While you’ve been watching the Terps suffer some early losses this fall, the Towson University men’s basketball team has been quietly extending a school-record win streak over the last month.
The Tigers began their season with a close loss to Old Dominion University. But since that dropped game on Nov. 10, Towson men’s basketball has been undefeated, recording 10 straight wins and bringing back trophies from the mid-major Gulf Coast Showcase tournament and the first-ever Belfast Invitational in Northern Ireland.
The streak has also included blowout wins over Florida Atlantic (76-52), St. Mary’s College of Maryland (90-57), and victories over Baltimore-area programs like Morgan State (82-78 in overtime) and UMBC (78-65). While not all of their opponents are exactly high-caliber, the Tigers have proven dominant early on with an average victory margin of 14 points.
Sophomore guard Zane Martin and senior guard Mike Morsell have led the charge, averaging nearly 18 and 13 points per game, respectively. It’s noteworthy that 10 of the 12 players on the roster returned from last year, building on the gel that recently netted Towson men’s hoops its third 20-win season in four years.
The win streak has been enough to earn the Tigers a vote from the folks who set the national rankings, marking only the second time in school history that’s happened. It’s also the longest win streak for the program since it became Division I.
Other area college basketball programs haven’t fared quite as well. The Terps (9-3) have already dropped several games and have tough matchups scheduled against top-ranked conference opponents starting in January. Morgan State (4-6) and UMBC (6-5) are both hovering around .500, and Juan Dixon’s arrival at Coppin State (0-10) hasn’t been enough to help the Eagles record even a single win so far. Loyola University Maryland (1-8) has also been pretty bad.
All of this isn’t to say that Towson’s path ahead is wide open. The Tigers are scheduled to play the University of Pittsburgh (5-5, but almost always a strong team) on Dec. 22, and will kick off conference play on Dec. 30 against the College of Charleston Cougars (7-2), who are also playing very well.
But if they can keep the streak going, don’t be surprised to see the team inch closer to the AP’s Top 25 or, months down the line, a spot in March Madness.
