Long Island University Sharks vs Towson Tigers Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Neither team has won yet, but LIU won 24 games last season and has a true lead guard in Allette. Towson has scored 63.5 points a game this season and now has to cover at home.

The Matchup

Towson hosts Long Island University on Monday evening at SECU Arena in Towson, on FloSports, with Towson a 5.5-point favorite, a total of 141.5, and the Tigers priced at -250 on the moneyline against LIU at +205. Somebody gets a first win: Towson is 0-2 after losses to Santa Clara, 89-70, and Utah, 67-57, both on the road, and LIU is 0-3 after road losses to Florida Atlantic, Seton Hall, and La Salle, the last two by single digits.

Last season is where LIU's case lives. The Sharks went 24-10, scored 74.1 points a game, and allowed 71.1, the best record in this matchup by a clear margin. Towson went 19-15, scored 69.2 points a game, and allowed 66.1, winning with defense and patience. This season's small returns point the other way for Towson: the Tigers have scored only 63.5 points a game and allowed 78.0, and a team that wins slowly cannot afford to defend that poorly.

Vasean Allette leads LIU at 13.3 points and 7.0 assists a game, and Tyrell Bowles leads the Sharks at 8.0 rebounds a game. Jaquan Womack leads Towson at 14.0 points and 9.0 rebounds a game, a heavy load, and Christian Doerr leads the Tigers at just 2.5 assists a game, which tells you how much of Towson's offense runs through individual creation right now.

No injuries are listed for either team on the ESPN summary for this game. Two winless teams can both be misread in November: LIU's 0-3 came entirely on the road against a step up in competition, while Towson's 0-2 came with an offense that has yet to reach 71 points in a game.

Key Factors

Allette against a defense still finding itself is the matchup that matters most. A lead guard averaging 7.0 assists a game keeps an offense organized in a loud road gym, and LIU needs exactly that in its fourth straight road game. If Allette controls tempo, the Sharks get good shots late in the clock and their defense, which allowed 71.1 points a game last season, only has to hold a Towson team scoring 63.5 a game this season.

Womack is the counterpoint, and Towson's best argument. He leads his team in scoring and rebounding, and LIU has nobody with his combination of size and activity. If Womack owns the glass and Towson's home crowd lifts a defense that allowed only 66.1 points a game last season back to that level, the Tigers can grind out a comfortable win. The home opener matters too: Towson has not played at SECU Arena yet this season, and its two losses came against Santa Clara and Utah, a tougher pair than LIU has faced.

The total of 141.5 fits how both teams played last season, two deliberate teams in the low seventies and high sixties. That kind of game compresses margins: every possession counts, free throws decide the last two minutes, and a 5.5-point spread asks a low-scoring favorite to win almost every late exchange. LIU has the guard to win a few of those exchanges, and that is enough to take the points.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.