Things were looking bleak for Towson a month ago.
The Tigers had just lost their sixth straight game and were hit hard by injuries. Since then, they’ve won four of their last five and are coming off a big overtime win on the road over Drexel. Each of Towson’s wins during that stretch have come by single-digits and the lone loss was to Charleston by eight. Towson is 8-9 overall and 3-1 in Coastal Athletic Association play.
Hofstra (10-7, 2-2) is also coming off a close win over a good UNC Wilmington team. The Pride held off the Seahawks down the stretch for the 66-63 victory. It was their second win in their last six games.
This is an important game for both teams in a league that’s shown a lot of parity this season. Hofstra coach Speedy Claxton is also expected to return after missing the last game because of personal reasons.
New Customer Offers at BetMGM
Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l Terms
Hofstra at Towson Betting Odds
Towson is a 3.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM against Hofstra while the Over/Under is at 123.5.
The Moneyline for Towson is at -170 and at +152 for Hofstra.
Hofstra at Towson On TV
The matchup between Hofstra and Towson will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Tonight’s game tips off at 7 p.m. ET.
Hofstra at Towson Prediction
I predict Towson will cover the 3.5-point spread and the game will go over 123.5 points.
These are two of the best defenses in the CAA and two of the worst offenses.
The Tigers are averaging 67.8 points per game while Hofstra is averaging 67.4 points per outing. These averages rank in the bottom three in the conference. On the other side of the ball, the Tigers are allowing 64.6 PPG while the Pride are surrendering 67.7 PPG.
It’s no wonder the Under usually hits in both of these teams’ games. The total has gone under in 11 of Towson’s games while it has gone under in 10 of Hofstra’s contests.
Aside from the strong defense and low-scoring offense, both teams also maintain a slow pace of play. Per KenPom, Hofstra has an adjusted tempo of 64.3 which ranks 337th in the country while Towson has an adjusted tempo of 63.1, which ranks 353rd.
All of this points to the under being the play, but Towson has gotten healthier and has played better offensively as of late. I expect them to continue to do so here. The Tigers scored 80 in a win over Northeastern and then 93 in that overtime victory over Drexel. They are averaging 76.8 PPG and 44.2% from the field in conference play.
However, they will be going up against a Hofstra defense that ranks 14th in the country in defensive effective field-goal percentage (44.4%) and fourth in the country in two-point field-goal percentage (41%). Hofstra is a solid defense, but I think the Tigers will score just enough to pull ahead and push this game over the total.
The Tigers got some big scoring outputs off the bench against Drexel from Nendah Tarke and Dylan Williamson. Tarke finished with 27 points and Williamson netted 26. Sophomore Tyler Tejada leads the team with 16.9 PPG. I expect all three to continue to find offensive success.
I think the Tigers are just playing better basketball right now and Hofstra will run into a team that is starting to hit its stride. The Tigers are playing like everyone thought they would when they were selected to win the conference, and I expect them to move to 4-1 in CAA play with a win here.
Towson is 8-7 against the spread this season and 5-3 ATS as an underdog.
