Two of the Colonial Athletic Association’s most explosive scorers, Brian Fobbs and Jordan Roland, take center stage on the conference’s opening day.

Who: Northeastern Huskies (6-6) at Towson Tigers (6-6) 

When: Saturday, Dec. 28, 2 p.m. ET 

Where: SECU Arena 

Watch: LIVE on FloHoops

Fobbs and the rest of the Towson Tigers welcome 22.4-point per game scorer Roland and his Northeastern Huskies teammates into SECU Arena on Saturday for a tone-setting matchup. 

Both the Tigers and Huskies sit at .500 after facing challenging non-conference schedules, thus a win improves one to the right side of that mark. Perhaps more importantly, the winner starts what should be a wide-open Colonial race on the right note. 

Northeastern Huskies At A Glance

Last season’s CAA representative in the NCAA Tournament, Northeastern flew under the radar somewhat coming into the campaign as a result of roster turnover. But with veterans like Roland and Bolden Brace in the backcourt, the Huskies scored an attention-grabbing victory in opening week over Harvard. 

The non-conference portion of Northeastern’s season wasn’t without growing pains, though. The Huskies dropped five games by single digits, including a 70-63 decision to Davidson on Dec. 7. 

Northeastern rebounded from another close loss, 60-55 at Eastern Michigan, with an emphatic 74-61 defeat of Detroit Mercy. The experience of winning last year’s Colonial tournament and facing some stiff tests in the non-conference should bolster the Huskies in conference play. 

Names To Know

Jordan Roland was the early talk of college basketball for his prolific scoring punch. Maintaining an average of more than 30 points per game, as he put up through the Huskies’ first five, was always a tall ask. Putting up over 22 per keeps him in the upper echelon of college basketball. 

Bolden Brace was a known commodity coming into 2019-20, so his contribution as one of the key complementary scorers around Roland is no surprise. Less predictable has been the vital role Tyson Walker is playing as a freshman. He is putting up just under 10 points per game and sets the table with 3.3 assists per game. 

The loss of Tomas Murphy to injury just a few weeks into the season took away a critical post presence for Northeastern. Greg Eboigbodin stepped up in his absence, but he was out for the Michigan road swing. 

Veteran big Jason Strong took advantage of the opportunity against Detroit Mercy, posting 10 points and nine rebounds in the win. 

Offense

Behind Roland’s explosive scoring potential, Northeastern produced the best adjusted offensive efficiency in the CAA through non-conference play, per KenPom.com. The Huskies run a motion offense with emphasis on off-the-ball movement. 

Northeastern puts a premium on good looks, and the result is the nation’s fourth-best effective field-goal percentage, and the third-best 3-point shooting average. Roland and Walker are both hitting better than 40 percent from behind the arc, with Myles Franklin connecting on 44 percent in a supplementary role. 

The Huskies’ greatest offensive weakness amid its excellent shooting is a tendency to commit turnovers. Northeastern coughs it up on 20.9 percent of its possessions.  

Defense

Northeastern’s perimeter players excel at applying ball pressure. Roland, Walker and Maxime Boursiquot are three of the best turnover-creating players in the CAA. Roland and Walker average just under two steals per game, and Boursiquote is averaging 1.25 per. 

The Huskies are also defending the 3-point shot well, holding opponents to 31 percent on the season. However, the absences in the frontcourt have resulted in struggles defending at the rim. Teams are hitting 54.1 percent from inside the arc against Northeastern, which ranks No. 305 nationally. 

Northeastern’s turnover issues on offense also translate to defensive question marks. With steals coughed up on 10 percent of possessions, opponents have ample opportunity to get out in transition. 

Towson Tigers At A Glance

One of the surprises in the early going of this basketball season has been Towson. The Tigers looked tough against one of the more daunting non-conference schedules anywhere in the nation. 

Pat Skerry’s squad may be poised to contend for a CAA crown – opening weekend will go a long way in setting the pace for the Tigers in that pursuit.  

Names To Know

Brian Fobbs was scoring quite effectively through the first month, despite his 3-point shot not falling. That’s no longer an issue. Against in-state rival UMBC, Fobbs went off for 7-of-9 from 3-point range, and is rolling into conference play with multiple made triples in each of the Tigers’ last three games. 

Around the 16.4-point per game scoring guard, Towson also features Allen Betrand, who’s putting up 11.8 points per game, and Nakye Sanders. Sanders leads Towson at 6.5 rebounds per. 

The bench duo of Juwan Gray and Jason Gibson provide scoring spark. 

Offense

Towson’s system puts a high price on ball control. The Tigers can and will use most of the shot clock in order to get the best possible look – and wear out an opponent. For a high-scoring opponent like Northeastern, that’s noteworthy. 

The Huskies struggled in games in which the opponent pulled down the tempo, limiting possessions and thus points. If Towson takes an especially methodical approach on Saturday, that’s why. 

Northeastern’s ability to garner turnovers will be tested, as Towson ranks 10^th in the nation with just 6.3 percent of possessions resulting in an opponent steal. 

Defense

In the two weeks leading up to conference play, Towson gave up two of its higher point totals of the season: 71 to UMBC, and 82 to Tulane (the latter in overtime). Ironically, the Tigers won both games, as they had previously flourished when keeping the opponent’s production to 65 points or fewer. 

While Towson does not produce any eye-popping statistics in any defensive category, the Tigers are serviceable-to-solid in most phases. Sanders has been Towson’s best defender, using his length to both protect the rim and generate steals. 

Fellow big Dennis Tunstall has done likewise. His blocked shot percentage is 159^th among all Div. I players.