TOWSON, Md. - We are now almost a third of the way through the 2011-12 college basketball season.
Here at Towson, it has been a tale of two teams. The Tiger men's team has played one of the toughest schedules in the country and Coach Pat Skerry and his team are still looking for their first victory.
On the other side, Coach Joe Mathews and his women's team is off to a 8-2 start with their only losses coming to top 10 teams Maryland and UConn. Coach Mathews' Tigers are also sitting atop the CAA with a 1-0 record.
Not only have the Tigers been victorious on the court, but they are also impressing the computers. Realtimerpi.com has the Tigers at number 13 in the nation at this point. The Tiger women have played the 25th-toughest schedule in the nation.
Towson has two non-conference games remaining until heading full bore into its CAA slate. The Tigers will travel to Delaware State on Dec. 22 for a game against the Lady Hornets before hosting local rival Loyola on Dec. 29.
The Tiger women's team would love to go into conference play with momentum because Towson starts off 2012 with a couple of tough CAA games on the road. On January 5, the Tigers will take on the Delaware Blue Hens. Not only does Delaware have one of the best players in the nation in Elena Della-Donne, they are the NUMBER ONE team in the nation according to realtimerpi.com. The Tigers will then stay on the road to take on Drexel January 8.
What is impressive about this team is that it has been just that - a team effort. Six players are averaging at least six points per game. Point guard Krystal Parnell not only leads the team in points and assists, but she is also leading the team in steals. Krystal is averaging 11.6 points and nearly four assists per game with 17 steals.
The addition of University of North Carolina transfer Nyree Williams has also helped the Tigers tremendously. Nyree is nearly averaging a double double at 8.6 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Add in Tanisha McTiller's 11.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and the Tigers have quite the triumvirate.
Let's hope they can keep it rolling, because as always, the CAA will be a brute to handle.
On the men's side, it's obvious that youth has been a problem. As my radio partner Vince Angotti likes to say, “These guys have just started to learn each other's names.”
But, they are playing hard. As Milton Kent pointed out on his most recent blog here on TowsonTigers.com, these young Tigers are winning the stats that show effort - rebounding and holding their opponents to a low shooting percentage. If you have had a chance to see the team play, you know their Achilles heel is turnovers. But, as you watch, many of those turnovers are by players that are trying their best. In fact, maybe they are trying too hard.
It will be interesting to watch, but my feeling is that once this team gets over the hump of winning its first game, the Tigers may start to relax a bit and the turnovers will drop.
You have two more chances to see the Tiger men's team at home before the calendar changes. On December 20, the Tigers will host Manhattan and on December 23, an old America East foe in Vermont will be at the Towson Center. Hope to see you there.
Programming Note: Join me and Damon Lewis this Thursday for another edition of Tiger Talk at Bill Bateman's Bistro in Towson. We will be joined by Tiger men's assistant coach Luke Murray. We will also have another special guest. If you can't make it out to Bateman's, you can tune into Tiger Talk on WNST-AM 1570 or right here on TowsonTigers.com.
