March Madness hits Towson University

UPDATE: Our Towson Tigers fell to Northeastern, 71-60, Saturday night in the opening round of the CAA tournament. TU finished the season with a record of 20-12. Towson's women's basketball team opens CAA tournament play this Wednesday, March 9 at 2:30 p.m. vs. William & Mary at the Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro, MD.

It's time for March Madness, and Towson men's basketball is making a push for an NCAA Tournament berth in a wide-open Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament.

The tournament will be held March 4-7 at Royal Farms Arena. The Tigers are the No. 3 seed and received a bye in the first round. They will meet No. 6 seed Northeastern in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 5 with tipoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m.

The Tigers split the regular season series against Northeastern, winning 79-72 in Boston, while losing 44-47 inside SECU Arena. Towson is led by William Adala Moto (13.9 ppg) Byron Hawkins (13.6 ppg) Mike Morsell (12.6 ppg) and John Davis (10.6 ppg).

If Towson wins, the Tigers will compete in the semifinals on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The CAA Tournament Championship will be played on Monday with a tip-off at 7 p.m.

Spectators can purchase tickets for the entire tournament or for each session now. You can also purchase tickets through the Towson Athletics’ Tickets Office or the Royal Farms Arena box office.

Pre-Game Alumni Party

Before the game, the Towson University Alumni Association and the Tiger Athletic Fund (TAF) will be hosting a pre-game party at the Pratt Street Ale-House.

The party will start at 6:30 p.m. and will last until 8:30 when the Tigers will tip off their first game of the tournament.

To attend, please RSVP here.

Faculty and Staff Ticket Vouchers

In honor of Towson University’s 150^th Anniversary, the CAA has offered 150 ticket vouchers to Towson faculty and staff members. Vouchers are redeemable for one (1) seat at any one (1) session of the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship based upon availability.

To reserve your ticket voucher, e-mail Jenna Mills with your request. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Students Promotions

To help bring March Madness to campus, Towson Athletics is offering special $5 tickets to the first 200 students who purchase.

They include a bus ride, game ticket and special t-shirt. Students do not have to ride the bus, but the option is available. If they ride the bus, tickets and t-shirt will be distributed as they depart the bus at the arena. If they do not ride the bus, tickets and t-shirts can be picked up at Towson’s will call table at the arena.

Buses will depart 90 minutes before tip-off from lot 13 near Unitas Stadium. Tickets can be purchased at the University Union or Unitas Stadium box offices. Students who attended an athletic event this season will receive an e-mail to purchase online.

If the Tigers win on Saturday, students will receive an e-mail following the game to purchase tickets to the Tigers’ game on Sunday. Tickets will remain $5 and include a bus ride, game ticket and rally towel. This offer is also valid for the first 200 students, and will depart 90 minutes before tip-off from lot 13. This will be the same for the CAA Championship game.

After the first 200 student tickets have been picked up, tickets will then cost $7. If students have questions, they can contact the main ticket line at 1-855-TU-TIGER, or by contacting Assistant Athletic Director for Fan Development Kim Cavanaugh via e-mail.

Skerry Receives Contract Extension

After posting its second 20-win season in three years, Towson men’s basketball has extended head coach Pat Skerry’s contract through the 2020-2021 season.

“Our men's basketball program has excelled under the leadership of Coach Skerry, and we're thrilled to extend his contract through the 2020-21 season,” said Towson Director of Athletics Tim Leonard in a statement. “Our future is bright, and I am excited to see the continued growth of our program under his leadership.”

Since the start of the 2012-13 season, Towson is tied with Northeastern for the most regular season conference victories with 43. Three of Towson’s winningest seasons in the Division I-era have come under Skerry, who was named CAA Coach of the Year following the 2012-13 season.