Men's Basketball to Face Towson in First CAA Road Game

Saturday, December 31

Towson, MD

12:00 PM

College of Charleston

Towson

Men's Basketball to Face Towson in First CAA Road Game

12/30/2022 4:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes Tickets Listen Watch Live Stats

TOWSON, Md. - After taking down Hampton to open the conference slate with a 89-61 win, the College of Charleston men's basketball team will face its first road CAA challenge of the season at Towson on Saturday afternoon. Action is set for 12:00 p.m. at SECU Arena.

STORYLINES

The College of Charleston men's basketball team was the third team in CAA history to start the year 12-1 and the first in 37 years. (Richmond 1985-86, 16-1, George Mason, 1983-84, 12-1). This is the Cougars best start since joining the NCAA.
Pat Kelsey's program is currently one spot out of the AP Top 25 Poll with 102 points, just ten points behind No. 25 North Carolina who has 112. The Tar Heels are the Cougars' only loss of the year.
Charleston stays put at 53 in the NCAA Division I NET Rankings while sitting at #36 in Andy Katz Power Rankings produced by the NCAA.
Towson was picked as the preseason favorite to win the league while the Cougars were picked to finish fourth. Charleston received the remaining first place vote that did not go to the Tigers.
The Cougars hold the 13-8 series edge despite Towson getting the better of Charleston twice a season ago, including a nail-bitter 80-77 defeat at TD Arena. Ben Burnham had 13 points for the Cougars in the contest while Reyne Smith and Babacar Faye grabbed six boards each.
Five Cougars scored in double-digit points in the Hampton victory led by Pat Robinson III with a D1 career-high 19. Robinson III's performance was followed by Ante Brzovic's 6-for-9 night from the field totaling 15 points with three steals. Raekwon Horton was 4-for-7 with 12 points followed by Ryan Larson and Dalton Bolon finished with 11 points each. Smith scored 10 to round out the Cougars' double-digit performances. Jaylon Scott contributed with seven rebounds and five assists for an outstanding defensive performance.

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

The New Year's Eve match-up will the conference opener for the Tigers. They are coming off of a 69-59 loss to Bryant on December 22. Charles Thompson led the Tigers with 19 points followed by Nicolas Timberlake with 16. Sekou Sylla grabbed nine rebounds while Thompson contributed eight.
Timberlake paces Towson scoring 15.7 per game followed closely by Cam Holden with 15.2. Thompson leads the team in boards, averaging 7.5 a contest.

RECEIVING RECOGNITION

The Cougars have been rewarded for their efforts and are receiving votes in both major polls and are currently ranked #2 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
Kelsey's squad received 102 points in the latest AP Poll, one spot outside of the top 25.
Charleston is ranked 53 in the NET Rankings of the season with two Q1 wins over Kent State and Virginia Tech.

WE CALL THAT A STREAK

Charleston is 12-1 with wins over five NCAA Tournament teams and three defending conference champions (ACC, A10, SoCon), a title in the Charleston Classic, and the lone setback at preseason No. 1 North Carolina followed by a current 11-game winning streak. Charleston is the third team in CAA history to open the year 12-1 or better, joining the 1985-86 Richmond squad (16-1) and the 1983-84 George Mason team (12-1).

HOW TO WATCH

The game will be broadcast live on both NBC Sports Washington and FloSports. Fans can also listen to the Voice of the Cougars Everett German on the call live on the Varsity App.