Long Island University vs Towson prediction: LIU's champions are nearly all gone as Towson guards its glass
The NEC title team returns almost none of last season's minutes, so this early test turns on whether Towson's rebounding and defensive habits outlast its own roster churn.
- Expect a slow, physical game on Towson's floor, with two heavily rebuilt rosters still sorting out roles in an early non-conference test.
- Towson on the offensive glass: last season it ranked 24th in offensive rebound rate, while LIU ranked 310th in defensive rebound rate.
- No spread or total posted yet; last season's adjusted net efficiency had Towson 161st and LIU 207th of 365.
A champion in name only
LIU enters 2026-27 as the defending NEC regular-season and tournament champion after a 24-11 season that ended with the program's eighth NCAA Tournament trip. Almost none of that team is back. Players on this season's roster accounted for just 1.2% of last season's minutes and 0.4% of its points.
The departures read like the whole rotation. Jamal Fuller scored 16.2 points a game and hit 43% from three last season. Greg Gordon, Malachi Davis and Jomo Goings each started at least 34 games. In their place come transfers such as Josh Pickett from Presbyterian and Justin Johnson from Western Carolina, role players last season who now need to carry more. Last season's LIU numbers describe a team that no longer exists, so read them as a sketch of program habits, not a forecast.
Towson reloads around a defense
Towson turned over plenty too, returning 25.7% of last season's minutes after Tyler Tejada left for Cincinnati and Dylan Williamson for Rhode Island. Six players return from a team that reached its fifth straight CAA semifinal, and the league's coaches picked the Tigers fourth in the preseason poll.
The identity last season was defense and patience. Towson allowed 66.1 points a game (17th nationally) and played at one of the slowest paces in the country, 315th of 365 in possessions per 40 minutes. The offense was the weak point: the Tigers made 30.3% of their threes, 341st. That is where Ben Roseborough matters. He shot 41.1% from deep in 11 games at San José State. Zion Stanford, a senior transfer from Villanova, was named to the CAA preseason second team.
The fight for extra possessions
If any of last season's habits carry over, the boards are Towson's edge. The Tigers grabbed 36.6% of their own misses (offensive rebound rate), 24th nationally, while LIU secured only 67.0% of opponents' misses, 310th. Size points the same direction this season: Towson's roster averages 80 inches weighted by minutes, LIU's 77.
LIU also coughed it up on 19.0% of possessions last season, 315th. Towson, though, forced turnovers at a modest rate last season, 288th, so the Sharks' ball security may not be punished as harshly here as the glass battle could be. LIU's defensive strength last season was rim protection, with a block rate that ranked 16th, but the shot-blockers who built it have moved on.
What to watch
- Second shots: whether Towson's frontcourt, led by returner Caleb Embeya, wins the offensive glass against a smaller LIU group.
- Roseborough's range: a reliable shooter would fix Towson's biggest flaw from last season.
- LIU's new hierarchy: who takes the shots for a team rebuilt almost from scratch.
- Availability: nothing has surfaced on injuries for either team. Neither school's published schedule had listed this game as of this week, so confirm the matchup before tip.
Key players
- Ben Roseborough (Towson): He averaged 12.0 points and shot 41.1% from three last season, the shooting Towson badly lacked.
- Jaquan Womack (Towson): Towson's top returning scorer averaged 7.1 points in 19.3 minutes last season.
- Caleb Embeya (Towson): He pulled down 5.8 rebounds in 20.7 minutes a game last season, central to Towson's rebounding edge.
- Josh Pickett (Long Island University): He started 27 games and made 42 threes at Presbyterian last season.
- Justin Johnson (Long Island University): He averaged 6.7 points with a 24.2% usage rate off the bench at Western Carolina last season.
- Kamari Jones (Long Island University): He shot 78.3% at the line last season for a program that ranked 347th in free-throw shooting.
Numbers that matter
| LIU returning minutes | 1.2% | The defending NEC champion brings back almost none of last season's playing time. |
|---|---|---|
| Towson returning minutes | 25.7% | Towson rebuilt too, but keeps more continuity than its visitor. |
| Towson offensive rebound rate, last season | 36.6% | Ranked 24th nationally, against an LIU defense that ranked 310th in defensive rebound rate. |
| Towson 3-point %, last season | 30.3% | Ranked 341st, the hole that transfer shooters need to fill. |
| Roseborough 3-point %, last season | 41.1% | His shooting at San José State is the clearest fix for Towson's perimeter problem. |
Long Island University vs Towson: quick answers
When is Long Island University vs Towson?
Monday, November 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET.