The Colonial Athletic Association offers a good Monday night match-up when Hofstra ventures south to battle with the Tigers of Towson.
Towson is a talented ball club currently sitting at 3-2 within conference play. They have dropped two in a row against the likes of Northeastern and a good Delaware club, and now attempt to right the ship prior to dates with UNC-Wilmington and Drexel.
The Tigers’ biggest issues have been avoiding turnovers and getting consistent play from a stable of guards who are mostly question marks. Rafriel Guthrie gave them a strong bench performance in the Delaware loss, but they will need more than just that as they get into the thick of conference play.
Hofstra grades out as one of the worst defensive teams in the nation right now. They gave up 1.23 PPP to a weak Northeastern squad and they do not feature great size or depth. Scott Eartherton of NE was able to score 18 points on only 10 shots against them, and you had better believe that Jerrelle Benimon and Marcus Damas are both licking their chops as they get ready for this one.
Hofstra should have a slight advantage at guard. Dion Nesmith is a talented player who can score when asked to, but he is not meant to be a true point guard at this level. The Monmouth transfer has struggled to man the position for a team that needs more from him there, but both clubs turn it over at a high level in general.
Towson is currently a 10 point favorite. That number is a bit discounted given the issues Hofstra has in defending the inside. But, its tough to back this Towson club given the fact they come off a huge game at Delaware.
This number should probably be more in line with 11-12, but the Pride have played better in their last six games, going 3-3 in that stretch and giving Delaware a reasonably tough game on the road. They could easily do the same here, and it’ll be intriguing to see how Towson handles this one.
