Entering the final week of the regular season, the Towson University men?s basketball team couldn?t have asked for a more difficult pair of Colonial Athletic Association opponents.
Towson (14-14, 8-8 CAA) visits Old Dominion (21-7, 13-3) tonight at 7 before returning to the Towson Center one last time for a noon tip with Drexel (20-7, 11-5) on Saturday.
“Three of our final four games will be against teams above us [in the CAA standings],” Towson coach Pat Kennedy said, taking into account the chance the Tigers might reach the conference tournament?s second round.
Old Dominion, which enters tonight?s game on a nine-game win streak, has won seven straight games against Towson. The Tigers lost to the Monarchs last season, 85-71, at the Towson Center. This year on the road, the Tigers will look to continue their string of solid ball-handling efforts. The Tigers have experienced their most success in games in which they?ve won the turnover battle and pushed the ball offensively.
“We?re going to have to really control tempo and control the boards,” Kennedy said.
In terms of rebounding, the Tigers will have to silence Monarchs? forward Valdas Vasylius, who was named the CAA player of the week. He leads the team in rebounding (6.2 rpg) and scoring (16 ppg).
Aside from interior play, Kennedy would like to see a slight improvement in one category where ? surprising to the coach ? the Tigers have struggled.
“Our worst stat is our three-point shooting stat,” Kennedy said. “The three-point shot has ironically really hurt us this year.”
That ironic because Towson features senior guard Gary Neal, a long-range weapon. Neal enters his final stretch of games now, and Kennedy thinks that this stretch could be pivotal in elevating Neal?s professional prospects.
“I think Gary is pretty much set in terms of the direction he?s going,” Kennedy said. “The stronger he finishes, the better for him. If he can do something special, it certainly helps.”
Towson (14-14) at Old Dominion (21-7)
» When: Tonight, 7
» Radio: 89.7 FM
