlands for the 2021-22 campaign.  Brian Fobbs '20 got his first professional contract for the 2021-22 season, going to Finland to play for the Vilpas Vikings.  Zane Martin and Alex Gavrilovic are playing in Sweden and Romania respectively.
 
Several of Towson players under Skerry have played professionally.  Signing contracts since 2020 include Tunstall, Nakye Sanders, Brian Fobbs, Alex Gavrilovic, Zane Martin, Timajh Parker-Rivera, Arnaud William Adala Moto and Brian Starr.  Many other players under Skerry have played professionally: Jerrelle Benimon, Mike Burwell, Marcus Damas, John Davis, Bilal Dixon, Four McGlynn and Mike Morsell.
 
CHANGES TO THE COACHING STAFF
11th-year head coach Pat Skerry announced a couple of changes on his coaching staff this season.  Pat O'Connell has been elevated to associate head coach in his sixth year with the program while Parfait Bitee, also in year six with Towson, moves up from director of player development to assistant coach.  Chris Conway joins the team as the new director of player development from Millersville.
 
Returning as well for the 2021-22 season is associate head coach Kevin Clark for his 11th year and director of operations Jordan Malkin for his second season.
 
Skerry, in year 11 with Towson, is the second-longest tenured coach among current CAA head coaches, only behind Bill Cohn of Northeastern, who is in his 16th year with the Huskies.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
UNCW has the highest scoring offense in CAA games at 75.9 points per game.  Senior guard Jaylen Sims stands fourth in the CAA with 15.9 points a game while junior guard Shykeim Phillips shoots 48.9% for 11.8 points a contest.
 
ALL HOME GAMES TO AIR ON FLOSPORTS
For the 2021-22 season, all Towson men's and women's basketball home games will be broadcast online on FloSports, the exclusive online broadcast partner of the Colonial Athletic Association. Nearly all CAA conference games will be broadcast on FloSports.
 
Spiro Morekas, the voice of the Towson Tigers, is in his 31st season calling games for the men's basketball team.
 
SEVEN TIGERS LAND ON FALL 2021 HONOR ROLL
Seven Towson players earned Towson University honor roll status with a 3.0 or better GPA during the Fall 2021 semester: Chris Caliguiran, Jason Gibson, Tyler Gill, Juwan Gray, Brandon Held, Antonio Rizzuto and Nicolas Timberlake.  Caliguiran earned Towson Dean's List for having over a 3.5 GPA this past term.