Towson (7-9 SU, 7-8 ATS, 2-1 CAA) travels up I-95 to Philadelphia to take on Drexel (10-6 SU, 11-4 ATS, 2-1 CAA) on Saturday at 2pmET from the DAC. These longtime rivals met just once last season with the Tigers edging the Dragons 70-67 as a 1-point dog at home. These teams have met 43 times in the CAA with Drexel winning 23 of those games. Read on for a full Towson Tigers vs. Drexel Dragons prediction on the final score and some free College Basketball Picks!
Tigers get much-need win over Huskies
Towson faced Northeastern on Thursday at home. The Huskies were depleted, missing Masai Troutman, their second-leading scorer and fifth-leading scorer William Kermoury. The Tigers were coming off splitting their first CAA road trip against UNCW (overtime win) and Charleston (loss) after having a disastrous showing in non-conference play, going 5-8 against the 131st non-conference strength of schedule according to KenPom. Towson took care of business against the Huskies, winning 80-73 despite getting down 37-30 at the half. The Tigers came out in the second half pouring out 50 points and outrebounding the Huskies by 12. Christian May (17 pts, 12 rebs, 5 asts) and Nendah Tarke (17pts, 7 rebs) led the Tigers, who shot 46% from the field and 46 % (11-of-24) from beyond the arc.
Shooting has been an issue for Towson this season as they rank 236th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency and 39.7% from the field overall (351st). They also rank 311st in three-point percentage (30.7%) and 318th in free throw shooting (318th). On defense, they are allowing 66.8 points per game, 42.7% shooting and 33.6% from three-point range. They do rank 25th in turnovers committed per game (10) and 20th in offensive rebounds per game (11.6).
Sophomore Tyler Tejada (6-9, 220) leads the team with 17.2 points per game on 41.7% shooting (35% 3pt). Guard Dylan Williamson adds 11.9 points and 2.1 assists on 37.4% shooting and 35.2% from long range.
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Drexel comes in as road warriors
Drexel is playing this game at home, but they probably wish they were on the road, considering they are 6-2 after beating NC A&T by nine and Stony Brook by 16 on Thursday. In fact, all three of their conference games have come on the road as they opened with Campbell and were upset 57-54 on Jan. 2. The Dragons have had some success despite losing 6-10 big man Amari Williams to Kentucky in the transfer portal. They've won five of their last seven games coming into this contest. Williams was named CAA Defensive Player of the Year in three straight seasons so that's a big loss. Williams played four seasons with the Dragons, but his first season was in their Covid-shortened season where they won the CAA championship and decided to use his final season of eligibility at Kentucky.
The Dragons didn't need Williams to beat Stony Brook on Thursday. Cole Hargrove (6-8, 250) and Victor Panov (6-7, 235) both dominated the boards with 10 apiece, while Kobe MaGee scored 24 points to lead Drexel to the easy road win. The Dragons shot 45% from the field and 11-of-22 from beyond the arc. They held the Seawolves to just 32% shooting from the field and dominated them on the boards by eight.
MaGee leads the team with 15 points, while shooting 48.3% from the field and 45.1% from long range. Yame Butler, a senior who began his career at Fordham, adds 13.9 points and 4.1 rebounds on 50.3% shooting and 36.8% from beyond the arc. Hargrove isn't Williams, but he's provided an inside presence with 1.7 blocks per game and 8.6 rebounds.
Drexel is ranked 173rd according to KenPom and 123rd in Adjusted Defensive Rating. Defensively, they allow 64.5 points per game, 39.3% shooting (32nd) and 27.5% from long range (7th). On offense, they are averaging 70.8 points per game, 45.9% shooting and 35.2% from long range. They also rank 39th in total rebounding percentage.
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Best Bets for Towson vs. Drexel
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
Drexel does miss Amari Williams and others, but this is still a big physical team with Hargrove and Panov slowing down Towson in the paint. Towson lives on the offensive boards and it will be tough with Hargrove's size to get around him. The Tigers had their own loss in 6-7, 250-pound Charles Thompson graduating and they've been subpar at the center position without him. Towson also shoots 28.9% from beyond the arc on the road and they are facing one of the best three-point defenses in the nation in a dark place that's usually difficult to shoot from in the DAC.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Neither of these teams wants to run. Drexel is 348th in Adjusted Tempo according to KenPom and Towson is 356 so the first team to 60 points wins. Or 50. The Dragons have gone under in five straight and six of their last seven games. They did not score over 68 points in any of those games and held teams to just 55.7 points per game in their last three games.
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